Not long ago, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was the subject of ridicule in boxing circles. Photos of the four-time middleweight champion ballooning in weight between fights circulated on social media. He gained a reputation for being lazy and a party boy and was accused of living off his legendary father?s name.
He eschewed training, tested positive for marijuana and lost hundreds of thousands of winnings. In the biggest fight of his career until now, the middleweight championship against Sergio Martinez in 2012, Chavez spent 11 rounds getting beaten up by Martinez, then in the final round decided to fight, turning the tables and knocking Martinez down. But he couldn?t finish the Argentine and lost the fight by unanimous decision.
One of the other low points in Junior?s career came in his loss to light heavyweight Andrzej Fonfara in 2015, when he retired on his stool after taking a beating for nine rounds. The handsome son of the greatest Mexican fighter of all time considered hanging up his gloves, sparing his family and fans further embarrassment.
?It may have crossed my mind at some point, obviously after the Fonfara fight and the (Marcos) Reyes fight. Those were two fights where I don?t think that I had the same amount of passion that I needed to have,? Chavez Jr., 31, said during a conference call with reporters. ?But this fight is a lot different. This fight has created a lot of passion in me, a lot of enthusiasm, and I think that that?s the difference in this. Excited about this fight, and I think that you?re going to see a different Julio that?s excited.?
?This fight? is his highly anticipated Cinco de Mayo weekend showdown against fellow Mexican and fierce rival Canelo Alvarez on Saturday at sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (HBO pay-per-view, 9 p.m. ET). This is a battle for the hearts and souls of Mexican fight fans.
Chavez (50-2-1, 32 KOs) considers this fight ?my last opportunity, and I?m going to take advantage of it and do the best I can,? he said.
