Sporting a 41-0-1 record with 30 knockouts and being the son of a living legend, things look great on the surface for young Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. But heading into his June 26th bout with once beaten Irishman John Duddy, Chavez Jr. actually has a lot to prove.
Chavez Jr. began his career on September 26th, 2003 with a four round decision over Jonathan Hernandez in Sinaloa, Mexico. He would continue to build upon his record primarily in the Southwest United States and Mexico as he rolled through a list of non-descript opponents. In the following years he started to create a little bit of buzz for himself by fighting on the undercard of bouts featuring such fighters as Erik Morales, Miguel Cotto, and Manny Pacquiao.
All that was known about Chavez Jr. by many was the fact that he had an undefeated record and people were curious to see his skills on display. A December 2005 draw with Carlos Molina didn?t help matters and despite winning the rematch two months later there will still many question marks lingering around him.
The following years Chavez Jr. hasn?t been able to remove the doubt completely and the only notable names in those years were fringe contenders Matt Vanda and Jose Celaya. His last fight was a ho-hum decision over Troy Rowland on the undecard portion of Manny Pacquiao?s dismantling of Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas last November.
Seeming to sense that a change was in order Chavez hooked up with trainer Freddie Roach earlier this year and can be found in the confines of the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles as he prepares for the Duddy clash. While maybe not the type of fighter to strike fear into his opponents, Duddy has solid skills and could likely push Chavez further than any fighter before.
The Roach-Chavez union is certainly an interesting one and it adds yet another name to the Massachusetts trainer?s long list of charges. Roach currently works with Pacquiao, WBA Jr. Welterweight champion Amir Khan, Vanes Martirosyan, prospect Jose Benavidez and several others. Roach has publicily stated that Chavez Jr. has a lot of potential and the early results from their working relationship will be on display in a few weeks time.
