By Rick Reeno
Veteran trainer Freddie Roach could see a potential fight down the line between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32KOs) and Andre Ward (26-0, 14KOs).
First, Chavez has to overcome the most difficult test of his entire career - when he defends his WBC middleweight title against Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28KOs) on Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
If Chavez is successful, Roach would like to see him move up in weight to 168-pounds, where Ward reigns supreme with the WBC/WBA titles. Should he move up, Roach doesn't see Chavez taking on Ward for quite some time.
"I'd like for Julio to move up a weight class. There is like a Kelly Pavlik there, who would be a great test for us. If we can get by guys like that, and he feels good at 168 - Ward would be on our schedule for sure," Roach told BoxingScene.com.
But, there is another middleweight who wants a piece of the Chavez-Martinez winner - WBA/IBF champion Daniel Geale of Australia. Geale recently unified the titles with an upset decision over German star Felix Sturm.
If Chavez beats Martinez, Roach doesn't see a reason for a fight with Geale. He would prefer for Chavez to move up in weight.
"This is the biggest fight. The other guy...I know that name a little bit, but I've never seen him fight. He's not that popular. He wouldn't draw ten people. Would the fight be worth the risk - if [Julio] beats the perceived best middleweight in the world? No, I think we would have to go for bigger names than that," Roach said.
