Promoter Bob Arum has never shied away from boasting about one of his fighters.
That’s his job, and he does it well. Arum, however, seems genuinely impressed with the way Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has dealt with being the son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, who is not only one of the greatest fighters in Mexico’s history, but one of the all-time best anywhere.
“I think (he’s handle it) a lot better than most people would under those circumstances, certainly a lot better than a lot of these American kids would,” Arum said. “I think he has been very humble about it. He’s embraced his father and embraced his father’s fans. But he’s always said, ‘I’m not my father, I’ve got to make it on my own. And my style is different and my persona is different.’ So I give him a lot of credit. He’s been very, very mature about it.”
Chavez Jr. and Arum were on hand Monday at Los Angeles’ famous Olvera Street.
They played host to a news conference promoting Chavez’s super welterweight fight Saturday against Ray Sanchez III in Sanchez’s hometown of Albuquerque, N.M. The card will be available on independent pay-per-view being provided by Arum’s Top Rank Inc.
Chavez, just 21, is probably asked about his father at every port. So when the subject of trying to live up to his father’s accomplishments was broached, he smiled and rolled his eyes before answering.
“Like I’ve always said, I’m trying to make my own history,” he said. “I go into the ring and do what I know how to do. And I do my best every time I step in the ring.”
Fair enough. The next question then is, just how good is this young man going to be?
He had no amateur career. That’s why, until now, he has not had an opponent of any ilk even though he has had 34 pro fights, in which he has gone 33-0-1 with 26 opponents.
“People have to understand that these kids learn so much in the amateurs – sometimes they’re learning the wrong thing – but at least they’ve had experience,” Arum said. “He had no experience, except for watching his father. And he’s developed really nicely. This is his first real test.”
But Arum hinted that unless Chavez alters his style some, it will be difficult for him to realize his potential. At 6-foot, he could be a bigger version of former Nicaraguan star Alexis Arguello, a 130-pound super featherweight who stood 5-10. Interestingly, Chavez likes the tremendous things Arguello did in the ring, but he has not gone about emulating him the way Arum believes he should.
“He needs better movement,” Arum said. “He seems to rely too much on these devastating body shots. And even though he studies boxing and he is a great admirer of Arguello and Arguello’s style, he has not, at this point, developed the same type of movement that Arguello demonstrated throughout his career.
“His style – to maximize his potential – (should be) more akin to Arguello’s than his father’s. His father (who was 5-foot-7) was a relatively small, stocky guy, who was a body puncher and all that entails. Julio Jr. is a tall kid and doesn’t, in my opinion, use his height and his movement to the advantage that he could.”
Chavez does not necessarily disagree. He said he has watched lots of Arguello’s fights on tape, but that he fights differently because that’s what he knows. Again, his only experience was watching how Julio Sr. did it, and getting in close and ripping the body with that incredible left hook was what he arguably did best.
“I’ve been getting better, honestly, with work, with everything,” Chavez said, with a confident smile.” But at the beginning of my career, I learned how to fight on the inside and that’s the way that I fight.”
Chavez said that he indeed is still learning, and that he will continue to learn as long as his career lasts. The thing is he is taking on a fighter Saturday who has four times the ring experience.
“Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is coming into this fight, I think, with his eyes blind,” said Sanchez, 24. “He doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into. … Chavez Jr. only has 34 fights, period, in his life. I have almost over 120 fights combined amateur and professional. So come (Saturday), my vast experience is going go show a big difference.”
Sanchez went on to refer to himself as one of the hardest hitters in his division.
“I feel my power is a lot more powerful than Chavez Jr.’s power,” Sanchez said. “I hit guys with one shot and they go away.”
Arum is sold on Sanchez, who, incidentally, is also promoted by Arum.
“This is a real guy who has had a great amateur record, who beat Juan Diaz when they were coming up and has lost only one (professional) fight, which he wasn’t prepared for,” Arum said of Sanchez. “He has got great punching power. This is a real, real tough opponent who is fighting in his hometown. Not Chavez’s hometown, his hometown. So this is a watershed fight for Julio Jr.”
Sanchez is 20-1 with 15 knockouts. It’s a good-looking record on the surface. But just four fights ago – in June 2006 – Sanchez fought and knocked out Steve Verdin in the fourth round. Verdin came in 6-29-2.
Still, by all accounts, Sanchez is Chavez’s most credible opponent to date.
“Definitely, on paper it looks like it’s the toughest test of my career,” Chavez said.
“But let’s see what happens Saturday.”
And let’s see what takes place in the future. There has to be plenty of pressure on a young man following in the footsteps of a Hall of Fame father. Asked who he believes is the No. 1 fighter all-time from Mexico, Chavez said that as far as he is concerned, his pops is tops.
And his goal?
“Being better,” the younger Chavez said, “than him.”