The Ring middleweight champion and No.3 pound-for-pound best boxer in the world Sergio Martinez is all set to collide with unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Saturday night.
Martinez (49-2-2}, who has won five consecutive fights since losing to Paul Williams at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 2009, will defend his Ring Middleweight title and try to snatch Chavez's WBC middleweight title.
In 2010, Williams and Martinez clashed again in a rematch at the same venue in Atlantic City where Martinez knocked out Williams in the second round to retain his WBC and The Ring middleweight titles
Martinez is fresh from his victory over Matthew Macklin on March 17 at the Madison Square Garden in New York
Chavez (46-0-1) has won six fights since his bout with Troy Rowland, which he won but was later ruled as NC (no contest) after he tested positive for using banned substances.
Chavez, who fought three times last year against top opponents which include Peter Manfredo and Sebastian Zbik, has joined the elite circle of middleweight fighters when he trashed Andy Lee of Ireland in El Paso, Texas via TKO in the seventh round.
The young Chavez's impressive performance over the durable Irish fighter, in addition to his long-running wining streak, has opened wide avenues and opportunities for more lucrative fights.
Saturday's fight will mark Chavez's first outing at the Thomas and Mack Center since 2006, and it will be Martinez's first fight at this venue.
Martinez, who stands 5'10", has a reach of 75". He is 37 years old. Chavez stands 6'1" with a reach of 74". He is 26 years old.
Known for his "hands-down" style to lure in his opponent in order to find a clear shot for a solid punch, Martinez is expected to capitalize on his skill and speed in dealing with the less-agile Chavez, who has 3" advantage in height.
Martinez is favored to win over the young aspiring middleweight fighter. But Chavez, who critics say is an overrated fighter, has already shown his ability to face top opponents as shown in his last four fights, and he is determined to keep his untainted record.
Jake Emen of Yahoo! Sports says:
The only way that Martinez will stop Chavez from coming forward is by earning his respect and showing JCC Jr. that he can hurt him. If Chavez feels he can't be hurt by Martinez, then Martinez could find himself in a precarious position.
The undercard for the Martinez vs. Chavez fight includes: Guillermo Rigondeaux (Cuba) vs. Roberto Marroquin (USA), Rocky Martinez (Puerto Rico) vs. Miguel Beltran Jr. (Mexico), Mathew Macklin (UK) vs. Joachim Alcine (USA), and Mike Lee (USA) vs. Paul Harness (USA).
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