“The Son of a Legend,” Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KOs), has the chance to start a legend of his own this Saturday when he faces Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KOs) in front of a sellout crowd at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas for the true Middleweight Championship.
Chavez is already a 47-fight veteran, but he has never faced an opponent the caliber of Martinez.
The Argentine, Martinez, is considered the No. 1 middleweight in the world and the lineal champion even though he doesn’t currently own a belt from any of the alphabet sanctioning bodies. Ring Magazine has Martinez as No. 4 on the mythical pound-for-pound list. So, to say this is a step up in class for Chavez would be an understatement.
Tomorrow night, the budding Mexican icon will certainly have his work cut out for him, but there is a chance he could pull it off.
Chavez is huge for a middleweight fighter and should come into the fight 15 to 20 pounds heavier than his opponent, which should give him a huge advantage over the smaller Martinez.
Also, the crowd will be enormously in Chavez’s favor and, although it shouldn’t, it can have an effect on the judges scoring the fight.
Another perceived advantage for Chavez could be having five-time trainer of the year Freddie Roach in his corner. Roach, who is one of the best strategists in the sport, will be able to give him the advice in the corner he will need at crucial moments in this bout.
Martinez has been knocked out before and it came against another Mexican fighter in Antonio Margarito. Chavez has a very similar style to Margarito, as he has transformed himself into a vicious body puncher throughout the years. Blows to the body will be essential if Chavez hopes to slow down the much quicker Martinez.
Lastly, Martinez has seemingly slipped a bit in recent fights and at 37, he could get old in the ring right before our eyes.
With all that being said, I think Martinez should win this fight by a 12-round unanimous decision in much tougher fight than he is anticipating.
But I be won't be shocked if Chavez pulls it out and, if he does, we will have a new legend in boxing.
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