Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs. Mario Abel Cazares on Sept.25 in Tijuana, Mexico

By Boxing News - 08/27/2020 - Comments

By Dan Ambrose: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will be fighting next month against unbeaten Mario Abel Cazares on September 25 in Tijuana, Mexico. The former WBC middleweight champion Chavez Jr. (51-4-1, 33 KOs), is fighting on the undercard of his famous father, Julio Cesar Chavez. The latter is facing former four-division world champion, Jorge Arce, in an exhibition match.

The little known super middleweight Cazares (11-0, 5 KO) is an unbeaten fighter with wins over obscure opposition. At 30, Cazares isn’t heading towards world titles honors. Hence, that’s why he’s been picked for Chavez Jr to fight.

What we do know of Cazares is he’s been fighting as a pro for the last five years. In Cazares’ previous six fights, he’s beaten these unknowns:

  • Eduardo Tercero
  • Juan Carlos Raygoza
  • Juan Carlos Parra Rodriguez
  • Joaquin Murrieta
  • Placido Perez Soria

Chavez Jr needs a confidence booster

I wish I could say that was the reason for Chavez Jr fighting a guy like Cazares was because of the pandemic, but I can’t. The real truth is, Chavez Jr is fighting this level of opponent is because this is all he can beat.

Chavez Jr isn’t talented enough to beat contenders at 168, and it would be potentially hazardous if his management put him in with a top tier guy. It wouldn’t just be bad for Chavez Jr. It would be for the card, especially if he quits again.

Chavez Jr, 34, is coming off one of his worst performances of his 17-year pro career in losing to Daniel Jacobs by a 5th round injury-related stoppage on December 20 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena, in Phoenix, Arizona.

YouTube video

In the fifth round, Chavez Jr suffered a broken nose after getting nailed by an uppercut from Jacobs. After the round ended, Chavez Jr decided his nose was too injured for him to continue, so he fought stopped.

Not surprisingly, the fans were angry, and they responded by showering the ring with bottles and other assorted trash. Poor Chavez Jr, Jacobs, and their teams quickly fled the ring keep from getting nailed by projectiles.

Julio can’t afford another loss

Chavez Jr’s career hasn’t been nearly the same since he lost his WBC middleweight title to Sergio Martinez in 2012. You could say that was the beginning of the end for Chavez Jr, who surprisingly has only lost three fights since then. However, Chavez Jr arguably deserved defeats in his first fight against Brian Vera in September 2013 and Marcos Reyes in 2015. Chavez Jr was the beneficiary of good scoring in both of those fights.

Besides Jacobs, Canelo Alvarez and Andrzej Fonfara both defeated Chavez Jr in the last five years. Earlier in Chavez Jr’s career, he won a controversial 10 round split decision over Matt Vanda in their first fight in July 2008. The fans at ringside for that match were furious at the decision, and it was a similar situation as Chavez Jr’s contest with Jacobs.

Image: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs. Mario Abel Cazares on Sept.25 in Tijuana, Mexico

Former three-division world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Sr (107-6-2, 85 KOs) is fighting an exhibition match against 41-year-old former four-division world champion Jorge Arce (64-8-2, 49 KOs). Chavez is old, and Arce might need to take it easy on him because he could hurt him if he goes on the attack.

Arce’s career ended with an 11th round knockout loss to Jhonny Gonzalez in 2014. By that point in Arce’s career, he was well past his prime, and he wasn’t the same guy that had captured world titles in four weight classes and entertained fans.

For his part, Chavez Sr last fought in a professional bout in 2005 in losing to unheralded Grover Wiley by a 5th round stoppage. Chavez knew it was time to retire at that point, and he made the right decision to hang up his gloves rather than stick it out.