By Dan Ambrose: WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s ability to weigh-in at 160 lbs and then come into his fight at a 180 lbs could be a problem for Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) in their fight on September 15th, as Martinez will be lucky if he weighs 165 pounds in this fight. Chavez Jr. would then have a 15 pound weight advantage and that’s a big positive when you’re at middleweight.

15 pounds isn’t a lot when you’re talking about a heavyweight, but in the lighter weights 15 lbs can be quite significant. What this means is that Martinez won’t be able to stand in front of Chavez Jr. for too long because of his size. This will be a lot like Martinez’s fight against Kelly Pavlik in 2010 when Pavlik rehydrated up to 180+ after making weight. However, Martinez was able to deal with Pavlik’s extra weight by throwing fast combinations and picking out certain rounds where he would turn up his offense. Pavlik couldn’t handle it when Martinez upped the level of his offensive attack late in the fight and he was beaten to a bloody mess, although he remained standing and finished on his feet.

Martinez may have to use a similar strategy against Chavez Jr. if the 26-year-old son of Julio Cesar Chavez comes into the fight weighting 180 lbs or more, which is almost a given at this point. The World Boxing Council doesn’t have a rehydration limit, so Chavez Jr. and Martinez are both free to weigh whatever they want after they make weight on Friday, September 14th.

However, it mainly benefits Chavez Jr. because he’s the one that tends to put on a massive amount of weight after he rehydrates and ends up as a cruiserweight after he’s finished putting water weight back on.

A heavier Chavez Jr. doesn’t mean he’ll win. It just means that he’ll have the size to absorb shots better, muscle Martinez when in close and land with more weight behind the shots than if he were to come in around 170 lbs after rehydrating.