Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. The Best Light Heavyweight/Middleweight in Boxing?

Back in the mid-‘70s my old boxing trainer Bill Silva used to tell me that the great middleweight champion Carlos Monzon was the “Best Light Heavyweight/Middleweight in boxing.” What he meant was that Monzon was not a true middleweight. Bill told me that at weigh-ins King Carlos would hop on the scale, a paid off official would shout out “160 lbs” and Monzon would jump off the scale and guzzle down a drink before his opponent knew what had happened. With today’s training methods, various ways to rehydrate, and weight-ins taking place the day before the fight instead of the day of the fight, modern boxers don’t have to resort to such nefarious means to get the weight advantage on an opponent. That Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. has had weight issues has been well documented. My opinion is that as long as he can make the 160 pound middleweight limit he will be tough to beat. Under the tutelage of Freddie Roach, Chavez in the past year has exhibited an iron chin, stamina, and is just too big for the opponents he has faced thus far. On Saturday against Irishman Andy Lee all those advantages were on full display. After a slow first round where Lee was able to box using the right jab, Chavez began to crash through in the second round with rights and lefts to the head and debilitating body shots. Andy Lee fought back gamely, especially in the 5th round when he exchanged savage shots with Chavez. But every exchange took a little more out of Lee, and in the 7th round Chavez, Jr. finished Lee with a two fisted attack that left Lee defenseless against the ropes. In the post fight interview Lee admitted that,” I couldn't hold him off. He was too big and too strong." When asked about a potential middleweight unification bout between Sergio Martinez and Chavez, Jr., a fight which is now scheduled to take place Sept 15th, Lee said of Chavez, “He’s a big middleweight.” and “A hard fight for Sergio.” At 160 pounds Chavez, Jr. is a beast. If you had asked me a year ago I would have given Julio almost no chance against recognized middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. But considering that “Maravilla” Martinez is 37 years of age, relatively small by middleweight standards and Chavez has unofficially entered the ring as high as 181, you have to consider the real possibility that the good “big” man will beat the good “small” man come September.