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NAME
Sebastian Zbik || Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
NICKNAME
Unknown || JC Jr.
AGE
29 || 25
HOMETOWN
Schwerin, Mecklenburg, Vorpommern, Germany || Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
STATISTICS
30 (KO 10) - 0 - 0 || 42 (KO 30) - 0 - 1
SIZE
5'11" 1/2, Unknown reach, 160 pounds. || 6', 73" reach, 154-160 pounds.
STANCE
Orthodox || Orthodox
ABILITY/TECHNIQUE:
Sebastian Zbik: Sebastian is a solid all around fighter. He's not the fastest guy in the sport and he's not the hardest puncher in the sport. However, he makes up for that with accurate shots and by putting his punches together. Decent combinations that are usually set up by a solid, straight jab. Decent footwork -- with fairly quick feet -- allow him to fight off the back foot and his rather tight defense allows him to avoid shots. He can counter fairly well whether it's in the center of the ring or when on the retreat. Solid chin.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: Much like Zbik, he has decent speed but nothing too overwhelming. Still, he can be explosive. His power is far better than that of Zbik. He goes to the body very well and for a young fighter, he is a fairly patient individual. His combinations can be solid, but he keeps them fairly short. Company puncher, nothing too wide. Decent jab when he decides to use it and he can roll with the punches fairly well. Fairly balanced fighter and his foot work is pretty decent.
WEAKNESSES:
Sebastian Zbik: What could be bad about an all around fighter? Well, usually, an all around fighter is exactly that because nothing in particular is so overwhelmingly great. Not the biggest puncher, with only 10 stoppages in 30 fights and his speed isn't spectacular either. Though, in fairness, he isn't slow-fisted. While he backs up fairly well with a decent guard, he can be struck. Against certain opponents, the momentum alone could potentially knock him down. On the inside, he doesn't throw much as he's typically looking to counter. Towards the end of fights, he has shown that he slows down a step or toe and will rely on the ropes to take rests.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: While Chavez has a decent chin, it can be dented. He was hurt in a bout with John Duddy and Matt Vanda as well. He struggled quite mightally with Vanda, as a matter of fact, in their first encounter. Much like his father, he's willing to take shots to give them, but he doesn't exactly have the chin for it as mentioned. He can also get a bit lazy with his preparation and has only recently seemed to focus entirely on the matter at hand. He has tired in fights, but like Zbik, he's managed to stay undefeated. While he does have more knockouts, since his move up in weight, his stoppages haven't moved up with him. In his three bouts at Middleweight, he hasn't earned an early victory.
OPPOSITION/CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Sebastian Zbik: With regards to alphabet championships, he currently holds the WBC Middleweight championship. However, I doubt anyone considers him the best in the division. Still, he is an undefeated contender in a decent division. Technically, he's never been in a full-fledged organization-sanctioned championship bout as he was only awarded full champion status when Sergio Martinez was given the bogus Emeritus status. In his last 10 bouts, he's remained undefeated, with two victories coming by way of stoppage with Mario Alberto Lopez and Ruben Varon, respectively. No world beaters on his resume, with his best win coming over the Italian Domenico Spada. The bout in which he won the interim title.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: This will be Chavez Jr.'s first crack at an ABC championship. While this wouldn't make him the top dog in the division, it does place him in the top ten of most Middleweight lists. Nonetheless, in his biggest bouts, he's managed to look fairly impressive. No world beaters on his resume either, but he did have a quality bout with John Duddy and he did respectfully avenge the Vanda bout with a comprehensive decision in the return. In his last 10 fights, he's won all of his fights, 5 by stoppage. One was a no decision when Chavez used a banned substance help him make weight.
THE QUESTIONS: Which fighter wants to keep that "0" for at least one more bout? Will we see a possible threat to Sergio Martinez in this bout? Is Chavez has focused as he seems as of late? Will Zbik get his chin tested? Can Chavez rise to the occasion and finally begin to carve out his own niche in the sport? Will Zbik be able to handle the pressure to keep his counters effective?
THE OUTCOME: Two good fighters facing each other. Both fit each other well, style-wise. Perhaps the real question is which fighter has that extra something that will allow him to pull it out in the end. ONe is the proper counter attacker while the other is a pressure fighter that has a bigger punch. Usually, in a bout with two relatively evenly skilled fighters, it's easy to determine how the bout ends and whom it favors. If it goes to the scorecards, you favor the counter puncher. If it ends early, the pressure fighters gets the victory. So with this, you have to think about which fighter has the better chance of getting his point across, so to speak. In this bout, I favor Chavez. He can take the punches of Zbik most likely and will be able to walk through most shots. The conditioning and training shouldn't be a problem, with Chavez having moved over to the Wild Card Gym. After a few evenly contested rounds with Zbik landing perhaps more shots, Chavez begins to get to his older foe in the middle rounds. Around the 6th, he begins to hurt his opponent and will close in on victory. It won't be one-sided, but it will become an 8th-10th round stoppage for the Mexican fighter.
Winner, Julio Cesar Chavez, TKO.
Vote, opine, what have you.
RECORD IN THESE PREDICTIONS: 6-0
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