Flash back a little over a year ago and it?s safe to say that the expectations of young Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. were lukewarm, to say the least. The Sinaloa, Mexico native was fresh off of an underwhelming ten round decision over Troy Rowland at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and in the following weeks news would break that he had tested positive for furosemide, an illegal substance, and would end up suffering seven-month suspension from the sport.
Chavez was looked at as somewhat of an afterthought at that point, a fighter with a great last name but little in terms of substance as a fighter, but he would soon turn heads when it was announced in late April that he would be teaming up with trainer Freddie Roach. Chavez would begin putting in work at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles and suddenly his June 26th collision with tough Irishman John Duddy seemed much more intriguing.
By the time the Duddy fight took place there were several eyes watching, as people were dying to see how a Chavez-Roach tandem would look its first time out, and the ambitious pugilist didn?t disappoint. In one of the year?s best fights Chavez would punish Duddy over twelve fast-paced rounds inside of the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, winning a spirited decision. It was the type of breakthrough performance that you look for in any prospect in the sport and talks turned to a possible bout between Chavez and WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto with December 4th being the target date.
Coming off of shoulder surgery himself, Cotto would opt to sit out the remainder of 2010 but Chavez is still going ahead full steam this coming Saturday as he will test his skills against crude brawler Pawel Wolak, who is filling in for an injured Alfonso Gomez. Taking place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, there is other fine talent on the card such as Nonito Donaire, featherweight contender Mickey Garcia and a nice matchup between WBC lightweight champion Humberto Soto and Urbano Antillon, but the simple fact that Chavez is serving as the main event shows just how much star potential he really has.
A few weeks back I spoke to Alex Ariza, strength and conditioning coach of Chavez, and was told that he has been training alongside WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan, who has a December 11th date with fearsome puncher Marcos Maidana at the Mandalay Bay. Asked how well he has gotten to know Chavez and Khan, Ariza opted to focus not on their skills but instead their demeanors outside of the ring.
?They are both great and humble guys,? Ariza said of his two charges. ?Probably that?s what people don?t see. I guess maybe people see all the flash and this and that but those guys are really just down to earth. Everybody knows that I believe in training and some of things that I sometimes do are out of the ordinary but those guys never complain. I can tell by looking at their face that they don?t like it but they never complain.?
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Roach has also reportedly been smitten with the work ethic of the young fighter, going against previous rumors that Chavez Jr. had lacked discipline while in camp. Chavez definitely seems to be relishing his new atmosphere and if he can get past Wolak he could be making some serious moves next year.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum revealed that there are two ideal options for Chavez, as he could either be looking at a March showdown with Cotto or find himself against former champion Yuri Foreman in June in a bout that would serve as a co-feature to a Cotto rematch with Antonio Margarito. That double header would likely take place at Madison Square Garden around the time of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
2010 hasn?t been a banner year by any means but the month of November has been full of terrific action and there are some notable showcases coming up in December as well. Chavez has found a way to place himself as one of the sport?s more appealing prospect-turned-contenders and has shown that his talent inside of the ring is definitely worth some respect. I never would have imagined it given his situation a year ago, but Chavez Jr. very well could be breaking out in the near future.
