Cotto vs Chavez Jr Would Take Place at 154, Says Arum

By Lem Satterfield

The son of a legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (40-0-1, 30 KOs), could find himself with several lucrative opportunites - if he is able to get past John Duddy (29-1, 18 KOs) on June 26 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

According to Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, one option is a major pay-per-view fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs). Another option is a fight for the vacant WBC title at 154-pounds - recently vacated by Sergio Martinez. Chavez is the number one contender under the WBC rankings, and Top Rank stablemate Antonio Margarito is ranked at number two.

Everything depends on Chavez's performance next Saturday night. The young Mexican fighter is now being trained by Freddie Roach. Arum wants to evaluate how well Chavez has improved before making any long-term decisions.

"Certainly, if there is tremendous improvement, and he's able to beat Duddy, then Chavez is a great opponent," said Arum to BoxingScene.com. "A match against Cotto would be Puerto Rican in Cotto against a Mexican in Chavez. That would be a huge matchup."

A fight against Cotto would have to take place at 154-pounds. Chavez struggled to make weight for his last bout, and that fight, against Troy Rowland, was at middleweight. Chavez tested positive for a banned diuretic, which he took to make weight, and served a seven month suspension handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The fight with Duddy is also at 160-pounds. It remains to be seen, but Arum is confident Chavez can still make 154 with ease.

"Chavez would fight Cotto at 154," Arum said. "[Strength and conditioning coach] Alex Ariza and Freddie say that he can make 154 easy. I have no idea whether he'll go for the WBC title, but for me, with Chavez, it's one step at a time."

When reached for a comment on Chavez's weight, Roach told BoxingScene he believes the young fighter can still make 154, but there might be a minor struggle to get there.

"[Chavez] can make 154. He might have a little trouble, but he can make it healthy," Roach said.

Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.