HOLLYWOOD – He stayed quietly in one corner and watched Manny Pacquiao do his thing on top of the ring.
When it was over, as he made his way out of the Wild Card Gym on a cold Friday afternoon, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. did acknowledge the Filipino boxer as the true pound-for-pound champion.
“I think Manny is a great boxer. He has the talent and he’s the best of the best in the world right now,” said the 24-year-old son and namesake of the legendary champion from Mexico.
Chavez, undefeated in 42 fights, dropped by to watch Pacquiao as he trained for his anticipated March 13 showdown with Ghana’s Joshua Clottey at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Chavez came with a friend, and they were overheard noticing that Pacquiao never seemed to tire during a routine workout that lasted more than two hours. Obviously, they both liked what they saw.
“He’s just enjoying it. Look at him,” Chavez was told by his friend, and the undefeated light-middleweight often smiled. Briefly, Pacquiao came up to him near the corner of the ring and they talked.
In an interview with Pinoy scribes, Chavez gave his thoughts on the fight with Clottey, who may turn out to be a tough customer, tougher than what many people would say and think of him.
“It’s gonna be a hard fight because Clottey is a good fighter, too. But I think Manny is gonna win the fight by decision,” he said.
Chavez, much taller and much heavier than Pacquiao, is a potential opponent for the Filipino. And while jaded ring observers believe that it should never happen, the possibility is always there.
He laughed when reminded of the possibility.
“I don’t know yet. I don’t know,” he said.
“Maybe one day.”
