By Ryan Burton
In a recent conversation with BoxingScene.com, promoter Lou DiBella said that he is hopeful that he can match his fighter Sergio Martinez against WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. later this year. The New Yorker revealed that he has had conversations with Chavez's co-promoter, Top Rank in regards to a scenario where Chavez will face his fighter Andy Lee in June and Martinez will face the winner of that fight in the fall.
"We have had many conversations. It could be Andy Lee in June and Sergio fighting the winner."
The WBC declared at their annual convention this past December that Chavez must face Martinez after his February defense against Marco Antonio Rubio. Top Rank has never been one to succumb to pressure from sanctioning bodies and said that a fight against Martinez would come in due time. They thought they had a deal in place for Chavez to face Martin Murray but that collapsed when the Brit couldn't secure a visa to enter the U.S. in time for the June bout. DiBella thinks that the pressure will soon become so great that the WBC will be forced to strip Chavez of his title.
"If I don't have a contract worked out for Chavez and Sergio on a certain date there will be a lot of pressure on the WBC to strip Chavez. If we can work out a date for the fight we might allow Chavez to take another fight first. I am hoping and counting on the fact that the WBC will do the right thing. That is where I am at right now," DiBella stated.
Send questions or comments to
Follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter and tune in to The Boxing Lab, Boxingscene's official audio on Tuesdays. The show is hosted by Ernie Gabion, Luis Sandoval and Ryan Burton
