The first time I caught Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. live and in person, I was a bit underwhelmed. Facing off with Michigan’s Troy Rowland inside of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas underneath the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto tussle in November of 2009, Chavez pulled out an uninspiring ten-round decision that left much to be desired and a following seven-month suspension after he was found to have furosemide in his body only made matters worse.
But a little over a year a half later and the son of the living legend of the same name is now staring his first world title shot in the face as he will be meeting WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik this Saturday night inside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. Chavez has been training over a year under the guidance of world-renown trainer Freddie Roach at his Wild Card Boxing Club and it is a move that has given him much growth as a fighter.
<--- Slideshow: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. swings through Dodgers Stadium
Zbik is regarded as one of the more ordinary champions in the sport and some people are looking at Saturday night’s meeting as more of a coronation for Chavez Jr. than an actual fight. On this Sunday afternoon Chavez could be found in the confines of Dodgers Stadium as he interacted with fans, spoke the media, and threw out the first pitch of the home team’s game against the Marlins.
There had been whispers that Chavez Jr. was going to be looked at as a possible for for Miguel Cotto in September in Las Vegas but with Antonio Margarito not retiring, the Tijuana fighter will likely fill that void later in the year. Regardless, if Chavez can add the WBC crown to his name the big fights will be coming in one way or another.
For images of Chavez inside Dodgers Stadium please visit the slideshow on the left…
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
