by Geoffrey Ciani – Ever since Sergio Martinez scored a devastating second round knockout against Paul Williams, he has been gunning for a big name opponent. Unfortunately for Martinez, he was unsuccessful in his attempts to lure boxing superstars Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao into the squared circle. Therefore the 2010 ‘Fighter of the Year’ has been biding his time, having spent the last couple of years taking on lesser known competition in the forms of Serhiy Dzinziruk, Darren Barker, and Matthew Macklin. This Saturday night Martinez will finally get his chance to shine when he takes on Julio Cesar Chavez Junior.
The son of a legend, Chavez’s career was initially viewed as nothing more than a cheap gimmick to cash in on his father’s name. He has since, however, shown vast improvement and began carving out a mark of his own. This was best illustrated in his most recent performance when he overpowered Andy Lee for a seventh round stoppage in June. Chavez is a big strong middleweight who frequently enters the ring well above the official 160 pound middleweight limit on fight night. He is a brutal body puncher whose sheer size and power have enabled him to officially remain undefeated through 48 professional contests.
By Michael Collins: WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) was able to successfully make weight during today’s weigh-in with Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) in Las Vegas, Nevada for their fight tomorrow night. I wasn’t prepared for how badly weight drained Chavez Jr. looked in weighing in at 158 pounds. He looked absolutely terrible, like someone that crawled out of a hospital bed to come in weigh-in. In contrast, Sergio Martinez looked sensation in weighing in at 159 pounds with no signs if being weight drained.
By Padraig Ivory: On Saturday night boxing enthusiasts should be presented with their answer, as one fighter ascends to the peak of the middleweight mountain. The unbiased majority can already envisage the green strap loosely aboard the torso of Argentinean sensation Sergio Martinez. However the silhouette of Mexican fighter Julio Chavez Jr, escaping from the shadow of his much celebrated father, is fast approaching the summit of the 160lb division. The Thomas and Mack Centre will be expecting a raucous atmosphere as the drama unfolds.
By Michael Collins: Freddie Roach hasn’t been officially let go in his job as a trainer for former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-3, 18 KO’s), but it’s expected that Khan will be making an announcement any day now about a new trainer to guide him through his next training camp for his upcoming December 15th fight date.
By Michael Collins: Trainer Freddie Roach says that he’s tried without success to get WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) to move up in weight to the super middleweight division in order for him to not to have to struggle at making the 160 pound middleweight limit. Chavez Jr. has been draining down from over 180 lbs to make weight at 160 for his last handful of fights dating back to 2010.
By Emilio Camacho, Esq. Several of you have emailed me asking for a prediction for the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. v. Sergio Martinez fight. By popular demand, here it is. First, I want to note that I am making a bold prediction because almost all experts expect the fight to go to decision and most expect Martinez to win on points. I am partly going a step further and here is why.
by Robert Jackson: The ‘Just the facts’ series has held court for many fights dating back to the Mayweather/De La Hoya matchup, and since then has offered a technical perspective in regards to the upcoming ‘BIG’ fight, ending with the big reveal. Today’s edition will analyze and try to figure out the viability of ‘the Son of a legend’, and also, Argentina’s own Maravilla. Trainers, training and conditioning, and the all important intangibles will be discussed and dissected.