By James Slater: It looks like new WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez will make the first defence of his belt in his homeland of Mexico. Though there has been no official announcement yet, Boxrec.com and a couple of other web sites have Chavez Junior down as meeting Peter Manfredo on November 19th in Toluca, Mexico.
In what will be a voluntary defence by Chavez (ahead of planned fights with mandatory challenger Marco Antonio Rubio and genuine middleweight king Sergio Gabriel Martinez next year), the November 19th fight could well be a great battle. The styles of the two men should gel well enough, with lots of punches thrown and landed.
Manfredo, the older man by five years at age 30, has been working his way towards a shot at a middleweight title; winning his last six fights, four by stoppage. Possessing an exciting, fan-friendly style, “The Pride of Providence” is a gutsy warrior who always gives his all. Against Chavez Junior, the former “Contender” might just cap his up and down career with a win that sees him capture a major title.
Chavez is riding high off his title win over the previously unbeaten Sebastian Zbik, and he will be in no mood to lose his belt in his first defence. And, fighting at home, Chavez will enter the fight as a considerable favourite. Will Manfredo have to score a KO to be able to bag a win in Mexico? If so, the 37-6(20) operator might come home disappointed. Not a huge puncher, Manfredo seems unlikely to flatten The Son of A Legend. Instead, he will have to persuade the judges he is the better man. By taking the fight right to Chavez – which is the approach I feel Manfredo will take – he must work and work and work.
Chavez, 43-0-1(30) is still a work in progress to a degree and he is far from unbeatable. With his greater experience, his toughness and his sheer hunger, Manfredo is the closest he will ever be to becoming a world champion. Joe Calzaghe was just too good (in 2007), while Sakio Bika was way too big (in 2008). Those are the two stoppage losses on Manfredo’s record, and since dropping down to middleweight he has kept a clean slate.
And if Manfredo is unlikely to stop Chavez, I feel Chavez is unlikely to halt Manfredo. What we could well be in for in November, is a gruelling, thoroughly engrossing distance fight. Again, Manfredo will really have to go some to take the title from Chavez in Mexico, but win or lose, the Rhode Island man can be counted on to go for it and give his all – as he always does.