Much-maligned Mexican super middleweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. worked his way back into the boxing public's good graces on Saturday night in San Antonio, where he pounded out a unanimous 12-round decision over Bryan Vera in their second meeting in five months.
When the two met in September, Chavez appeared to have been outworked by the lighter, busier Vera, but he was awarded a unanimous decision that was deemed one of the worst verdicts of the year by many of the sport's top publications and websites—including BoxingScene.com.
This time around, he was deemed a winner by scores of 117-110, 117-110 and 114-113.
The commentary team for cable giant HBO, which has broadcast several of Chavez's previous fights, was back on the Hall of Fame progeny's bandwagon by the end of the night. Blow-by-blow man Jim Lampley opined that Chavez's effort "should awaken some of those dormant fans who loved him so much in the past, but haven’t loved him so much in the last year."
Analyst Max Kellerman joined the parade as well, suggesting that the "terrific one-sided fight" allowed the winner to "demonstrate that when he's in shape, properly conditioned and makes weight, that he's got a lot of skills."
Kellerman also did the post-fight interview with Chavez and predictably asked the 28-year-old about his preferred ring targets for the short- and long-term future. Using that as a catalyst, we've put together a short list of selections for where he could go next, whether it's at 160 or 168 pounds.
Click through to see our choices and feel free to chime in with your own in the comments section.
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