09.10.07 – By Jack Presscot: He stands 6’0 tall, and has the lanky built of a young Thomas Hearns, all arms and legs, he has 34 wins, 1 draw and no losses, amazing for a man with little amateur experience, including a knockout victory over the wiley Grover Wiley, who as Oscar before him, defeated an old version of the elder Chavez. I was in Las Vegas Nevada in April of 2005 to watch this young lion on the undercard of the first Morales-Manny Pac war..
I remember the nationalism surging through the MGM Grand Garden Arena. There were Mexican flags and Filipino flags as far as the eye could see, and I remember running into a group of young Latina ladies, and reminding them that the true son of Julio Cesar Chavez was going to be fighting that night.
They were so excited, and it was refreshing to see that female fans of this sport could get excited about a fighter who wasnt the Golden Boy of Boxing. The next opponet for Chavez Jr. is something called Ray Sanchez, but this is unimportant.
This author feels that after he kayos Sanchez, it is time to step up the competiton. IBF Champ Paulie Maglignaggi has already been calling him out, but is way too small for Chavez, both weight wise, and in stature. Julio Jr. has been fighting at 154 pounds, but he is a natural middleweight. Still, the 154 pound division is relatively weak at this time, with the aging Vernon Forrest, and Cory Spinks holding the keys to the kingdom.
Joachuin Alcine is another possibility, as is Germany’s Felix Sturm for that little WBA trinket at middleweight. Julio Jr. needs to pick up the pace in 2008, starting with maybe Paulie at a catchweight of 154, and then a title shot against Vernon Forrest, who after barely escaping against Ike Quartey is ripe for the picking, and the boxing world would go nuts for a Mayorga-Chavez all out brawl.
With a championship belt around his waist, there is no stopping “El Hijo del Leon” and he will come into his own, just as the aging Golden Boy of Boxing faces a retirement that he will be called out of by young Chavez. Oscar de la Hoya is many things, but is most of all a shrewd businessman, and only a fool would stay retired when the son of a Legend is fighting at de la Hoya’s own weight, in a revenge type match up of age vs. youth. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Oscar de la Hoya in 2009 (Cinco de Mayo?) is as natural a fight as Ali-Frazier, or Duran-Leonard. And would probably easily break any pay per view records set by Oscar and Floyd Jr. earlier this year. And here is why.
I was at the event, hanging out at the MGM Grand both Friday and Saturday, and the majority of the fans there were de la Hoya fans. My God, at the weigh in, I was hard pressed to find some decent folks to sit with, as I was sporting a “Pretty Boy” shirt, and getting many baleful stares, and even boos! But I did, quite high in the stands, and I was amazed at the amount of Floyd fans there. A sparse handful, who were drowned out by the loud Oscar fans.
This would not be the case, were Oscar to fight Julio Jr. as the Mexican nationalism I witnessed at the Morales fight would make it’s way into any arena in Vegas. This fight will also put Golden Boy Promotions over the top, as Oscar would probably take home 60 million plus, and it would ensure that Golden Boy had the revenue to sign just about any star they wanted, including some big name heavyweights, and at this point, Don King and Bob Arum might start sweating a bit.
It is an inevitable match up, that could even warrant a rematch the same year, if the fight is close, or intense. But it all depends on what happens when Young Julio steps up the competition. He will either be a World Champion on a scale even bigger then his father, and the new God of Mexico, or another Marvis Frazier.