Photo By Stephanie Trapp/Showtime Sports
Saturday, April 18, 2015, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (48-1-1, 32 KOs) will make his highly-anticipated return to the ring against former title-challenger Andrzej Fonfara (26-3, 15 KOs) at the StubHub Center in Carson, California.
The scheduled 12-round fight, which will be at a catchweight of 172 pounds, will headline a Showtime-televised event that will also feature a Super Bantamweight showdown between Oscar Escandon and Moises Flores for Escandon’s interim WBA title.
Fonfara, 27, of Poland, is coming off a November win against DouDou Ngumbu after a unanimous decision loss to WBC Light Heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson last May.
Chavez, on the other hand, is coming off a year-long layoff, which is why the fight will be at a catchweight of 172 rather than at his new weight class of 168.
The 29-year-old native of Mexico plans to move back down after his fight with Fonfara, which will give him more time to lose weight.
Nevertheless, Fonfara poses a considerable size and reach advantage.
“I usually fight at 175, at least for maybe two years. And this my weight,” said Fonfara in a recent conference call.
Fonfara has no qualms about his ability to make a lower weight than usual, although it requires a bit more work and dieting during training camp.
“It’s not impossible for me to go, like, two, three pounds down because, you know, when I fought Stevenson last year in May, I was 173 then. And I felt good then. Two pounds down is not problem for me. Should be good, you know? Just more diet, more work in the last week. And I should be good,” said Fonfara.
Fonfara also said that he learned alot from his loss to Stevenson–which was Stevenson’s toughest fight in years–and that he is training hard for Chavez.
“I’m ready for meet Chavez in the ring April 18 and show him I’m a better boxer,” said Fonfara.
