After lackluster showings in his last two fights and issues about his dedication to his craft, Boxing Scene is reporting that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. might reunite with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. Making that decision to partner up with Roach again could be the saving grace of Chavez Jr.’s career.
Saturday night was supposed to be Chavez Jr.’s triumphant return to the ring, but journeyman boxer Brian Vera had different plans. Vera out-boxed Chavez Jr. throughout the 10-round bout, although it could be argued that Chavez Jr. landed the more significant blows. To the dismay to those in attendance and media around the world Chavez Jr. was awarded a unanimous decision win.
The decision itself wasn’t the shocking part, as a narrow win either way or a draw would have been conceivable. One judge scoring it 98-92 and another scoring it 97-93 had ESPN boxing writer Dan Rafael comparing the questionable scoring to judge C.J. Ross and her scoring the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Saul “Canelo” Alvarez bout a draw.
With Chavez Jr.’s career going in a negative direction, largely due to his own faults, getting back under Roach’s tutelage and taking his orders without trying to do his own thing—as the world saw on HBO’s reality show 24/7 leading up to his Sergio Martinez bout last September—could salvage a career that appears to be heading for disaster.
The StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. was only about half full Saturday night, and the weight drama leading up to the bout and the nonchalant way Chavez Jr. dealt with the issue may have turned some of his fans off.
Before losing perspective of his career and not taking the sport as seriously as he should, Chavez Jr. had his best moments as a pro with Roach as his trainer. Chavez Jr. was 6-1 under Roach and won his first legit world title belt in the WBC middleweight title in 2011 against Sebastian Zbik.
One has to wonder how Chavez Jr. would have done against Martinez if he was fully focused on the bout, but with Chavez Jr. wanting to go up to the super middleweight division as reported by BoxingNews24.com for his next bout, we may never see the sequel. If Roach can refocus the Mexican fighter, a 168-pound showdown with Carl Froch or Andre Ward could be a possibility in the future.
If Chavez Jr. wants to get his career back on track and make a legacy anywhere near that of his father's (Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.), rehiring Roach as his trainer may be the only way that comes to fruition.
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