By Dan Ambrose: After facing two easy opponents in his last two title defenses, WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (45-0-1, 31 KO’s) is finally forced to take on a quality opponent in Andy Lee (28-1, 20 KO’s) on June 16th at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. It was either take on Lee or face an even more dangerous opponent in Sergio Martinez and that made the Lee choice the only real option.

Chavez Jr. doesn’t have the speed, the power, the movement or the boxing ability that Lee possesses. The only thing that Chavez Jr. has going for him is huge weight with his ability to drain down 20 pounds each time he fights to make 160. Chavez Jr. also has a good chin or at least it seems like does. We can’t know for sure because he’s never faced a middleweight with the kind of power that Lee or Martinez has going for them. This will be a real test to see if Chavez Jr. can take a good shot. I’m not talking about taking an occasional big shot.

Chavez Jr. will have to take big punches over and over again on June 16th for him to have a chance at winning this fight. I have a feeling that Chavez Jr. will be able to hold up under the bombardment from Lee, but I see him losing the fight by a lopsided decision. But I have a feeling that we may see one of those questionable decisions rearing it’s ugly head with Chavez Jr. being given a gift in El Paso by the three judges. I hope it doesn’t go that way, but I see the judges going against what the boxing fans feel and going against what happens in the ring on that night.

Lee’s better power, southpaw stance and his ability to move around the ring will give Chavez Jr. huge problems in this fight. Chavez Jr. hasn’t fought anyone with speed or power since he beat WBC paper champion Sebastian Zbik last year. This will be a first for him. His promoter Bob Arum must think that Chavez Jr. will be able to use his size to bully the tall and slender Lee around the ring all night, because otherwise I doubt he would have made the fight.

Lee struggled in his fight against Craig McEwan and was hurt a couple of times by some of his big shots. That fight wasn’t an impressive one for Lee even though he got a stoppage eventually.