The rematch between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera pulled in an audience on par with HBO’s most-watched boxing broadcasts of last year. Chavez-Vera 2 did an average of 1,390,000 viewers, peaking at 1,531,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. That’s similar to the number for Chavez-Vera 1, which last September pulled in an average of 1,416,000 viewers and peaked at 1,542,000.
The wheels did not come off the train. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. did the second time what he should have the first, getting himself into shape and beating down a game but overmatched Brian Vera on Saturday. It was the sort of performance that told us a lot of what we already knew. Vera is a limited but rugged warrior who, based on his style, is a big punch short of being a player. He makes great fights with what he’s got and can play spoiler. He is who he was coming in.
By David P. Greisman - This time, there was no controversy. Not before the fight. Not after. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. made the super-middleweight limit for his rematch with Bryan Vera, and then proceeded to unleash a beating upon his game opponent. Chavez-Vera 2, like Chavez-Vera 1, ended in a unanimous decision win for the namesake son of the legendary Mexican champion. But this time, it was a result that nearly everyone could agree on. Judges Ruben Carrion and Max DeLuca scored the bout 117-110 for Chavez, giving nine rounds to Chavez and three to Vera. David Sutherland somehow saw the bout much closer, scoring it 114-113 — six rounds apiece, with Vera’s score one point lower due to a deduction that referee Rafael Ramos imposed for some reason in the eighth round. When Chavez and Vera first fought in September, it was on a date three weeks later than initially scheduled. The bout had been postponed due to a cut over Chavez’s eyebrow that some questioned, particularly due to a photo of Chavez that had made the rounds in the months beforehand showing him looking quite heavy. Chavez later admitted that he had come down from 205 pounds for the Vera fight.
Though Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fought much better for his second bout with Bryan Vera than he did for the first, there are still significant changes that need to be made in his training camp, according to promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, who passed along criticism he said came from Chavez’s father, the Hall of Fame fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
Former World Boxing Council (WBC) middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. unanimously outpointed Bryan Vera in a super middleweight rematch Saturday night at the Alamodome, rebounding from perhaps the worst performance of his career. Chavez (48-1-1) had winning scores of 114-113, 114-113 and 117-110. In September, Chavez struggled while outpointing Vera (23-8) in a disputed ten round unanimous decision in Carson, California. Chavez failed to make weight, forfeited a six-figure portion of his purse and appeared to allow Vera to win the later rounds.
Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. landed the cleaner, harder punches all night in his rematch with Bryan Vera at San Antonio's Alamodome. Chavez landed 60% or more of his power shots in six of twelve rounds - winning a clear unanimous decision. There was no quit in Vera, who averaged 87 punches thrown per round over the last six rounds.
Unlike the first fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Bryan Vera, the rematch produced a clear victor, not just in the judges’ decision, but also in the eyes of the observers. Let’s talk about the scorecards. Two of the judges had Chavez winning widely. Ruben Carrion scored the bout 117-110 for Chavez, only giving Vera rounds 1, 2 and 12. Max DeLuca scored the bout the same way, 117-110, only giving Vera rounds 2, 9 and 12.
Bryan Vera threw nearly twice as many punches and Chavez landed 43% of his power shots. Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. had his opponents land 38% of their power punches, while the absorbent Vera tasted 45% of his opponents power punches. 88% of Chavez's landed punches were power shots.
One of boxing’s biggest names makes his 2014 debut in a major rematch at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (47-1-1, 32 KOs) of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, and Austin’s Bryan Vera (23-7, 14 KOs) meet in a highly anticipated 12-round super middleweight rematch. Making his 2014 debut after fighting just once last year, Chavez Jr., 28, returns to the site of one his most impressive wins, a unanimous decision victory over Marco Antonio Rubio in Feb. 2012. In a hotly debated verdict last September, Chavez Jr., who faced weight issues during fight week, scored a ten-round victory over Vera.
By Cliff Rold - It turned out better for Vera than for many. Too often in boxing, victims of controversial verdicts against opponents of larger profile find themselves on the outside looking in. Fans and pundits recall their bad fortune and the star moves on. It didn’t happen this time. Brian Vera looked to many like the man who deserved the win against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. last year. After a debacle before the fight about what weight Chavez could be bothered to show up at, the son of the Mexican legend found himself in a hard fight. He landed the biggest shots of the night. Vera put on the working boots and kept throwing. Now, they do it again. There is no drama at the scales this time around. Will there be drama in the ring? Let’s go the report cards.