Chavez Jr. Withdrew To Avoid His Father's Past Mistake

By Miguel Rivera

As BoxingScene.com reported on Monday, former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32KOs) suffered a cut on his right eyelid and withdrew from his scheduled fight with Brian Vera, set to take place on September 7th at Staples Center in Los Angeles. 

The cut was suffered on Saturday during a sparring session and required only two stitches to close. Chavez has not fought since September 15, 2012, when he lost a twelve unanimous decision to Sergio Martinez. He then tested positive for marijuana and wasn't

After he suffered the cut, Julio and his team decided to postpone the fight. Their decision was heavily influenced by what happened several years ago to Julio's father, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. In 1998, Chavez Sr. suffered a minor cut during training camp but still went forward with his fight against Oscar De La Hoya. Not long into the first round, Chavez's cut opened up and grew far worse as the fight went along. The cut eventually led to a fourth round stoppage.

Dr. Jose Antonio Salazar, who stitched the cut, told reporters - "We did not want the same thing to happen to Julio that happened to his father in the past. Why give [our opponent] any advantages."