By Gav Duthie: I’ve almost considered Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr 50-2-1 (32) a semi retired fighter over the last 5 years. Despite turning professional in only 2003 he amassed a 46-0-1 record by 2012 before he faced Sergio Martinez. This is a rate of over 5 fights per year, contrast that to today where since the Martinez loss he has fought only 5 times in 5 years.
Chavez is looking to get back on track with a May 6 fight against Saul Alvarez in Las Vegas on the Mexican holiday weekend of ‘Cinco de Mayo’ (May 5th) at a catchweight of 164.5lbs.
By Dan Ambrose: Former world title challenger Willie Monroe Jr. believes that Golden Boy Promotions are looking to protect their money fighter Saul “Canelo’ Alvarez by having him fight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by having him melt down to 164 ½ pounds to fight at a catch-weight on May 6.
Monroe sees the catch-weight as one that will weaken Chavez Jr. to the point where he’s little more than a junior middleweight in terms of power. Monroe says that the 6’1”Chavez Jr. is too big to be fighting at a catch-weight of 164.5lbs against Canelo, and he may be right.
By Dan Ambrose: Paulie Malignaggi says he doesn’t get what’s so special about the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight, and he feels that the Gennady “GGG” Golovkin vs. Daniel Jacobs match-up is a much better fight in terms of entertainment. I think for a lot of boxing fans, they agree with Malignaggi.
Canelo-Chavez Jr. pales in comparison to the Golovkin-Jacobs fight, which matches two of the best fighters in the middleweight division today against each other. Golovkin and Jacobs are two knockout artists with 62 knockouts between them.
By Dan Ambrose: 45-year-old former three division world champion Shane Mosley says he thinks the size of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) could be a big problem for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) in their fight on HBO PPV on May 6. Mosley thinks that Canelo could come into the fight at 172 pounds, and Chavez Jr. around 190.
The near 20 pound weight advantage for Chavez Jr. could help him in getting the better of Canelo. Mosley still thinks Canelo could outpoint Chavez Jr., but he’s entirely sure about that. The size of Chavez Jr. is the hard thing for Mosley to overlook in this fight, because Canelo will be giving away so much height, reach and weight.
By Adam Kallanous: Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will square off on May 6 for Cinco De Mayo weekend, but is this just a farce to allow Jr, to cash out on his legendary bloodline?
We haven’t seen much of Jr. in the last few years.
By Dan Ambrose: Juan Manuel Marquez doesn’t see Saul “Canelo” Alvarez getting much from acclaim if he beats Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in their fight on May 6th on HBO PPV. The boxing fans want Canelo to fight Gennady Golovkin.
He’s considered to be the No.1 middleweight in the division. The fans have been asking Canelo to fight Golovkin for 2 years, and he’s gone in the other division in fighting the likes of Amir Khan, Liam Smith, an arguably over-the-hill Miguel Cotto and James Kirkland. Now Canelo is fighting Chavez Jr. in what is viewed as a ‘business fight’ rather than a sporting fight.
By Dan Ambrose: Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya appears to be leaning in the direction of Las Vegas, Nevada for the city where his fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) will do battle with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) on May 6. The decision on the venue for the Canelo-Chavez Jr. fight is expected to be decided in the next two weeks.
It’s important that the venue be decided quickly if the fight is going to be staged at the huge 90,000 seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Canelo failed to sell out the venue for his last fight against former WBO junior middleweight champion Liam Smith on September 17 last year.
By Dan Ambrose: Trainer Robert Garcia is giving the edge to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) for his fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) on May 6 on HBO PPV. While Garcia likes Canelo’s boxing skills and activity level in his career, he sees him as the smaller, weaker fighter of the two.
Garcia thinks that Chavez Jr. can win the fight if he comes in shape and is focused for the fight. It comes down to pride and defending the family name with Chavez Jr., says Garcia. He believes that with Chavez Jr’s size and power advantage, he’ll be able to beat the 5’9” Canelo.
By Dan Ambrose: Gennady Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez isn’t ruling out an upset victory for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) in his fight against favorite Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) in their fight on May 6. Sanchez says that the fight could be turned around by one big punch from Chavez Jr. to Canelo. When he’s at his best, Chavez Jr. is kind of a beat with his ability to absorb shots and dish out punishment. who can forget how Chavez Jr. made the 5’10” Sergio Martinez look small in comparison in their fight in 2012. Martinez is taller than Canelo by at least an inch, possibly two. We don’t really know how tall Canelo is. He might be shorter than his listed height of 5’9″.
Sanchez believes that Golovkin is at risk of losing his next fight to WBA World middleweight champion Daniel “Miracle Man” Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) on March 18. Jacobs is a big puncher, and viewed as a risky fight for Golovkin. Of the two fights, you’d have to say that Golovkin is at greater risk of losing to Jacobs than Canelo is in facing the ring rusty Chavez Jr, who will need to melt down to 164 ½ pounds to face him at a catch-weight.
By Eric Baldwin: The World Boxing Council will reportedly be creating a special memorial belt for the May 6th fight between Saul Canelo Alvarez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to fight over. There are no titles on the line for that fight, as it’s taking place at a catch-weight of 164 ½ pounds.
Canelo is going to be moving down to middleweight after he fights Chavez Jr., and he’ll be fighting at the full weight for the division at 160l. bs. This is good news, because Canelo is approaching 27, and it’s starting to look strange to boxing fans that he’s not been willing to fight at the full weight for the middleweight division despite fighting at catch-weights in 2014 to 2016.
