No fighter signifies the deteriorating or perversion of boxing’s titles than Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, whose ability to sell tickets and generate large amounts of fan-fare amongst Latino fans caused the WBC to strip Sergio Martinez of the belt and awarded it to Chavez. When Chavez fights, he makes his promoter Bob Arum and WBC President Jose Suliman a lot of money, and they know that as long as Chavez is matched soft, they will continue to make their money. Last June, Chavez was stastically dominated by Sebastian Zbik and got what some considered to be a hometown decision as he fought in Los Angeles. For his first defense, he is heading to another Latino freindly crowd in Houston, Texas to face Peter Manfredo Jr.
There had been previous chatter of Chavez’s lack of dedication to his training, perhaps a side-effect of his manufactured success knowing that he’s not being matched up against fighters that stand a chance to beat him. In Manfredo, however, he is facing someone who is at least at his exact same level of skill. Manfredo is tough, but has fallen short against top competition on multiple occasions in fights against Joe Calzaghe and Sakio Bika. That being said, he himself is in the midst of a career revival. Can Manfredo’s better experience and recent hot streak finally net him a title? Or will Chavez’s grit and the benefit of fighting in a friendly town be enough to carry the day?
