By Miguel Rivera

WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31KOs) is tired of the verbal attacks by Sergio Martinez. Last week, Martinez branded Chavez as a "coward" for not agreeing to fight him. During last month's WBC convention in Las Vegas, the sanctioning body named Martinez as the mandatory challenger to Chavez's title, but then failed to force the fight, which made Martinez vacate the WBC's Diamond title.

Chavez states that he's not afraid of Martinez and never made any verbal agreement or promise to fight him. Chavez will face the WBC's number one contender, Marco Antonio Rubio, on February 4th in San Antonio, Texas.

"I have no fear of anyone, not Sergio or any other fighter. To be in boxing it takes great courage and that is something I have a lot of. I never made him any promise to fight him. Sergio and I never had a deal. My promoters are not interested in a fight against him, for now, but if they want me we can make a good deal and fight whenever he wants," Chavez said.

"I think [Sergio] is more interested in my name than my title. When I got the opportunity to fight for the championship it didn't matter who I had to face. I went against Sebastian Zbik, a fighter that [Sergio] rejected, and I beat him. Now I'm going to defend my title against Rubio, and I hope to to win to open up the door for bigger things in 2012."