By James Slater – Though world middleweight number one Sergio Gabriel Martinez, his promoter Lou DiBella and fans the world over want very much to see “Maravilla” face WBC middleweight titlist Julio Cesar Chavez next, it looks as though this will not be happening.
According to Chavez Junior’s strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who spoke with Fighthype.com, and according to Britain’s unbeaten middleweight contender Martin Murray, who was a studio guest on Sky Sports as the cable giant televised Martinez-Matthew Macklin – it looks like being Chavez Jr against Murray next; probably on June 16th (Boxrec has the fight as going down in El Paso, Texas..
Murray, 23-0-1(10) and coming off a hugely impressive 12-round draw of a performance against WBA 160-pound boss Felix Sturm, told SKY that the fight with Chavez is definitely in the works and that the deal is currently being worked on. Ariza told Fighthype.com that he and “The Son Of The Legend” are currently talking camp arrangements for the fight.
As much as we’d all like to see the amazing 37-year-old from Argentina get in there with Chavez Junior (Martinez has been urging Junior to man up and take the fight for a long time), Chavez Jr – Murray is not a bad fight at all. Both men are unbeaten, and Murray proved in his draw with Sturm (a fight many people had him winning) that he is most certainly world class.
Neither man is a huge puncher, although Chavez, 45-0-131) can be a hurtful body puncher at times. Murray is arguably the better, smoother boxer of the two. Already, I can see a close distance fight that results in yet another argued over, much debated decision. Murray of course, will get no favours boxing abroad yet again, and Chavez Junior has won close ones on the cards before (see his decision win over Sebastian Zbik). I would certainly be surprised if the planned June 16th fight ended via KO either way.
Age, size and physical dimensions-wise, the two are evenly matched. Both are 6.0” and both men are in their twenties (Chavez 26, Murray 29). Both guys also have a good chin, a good engine (although Chavez has struggled late in the odd fight, mostly due to having struggled to make weight) and good speed of hand. The big factor could possibly be the weight: Chavez has really had a tough time getting down to 160 in some fights; his last one, with Marco Antonio Rubio especially – where Julio came into the ring at a reported 180! Has Chavez Junior struggled to make the weight because he has simply out-grown the division? Or does his discipline outside of the ring have a lot to be desired (we have heard those stories about him drinking and partying after all).
If this fight does come down to who wants it more, my money is on Murray. But will the Merseyside man get a fair shake on the cards if the fight does as I expect it will and reaches the final bell?