With one month to go before he steps into the ring again after his unanimous decision loss to Sergio Martinez last year, Julio Cesar Chavez announced that in his corner will be his father, legend Julio Cesar Chavez, which does not come as much of a surprise.
What does come as a surprise is the elder Chavez?s role in his son?s camp: head trainer.
?I had always asked my dad to be my corner, formally, but he couldn?t for some time because he would get really desperate,?
?I told him, ?If you want to help me, do it formally, because if not, sometimes it just confuses my trainer,? said Chavez Jr. earlier this week.
Chavez will be facing Brian Vera at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in an HBO televised event and for the first time in his career, his father wont be screaming directions from ringside; now, Chavez Sr. will be in the ring with his son between rounds screaming directions for the first time in the younger Chavez? career.
?I believe I can help much more than down [at ringside],?
?He says I pressure [him] too much when I?m down there and he says he feels the pressure. He says it?s better for him that I?m in his corner. That way I can contribute more with my experience.?
Chavez splits with Roach (Photo: Chris Farina / Top Rank)
In replacing his former trainer, Freddie Roach, JCCJ essentially replaces one Hall of Famer with another as Roach was inducted as a trainer in 2012 and Chavez Sr. was inducted in 2011 as a fighter.
The run with Roach as head trainer was productive as over the course of a few years. JCCJ won the WBC middleweight title and made three successful defenses while with Roach, but comes off his first career loss to Martinez in September 2012, a fight where he was dominated by Martinez in all rounds but the 12th, when Chavez was able to fell Martinez but not score the stop and the fight went to the cards in the Argentine?s favor.
Injuries to Martinez have the champion out for the rest of 2013, and Team Martinez has voiced their intent on announcing the Argentine?s next fight, most definitely in 2014, after JCCJ?s September fight and other middleweight bouts scheduled to end the year.
If Chavez Sr. is a positive presence in his son?s corner in September, we could see a second act of the father/fighter combination in a possible rematch with Martinez, who still holds the WBC belt he ripped from Chavez.
?Let?s see how this one goes,? said Chavez of a 2014 bout in his son?s corner.
?If we pass and he feels good with me, why not??
