By Dan Ambrose: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr is saying that he’ll earn a rematch with Canelo Alvarez with a win over former UFC champion Anderson Silva on June 19th.
The former WBC middleweight champion Chavez Jr (52-5-1, 34 KOs) is taking on the 46-year-old Silva in his pro debut in a 10-round fight on pay-per-view Estadio Jalisco Guadalajara, Mexico.
Despite losing to Canelo by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision in May 2017 on HBO PPV, Chavez Jr. believes that he’ll be able to beat him at 175. Their fight took place at a catchweight of 164 lbs.
It’s unknown what makes the 35-year-old Chavez Jr believe that Canelo will give him a rematch at this point in his career. Chavez Jr looked terrible in his recent consecutive defeats against Daniel Jacobs in 2019 and second-tier Mario Abel Cazares in 2020.
Although Chavez Jr did win his last fight against Jeyson Minda, that wasn’t against a world-class fighter. Canelo would receive harsh criticism from boxing fans if he were to consider giving Chavez Jr a rematch.
Chavez Jr says he’ll be ready soon for Canelo
“Of course, I want to have that in my mind, and that’s why this fight is such a big deal for me because it’s going to give me the opportunity to get a rematch with Canelo,” said Chavez Jr to TMZ when asked if he’s interested in the rematch with Canelo Alvarez.
“It’ll be a different fight if we meet again,” Chavez Jr continued about Canelo. “Yes, I think I can beat Canelo.
“I’m thinking I’ve got to get past Silva more than anything first. After Silva, I’m thinking of one more fight, and then I’ll be prepared to face Canelo because I need to be active. He’s improved a lot, and everyone has noticed that, so I would have to be at my best.
“Everybody knows that he’s not better than me,” said Chavez Jr about Canelo. “I don’t think he can beat me, but it could happen. The possibility is there, but as far as boxing, he can’t beat me. He doesn’t have the ability to beat me,” said Chavez Jr.
Julio Jr needs to take bigger challenges
It’s going to take more than a win over 46-year-old Anderson Silva for Chavez Jr to earn a rematch with Canelo. It’s safe to say that Julio will have to do a heck of a lot better than this to get a second fight with Alvarez.
Good options for Chavez Jr to earn a rematch with Canelo:
- Callum Smith
- Danny Jacobs
- David Benavidez
- Billy Joe Saunders
- David Morrell
- Dimitry Bivol
- Gilberto Ramirez
- Jean Pascal
- Artur Beterbiev
- Joe Smith Jr
“I predict I can finish him after the third or fourth round when I get my groove,” said Chavez Jr about Silva.
“I predict after the fourth round; I’ll be able to knock him out. If he lasts longer than that, it’s going to be his fault because it’s going to be a beating,” said Chavez Jr.
