Canelo Alvarez, Sergio Martinez & Julio Cesar Chavez, JR: Floyd Mayweather JR’s Challengers EMERGE – Boxing News
By Geno McGahee
Last Saturday, HBO and Showtime went head to head with boxing cards, both featuring intriguing fights across the board. In the pay per view event, Sergio Martinez, 50-2-2, 28 KO’s, dominated Julio Cesar Chavez, JR., 46-1-1, 32 KO’s, en route to a wide unanimous decision, but there was a huge scare in the final round that salvaged the career of Julio and created some doubt for the Martinez fans that claim he is the best in the game.
There is talk of a rematch immediately and that is rather strange at this point. Granted, Chavez, JR., did knock Martinez down in the last round, but for the eleven rounds prior, it was a one-sided show. It can be argued that Martinez tried too hard to get Chavez, JR., out of there and paid a price at the end when he depleted his stamina entirely. From round 9 and on, Martinez was noticeably winded.
Luckily for Julio and his team, the last image most people have of that fight, is Martinez crashing to the floor. The comments after of “starting too late” add to the speculation that he would have stopped Sergio had he put more aggression forward earlier…or he could have been beaten worse and stopped had he pressed the issue. Whatever the case may be, Chavez, JR., once a laughing stock, is now seen as legitimate. I don’t believe that he can be seen as a legitimate 160 pounder however. Most believe that he is entering the ring in the 200 pound area and that has given him a strength advantage and an ability to absorb the incoming shots. He may be cheating the system and, make no mistake, Freddie Roach knows every trick in the book.
At one point, Roach defended Panama Lewis, and there have been consistent rumors of PED use among Roach fighters, including Manny Pacquiao and Julio Cesar Chavez, JR. Boxing is a sport known for criminal behavior, but there may be a chance to remove some of it with weigh-ins on the day of the fight for Chavez.
If Martinez opts to not take Chavez on again in a rematch, why not focus on Floyd Mayweather, JR? Martinez is 37 years old, Floyd is 35. These two men cannot wait much longer to face each other before father time ruins them both. There are signs with both of them that they are slowing down and if they wait for a Chavez rematch, that would push Martinez to near forty before being able to face off with Floyd. This should be the next match and it’s incredibly competitive. The fact that Martinez was dropped hard against Chavez may spark something within Floyd. Floyd’s check hook is one of his best shots and Martinez was dropped with a left hook. I’m sure that Mayweather can see himself delivering it and if he envisions it enough, perhaps he will accept this as his next fight.
Showtime’s card featured Canelo Alvarez, 41-0-1, 30 KO’s, easily pummeling and destroying Josesito Lopez in five rounds and holding onto the WBC Light Middleweight Title. Alvarez used his tremendous body work to chop down the challenger early and his power is just as impressive when it lands to the chin of his opponent. Alvarez is a huge star in boxing, and rightfully so. With Pacquiao and Mayweather owning the sport for the past few years, Alvarez has forced his way in and the demand for a showdown with either man is high. Pacquiao wants out of the sport and wouldn’t face Alvarez. He’s too big. Floyd is big enough to stand up to Alvarez and slick enough to avoid him, but there is a huge risk in fighting him. It would be a huge attraction and a risky fight for Floyd…which is why we probably won’t see it.
If Floyd elects not to face Martinez or Alvarez, why not have the two pair off against each other? Martinez proved that he is vulnerable and both men are at an all time height in popularity. It would be a much larger event than a Chavez, JR., rematch, but not all is lost for Chavez, JR. There are plenty of fights for him, which include Floyd Mayweather, JR.
Chavez, JR., came in (reportedly) at 158 pounds for Martinez. For the right amount of money, Floyd would face him at light middleweight, and considering what Martinez did, the most likely result would be a 12 round shutout decision for Mayweather. The fight may not make the most sense for Chavez, unless they feel the weight advantage is enough advantage.
The boxing future looks bright. Alvarez, Mayweather, Martinez and even Chavez, JR., bring excitement to the sport and will provide us with some entertaining bouts to come. It will be interesting to see what each man sets up for their next fight.
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