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JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. TO RETURN AGAINST ANTHONY DIRRELL ON NOV. 11
18
SEP
BY MIKE COPPINGER
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. laid a complete egg against Canelo Alvarez and no doubt damaged his reputation.
He didn’t win a single round on any scorecard and throughout his lethargic effort, it appeared he simply was trying to survive rather than win.
The son of the Mexican legend is now prepared to redeem himself with another tough challenge.
Chavez announced on Twitter that he’ll return against former super middleweight titleholder Anthony Dirrell on November 11 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The bout will be contested at 168 pounds (Chavez’s last fight took place at a catchweight of 164.5).
Chavez (50-3-1, 32 knockouts) figures to be a sizable underdog once again, even though he’s the name fighter. But after such a disappointing performance against Canelo, it remains to be seen just what kind of draw Chavez is now.
After all, he hasn’t scored a significant victory since June 2012, when he scored a fifth-round knockout of Andy Lee to retain his middleweight title.
Three months later, Chavez was outclassed over 11 rounds by Sergio Martinez, but saved face with a brilliant final round where he dropped the future hall of famer and almost finished him.
Since then, Chavez has dipped farther and farther into irrelevancy in a sport his father once ruled for over a decade.
Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs), an athletic puncher who survived a battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2007, figures to be a tall mountain to climb for Chavez in his first fight back after the Canelo setback. The 32-year-old (whose brother Andre is a fellow 168-pound contender) is quick, strong and owns the amateur pedigree. He’s scored three consecutive wins since he dropped a majority decision to Badou Jack in April 2015, along with his title.
It’s a surprise Chavez is taking on such a foe following what transpired in May. But this is the kind of fight he needs.
Because at age 31, Chavez will obviously never be his father in the ring. And that’s OK. But if he’s going to continue to compete on the top level, he needs a notable victory, and Dirrell would be exactly that.
18
SEP
BY MIKE COPPINGER
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. laid a complete egg against Canelo Alvarez and no doubt damaged his reputation.
He didn’t win a single round on any scorecard and throughout his lethargic effort, it appeared he simply was trying to survive rather than win.
The son of the Mexican legend is now prepared to redeem himself with another tough challenge.
Chavez announced on Twitter that he’ll return against former super middleweight titleholder Anthony Dirrell on November 11 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The bout will be contested at 168 pounds (Chavez’s last fight took place at a catchweight of 164.5).
Chavez (50-3-1, 32 knockouts) figures to be a sizable underdog once again, even though he’s the name fighter. But after such a disappointing performance against Canelo, it remains to be seen just what kind of draw Chavez is now.
After all, he hasn’t scored a significant victory since June 2012, when he scored a fifth-round knockout of Andy Lee to retain his middleweight title.
Three months later, Chavez was outclassed over 11 rounds by Sergio Martinez, but saved face with a brilliant final round where he dropped the future hall of famer and almost finished him.
Since then, Chavez has dipped farther and farther into irrelevancy in a sport his father once ruled for over a decade.
Dirrell (30-1-1, 24 KOs), an athletic puncher who survived a battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2007, figures to be a tall mountain to climb for Chavez in his first fight back after the Canelo setback. The 32-year-old (whose brother Andre is a fellow 168-pound contender) is quick, strong and owns the amateur pedigree. He’s scored three consecutive wins since he dropped a majority decision to Badou Jack in April 2015, along with his title.
It’s a surprise Chavez is taking on such a foe following what transpired in May. But this is the kind of fight he needs.
Because at age 31, Chavez will obviously never be his father in the ring. And that’s OK. But if he’s going to continue to compete on the top level, he needs a notable victory, and Dirrell would be exactly that.
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