In a recent post on twitter.com, Steve Kim of MaxBoxing.com stated there were serious talks of a mega fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30KO) versus former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32KO) for December in either Dallas, TX, or Las Vegas, NV. The sudden upswing of Chavez Jr’s competition is coming on the heels of his recent impressive performance in a unanimous decision over strong Irish workhorse John Duddy last month. Granted Chavez Jr. did look like a different fighter under the tutelage of new head trainer Freddie Roach but is he ready for such a step up or is this all hyperbole by his promoter, Bob Arum?
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
According to Kim, his trainer Freddie Roach has gone on the record to say that he wants to wait for the outcome of Chavez Jr’s next bout slated for September 25th to see if he is ready for such a lofty assingment.
Like any other promoter, Bob Arum’s job is to exploit the image of their fighter in the public eye as much as possible to create a demand for that particular fighter in the ring. Could this rumor be just that, getting the boxing public to start salivating at the possible match up?
Freddie Roach
I am a huge fan of Freddie Roach. As far as trainers are concerned, I think there is Freddie Roach and then there is everybody else. All you have to do is watch a Manny Pacquiao fight before he hooked up with Roach and his last fight and see the improvement he has developed with the Filipino phenom. Even with four short weeks he spent with Chavez Jr, it was evident that the descendant of Mexican boxing greatness was a more mobile, better conditioned fighter using tools that we had not seen before such as different punch combinations and angles.
Not only is Roach able to teach the skills to improve a fighter but he is also able to devise the plan for said fighter to defeat his opponent. Roach has been one of the first trainers to accept that a fighter must be better condiotioned and more athletic and has enlisted the help of Alex Ariza, first with Pacquiao and now with others in his stable such as Vanes Martirosyan and now Chavez Jr.
As far as Pavlik, it seems that Arum, who always championed the fighter from Youngstown, OH, is ready to set him up as a stepping stone for his much younger, Mexican ticket seller. Pavlik has not transcended to what many in his midwest town as well as Arum thought he has capable of. Since stopping Jermain Taylor back in ’07 for the WBO and WBC middleweight title, Pavlik has defended the title against less than stellar challengers such as Gary Lockett, Marco Antonio Rubio and Miguel Espino. When facing world class opposition, Pavlik has come up short as he did ten pounds heavier at 170 lbs. against Bernard Hopkins (L via UD) and in his last bout Sergio Martinez (L iva UD). In this last one, Pavlik lost his titles. Arum cannot be happy for he issues that Pavlik has had, from an almost life threatening staph infection in his hand that kept him out of the ring for ten months, to rumors of heavy drinking and fist fights in bars.
Kelly Pavlik
Pavlik, who is considered a huge draw in Atlantic City no matter who he faced, did not draw the expected numbers in his last bout against Martinez.
Altough the twenty-eight year old Pavlik might be perfect fodder for Chavez Jr., 24, who only has fought fighters who stand in front of him, Pavlik does carry cannons for fists. Pavlik’s power can be the great equalizer in the equation between the two.
I do agree with Roach that it might be too soon to throw the young Chavez Jr. to such a grizzled veteran as Pavlik. Roach mentioned that he would like to see how Chavez Jr. will perform with a full two months under his care. One thing is for certain, after his performance against “B” class opposition in John Duddy, it will not be as easy for Top Rank to feed the public the steady stream of mismatches that comply most of Chavez Jr.’s record. I am sure the boxing audience will not stand for another “Latin Fury” against opponents as unrecognized as Troy Rowland, Tobia Guiseppe Loriga or Shad Howard.
Many believe that under Ariza, Chavez Jr. will be able to reach a peak condition and quite possible drop back down to the super welterweight division in which where his lanky six foot frame might serve him better. If that is the case, then for his September 25th date, I wouldn’t mind seeing Chavez Jr. take on a blown up Alfonso Gomez or Jesus Soto Karass. Roach has said that despite his 43 professional fights, Chavez Jr. has the skill of a 15-0 fighter so setting him up against a semi-recognized true 154 pounder might be a bit premature. If for whatever reason Chavez Jr. does not drop to 154 and stays at middleweight then I would like to see him against Kassim Ouma or even a now very faded “Yory Boy” Campas.
With an impressive KO win over any of those opponents and with what Freddie Roach and team can do with a full two months with “Julito”, then I think that the Son of a Legend might be ready for the “Ghost”.
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