Junior middleweight prospect Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is still chasing after a year-end showdown with Manny Pacquiao. He returns on July 25 in Mexico, headlining a Top Rank pay-per-view with Jason LeHoullier mentioned as a possible opponent. Top Rank’s Bob Arum, who promotes both Pacquiao and Chavez, has mentioned a possible fight between the two. The chance of such a fight taking place is not very good. Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach is against a fight with Chavez. He says the size difference is too much.
Chavez is still hoping for the fight. So is Fernando Beltran, who promotes Chavez in Mexico.
“We are in continuous contact with Julio C?sar Ch?vez, since it is he who has the last word on everything. And if authorized, we will agree to a fight against Pacquiao in November in Las Vegas. We would agree to having the fight at 150-pounds. If Pacquiao does not accept the fight at the weight that we want, then there will be no fight,” Beltran told The Record.
It not very likely that Pacquiao will take that fight at 150, and Chavez is too big to get down any lower. Pacquiao is looking to fight Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley or Floyd Mayweather Jr. at a catch-weight between 140 and 147-pounds. Beltran feels that maybe Pacquiao will take the fight because he thinks it’s an easy payday.
“Pacquiao will maybe take a fight with a Julio because he sees it as paid training, but we see it as a great opportunity that has to be seized. We are convinced that Julio can win this fight. Pacquiao can be hurt by a fighter with long arms, like Morales. Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez have shown that he can be defeated,” Beltran said.
