Photo by Esther Lin
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (49-2-1, 32 KOs) was back in his familiar element when he took on unknown challenger Marcos Reyes (33-3-0, 24 KOs) this past Saturday July 18, 2015.
He was out of shape, uninspired and fighting in Texas against a guy who he had a clear size advantage on.
Chavez has built a career off bullying smaller opponents, but then when he stepped in against the bigger Andrzej Fonfara on April 18, 2015, he was battered for nine rounds before quitting on his stool before the 10th.
So he picked up trainer Robert Garcia, who ironically isn’t known for getting his fighters in great shape for weigh in day, and once again stepped on the scale heavy before facing off against Reyes in a matchup that was intended to make Chavez look good.
The fight sucked, the drama that Chavez usually brings into the ring–win or lose–has virtually vanished, and he has become more of a figure who boxing fans roll their eyes at.
Chavez’s size advantage was so obvious you would have sworn you were watching a Cruiserweight fight a Middleweight, but still he wasn’t able to really hurt Reyes, never knocked him down and even staggered a bit down the stretch giving up rounds to his smaller opponent.
The judges scored the bout 97-92, 98-91 and 96-93, a unanimous decision victory for Chavez, but it was an ugly and unimpressive win to say the least.
In his post-fight interview with Showtime’s Jim Gray, Chavez claimed that he would eventually get down to 168 pounds where he wanted to campaign in the future, but anybody who follows Chavez knows this is a joke.
He couldn’t even make 170 pounds this past weekend, and it’s clear now that he might never see 168 pounds again.
Instead he’ll campaign at his own weight, which will be whatever he feels like weighing come weigh in day, probably somewhere between 170-175 pounds.
The problem that Chavez faces is eventually he’s going to have to move up to Light Heavyweight, where he’ll be too small to bully opposition, and will have to abandon the strategy of being a blown up Super Middleweight pushing around Middleweights.
Leaving “The Son of the Legend” in limbo, with nowhere safe to go, let’s take a look at some options for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. moving forward.
Sakio Bika
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Sakio Bika actually has the makings of a very entertaining fight.
Both men have no real boxing skills, and would basically just stand flat-footed in front of each other exchanging blows until one of them was dead or close to it.
There would be blood, and there would be swelling, with Chavez and Bika you can always count on that.
Bika is coming off a loss to Light Heavyweight lineal champion Adonis Stevenson back on April 4, 2015, but that doesn’t mean we should expect him
to campaign at that weight, with his smaller yet bulky stature Bika would have no trouble getting back down to Super Middleweight size where he’d have a better chance against lighter fighters.
The loss to Stevenson was Bika’s second in a row, previously dropping a unanimous decision to Anthony Dirrell on August 16, 2014.
Similar to a potential Smith fight, Chavez vs. Bika would match up two guys who are desperate for a win and who could have their careers sunk by a loss.
For Chavez, a win over Bika, who is an ex-Super Middleweight titleholder and recent challenger to a Light Heavyweight title, not only justifies a title shot at 168, but at 175 against Stevenson as well.
Paul Smith
Photo by Martin Rose
Paul Smith has become a laughing-stock in the British fight scene, so he and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. would actually make a good pair.
He’s lost three fights in a row, two straight at the hands of WBO Super Middleweight champion Arthur Abraham, and more recently to Super Middleweight lineal champion Andre Ward.
Ward hadn’t fought in a year and a half when he took on Smith on June 20, 2015, and it was clear that Smith was brought in to help Ward ease back into the game.
Smith stepped on the scale 4.5 pounds overweight on weigh in day, very Chavez-like, then got his ass handed to him for nine rounds before being stopped, also very Chavez-like.
It would be an interesting situation matching up Chavez and Smith, both guys would be desperate for a win, and only God knows how much they’d weigh for the fight.
Team Chavez could see it as a very winnable fight, and also a justifiable opponent since Smith is coming off three straight bouts against 168-pound champions.
Maybe a win over Smith would be enough for Al Haymon to convince the general public that Chavez is worthy of taking on the winner of Badou Jack vs. George Groves, who fight for Jack’s WBC Super Middleweight title on August 8, 2015 in Las Vegas.
Lucian Bute
Photo by Herby Whyne
Yes, this is a stretch because Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. made it clear after his win over Marcos Reyes that he was more interested in campaigning at 168, but there’s a difference between what Jr. says and what Jr. does.
It’s very possible that Chavez could get a point where he realizes that he isn’t a Super Middleweight, never will be, and starts looking for a respectable and winnable fight at Light Heavyweight.
Lucian Bute hasn’t fought since he was outclassed by Jean Pascal in Montreal back in January 2014, he’s signed with Al Haymon now, and has a comeback fight scheduled against Andrea Di Luisa in Montreal on August 15, 2015, a fight Bute should win.
Looking at Haymon’s stable of Light Heavyweights, Bute makes more sense than throwing Chavez in with Adonis Stevenson or against the up-and-coming monster Artur Beterbiev, both would surely batter him into early retirement.
But a fight with Bute is interesting, it’s a good crossroads fight pitting two boxers who both have a strong following and who are very popular amongst their genre of fight-fans.
The winner you would assume would be first in line to take on Stevenson for his lineal and WBC Light Heavyweight title.
If it’s Bute, just imagine the scene in Montreal, and if Chavez could manage a win over a name like Lucian Bute, that might just be enough to rally the Mexican fan base around a big showdown between Stevenson and Chavez in Texas or Las Vegas.
Who do you think Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. should fight next? Please feel free to discuss in our comments section below.
