After reading disparaging remarks from Golden Boy promotions owner Oscar De La Hoya about his potential as a fighter, middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr released a statement challenging the now retired pay per view star to fight him.
“I call on Oscar De La Hoya to pick up the gloves and lets fight at middleweight in September. And to give De La Hoya more motivation – I bet my purse that I’m going to send him to his final retreat from boxing. And then I’ll wish him well in his career as a promoter,” -See the full statement at FightNews
The remark in question that prompted the challenge?
?I?m sorry but he just does not have it. There?s no pop in his punches, but I wish him the best.? Written by De La Hoya on his twitter account as he watched an underwhelming Chavez Jr take a decision win over little known Billy Lyell.
Hardly a literary assault the likes of noted verbal scholars James Toney or Ricardo Mayorga might be proud of, and certainly not the way De La Hoya would approach making the fight happen if that was his intention.
In his prime, few would question whether or not De La Hoya would crush Chavez Jr, and even after 42 fights, it could also be argued that Julio has yet to reach his full potential.
Chavez Jr looked to be much improved in his June decision over tough Irishman John Duddy last year, but against Lyell seemed to have reverted back to type. Taking on a no name opponent and not looking particularly impressive doing it.
It’s easy to see then why Chavez would want to challenge uncle Oscar.
A win over De La Hoya even at his advanced age would go some way to cementing Chavez’s place as the next big Hispanic star, and also pip to the post Golden Boy’s Saul Alvarez.
Now at the age of 38 and having been out of the ring for just over two years, De La Hoya contrastingly seemingly has very little to gain from taking on Chavez Jr.
Having been arguably the biggest star boxing has seen in the last two decades, it’s safe to say that he doesn’t need the money.
With his record and accomplishments in the ring, including two wins over an admittedly aging Chavez Sr, he doesn’t need the name on his record.
And with his responsibilities as the head of one of the biggest promotion companies in the world right now, as limited as they might be compared to those of CEO Richard Schaefer, it isn’t as if he doesn’t have anything to occupy his time.
The only thing De La Hoya would stand to gain from taking the fight, aside from a huge pay check, would be that should he win, Chavez Jr’s career would be in tatters while his own Hispanic prospect Saul Alvarez continues to flourish.
Already written off as a middle of the deck fighter by large sections of the boxing press and fans despite his popularity, a loss to Oscar De La Hoya could well bury any notion of Chavez someday becoming an elite fighter capable of taking on the very best in the world.
Tom Smythe, Pitt: “Chavez is ok but nothing special, De La Hoya was being kind and if Arum ever throws him to Martinez he would get destroyed”
