The boo?s came cascading down on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as he was announced as the unanimous winner over the game Bryan Vera on Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, California this past weekend. While he may have technically been the victor on this night, make no doubt about it: the bloom is currently off this rose. The Chavez brand took another hit.
Because it was just last year that Chavez was playing to huge crowds of over 15,000 in venues such as the Alamodome, the Sun Bowl and the Thomas and Mack Center. He was a bona-fide attraction and one of the games stars. But on this particular evening, while Top Rank announced a crowd of just over 5,000, just eye-balling the venue (that holds right around 8,000) it looked half full, at best (See K9 photo below). I mean, the beer lines weren?t even that long.
But there?s no other way to view Chavez?s behavior and performance, other than half-empty. He means so much to the business of boxing, but seems to care so little about the work that goes into it. And even the Mexicans, who are perhaps the most passionate of all the fan-bases, is beginning to sense that and our now pulling back their hard-earned support. Loyalty, is earned, not given.
Coming into this contest Chavez was, at first, simply too heavy (causing the weight to be moved from 168 pounds to 173 just last week) and then he looked drained at the weigh-in and then blown-up like a balloon on fight night. A source said that Chavez was hooked up to IV?s after the weigh-in and was over 190 pounds as he stepped into the ring on Saturday night. Yet, on this occasion, bigger was not better. Despite having the advantage in size, he was backing up for much of the night and it was Vera – who is really a middleweight – who was initiating the action and setting the pace.
There were many rounds where Vera did most of the work, he came forward, got his hands moving and beat Chavez to the punch consistently. Chavez landed the more noticeable and harder punches, but only on one occasion, at the end of a spirited seventh round, did he rattle Vera and it was Chavez who was so marked up around both eyes that had the look of a raccoon.
Most fans believed that Vera had out-worked and out-hustled the lethargic Chavez after ten rounds. But in what is a sad commentary of the sport, the three arbiters who sat ringside predictably ruled Chavez the winner bringing about a loud and nasty reaction from those who bothered to show up to this fight.
“Look, (Vera) won this fight, everyone seen it,” said an outraged Ronnie Shields, the trainer of Vera, just minutes after the scorecards were read.”These are all Chavez fans booing in here.” Later on, Shields said of the his charge,”He out-pressed him, he out-landed him, he threw more punches. What does it take to win a fight these days?!?! This is fucking bullshit!! Every one of these last judges needs to retire.”
(Well, we?ll have more on that, later)
But who are we fooling, short of a knockout, Vera was never going to win a decision against Chavez, who is the rarity in this sport: a child of privilege. One who is the scion of boxing royalty and allowed to skip certain steps in this game and enabling has been the name of the game from everyone that benefited from this franchise (http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/57491426) and they simply weren?t going to unplug this two-legged ATM. He is the money in this equation, Vera was just the B-side, a guy brought in to play a role( but not to actually have the temerity to win)
If there was ever a time when boxing was going to deliver a karma KO to Chavez it would have been on this occasion but instead of being punished for his lack of professionalism and respect for the sport, he was in essence rewarded for it. Crowd at StubHub Center (Photo ? K9 Photos)
Chavez is like that rich, spoiled kid who wraps his Mercedes around a telephone poll after a night of drinking and even after getting a DUI charge, his parents get him the new S-class the following week to replace it. Vera, on the other hand, is that guy who works two jobs at the mall and saves up to buy an old, beat-up pickup truck. Chavez is the guy who gets into the prestigious university because he?s a legacy. Vera, goes to junior college with the hope that he can eventually get into a four-year college( with student loans, of course).
(Perhaps this is really Julio Cesar Cyrus, I mean, the similarities are there: famous father, fast-track to stardom, affinity for marijuana, the only thing missing from young Julio is some twerking before he gets into the ring, now THAT would be a sight to behold- or not.)
The sense of entitlement with Chavez is maddening. He said in the aftermath of the fight,”Of course I won the fight but I had a referee who did nothing. There were head-butts, low-blows, repeated fouls and I had to deal with all that in the ring. I thought I did enough to win, I thought I won enough rounds. I?m pleased with my performance.”
Yeah, the nerve of Lou Moret in not bending over backwards on his behalf.
As for Vera, he lamented,”I felt like I won, I think I out-boxed him, I worked him inside and out. He caught me with a few shots because I was being so aggressive. I felt like I had to be to win the fight later.” He also stated,”This is the best performance of my career. The weight was never an issue. The game plan was exactly what I did. I just have to take some of the macho-ness out and I was never hurt during the fight.”
Despite losing the fight on the cards he won in many respects. This hard-nosed plugger from Austin, Texas earned plaudits for his efforts and he probably did enough to earn another payday on HBO (perhaps a rematch).
Chavez, in winning, lost. The catcalls that could be heard after the scorecards were read in his favor were heard loud and clear. But they weren?t as deafening as the swaths of empty seats that were seen at the StubHub Center.
CARDS
There will be no phony or contrived outrage from me over the decision. From ringside I had it 95-95( although in watching the fight again on HBO, I had Vera winning by two points) but there?s no justification for Chavez getting seven or eight rounds like he did on two of the cards. I think most reasonable people can live with cards that they disagree with, the big problem is with scorecards that seem pre-determined in nature.
“They had their minds made up before the fight happened,” said Vera?s promoter, Artie Pellulo, who echoed the thoughts of many others. Vera knew he was cooked when he heard ?98-92?, because he just knew he wasn?t getting that type of credit.”When I heard the score, I felt like I was getting robbed. It made me sick to my stomach before they even said it.”
What was more interesting than the actual scores of 96-94, 97-93 and 98-92 are how they actually got to these tallies. Carla Caiz have the first four rounds to Vera and then the next six to Chavez. Marty Denkin, who had it 97-93 gave six of the first seven innings to Chavez, while Gwen Adair, gave the first seven frames to Chavez on her way to 98-92.
CJ Ross, eat your heart out. But it?s not only in Vegas where boxing needs a new generation of judges, it?s clear.
Pellulo said that right after the fight that Carl Moretti of Top Rank suggested a rematch, but in Texas.”How can you NOT do a rematch,” Pellulo asked rhetorically to the ringside media. Yeah, but Artie, you think Texas, which has had it?s share of snafu?s, will give you a fair shake?
“Well, I don?t know…”answered Pellulo, chuckling at the thought.
SUPERMAN
On the other side of the spectrum, Adonis Stevenson was very impressive in stopping Tavoris Cloud in seven rounds, essentially making him quit. Stevenson, not only displayed impressive power and good speed, but good tactical mastery in controlling Cloud throughout the night.
And Stevenson is now an attraction, drawing over 9,000 fans to the Bell Centre in Montreal. An agreement is already in place for Stevenson to face his WBC mandatory and it could take place on November the 30th but not at the Bell Centre, where a hockey game is scheduled that night. If Stevens-Bellew does take place that night, it will be at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City according to promoter Yvon Michel.
FINAL FLURRIES
Andre Ward has mastered the art of saying nothing as the HBO color commentator or stating things that support a certain agenda of his. His soft-shoeing of Chavez was all in the name of trying to drum up interest in a fight with him. It makes me pine for the days of Lennox Lewis….Word is that Showtime and Golden Boy are moving their Nov. 2nd card featuring Leo Santa Cruz and Alfredo Angulo to Nov. 30th to San Antonio…. How bout a fight between Mathew Macklin and Willie Nelson? I wouldn?t mind it. I know HBO owes Macklin a return bout after his loss to Gennady Golovkin….Was Georgia-LSU the best college football game of the year? Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger were both great ?between the hedges?…..Stacy Coley, is the next Miami Hurricane superstar….And speaking of which, even Gennady Golovkin knows what Al Golden is building in Coral Gables: https://twitter.com/stevemaxboxing/status/384153901248696320/photo/1….Going by past precedent, I expect Lane Kiffin to be president of the United States in 2016 with the way he has failed upwards…..Great to have ?Nashville? back, but will it to turn into too much of a soap opera and not about the music scene/culture in that city….
