The Rise and Stall of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr By Jake Donovan (April 22, 2008) Send this page to friend Give us your feedback There was anticipation in the air prior to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s pay-per-view clash with Ray Sanchez in Albuquerque last December. With the step up in class, it was thought that Chavez was finally advancing from 30-plus fight prospect to potential contender, be it at welterweight or junior middleweight. His sixth round stoppage of Sanchez was just about everything you could ask for in a fight, whether you were a Chavez Jr supporter or skeptic. Those who viewed the kid as just a sideshow had to be impressed with his ability to persevere in a give-and-take war, a fight that was arguably one of the year's ten best, quite a statement considering what a year it was in 2007. Supporters of the young lion of Culiacan were given plenty of reason to rejoice. He overcame a rough start to eventually beat the fight out of Sanchez, a respectable, if not fringe, contender who was by far the most accomplished opponent of Chavez' young career. Promoter Bob Arum was impressed enough to suggest that his next fight would be against "a Carlos Baldomir-type" before moving on to a showdown with Alfonso Gomez that was to either land on HBO's Boxing After Dark, or headline a Top Rank PPV show. It was a great end to 2007, a year in which Chavez (35-0-1, 28 KOs) won all five of his bouts by knockout, none lasting longer than the six rounds he went with Sanchez. Furthermore, it gave boxing fans that much more to look forward to in 2008. So much for the buildup; four months into 2008, and already longing for the glory days of 2007. On the surface, there's nothing unforgivable about Chavez' fight with undefeated Italian welterweight Tobia Giuseppe Loriga (24-0-1, 6KO) in Queretaro, Mexico this weekend, other than the fact that it's not available with your immediate cable/satellite subscription (Saturday, 9PM ET, Top Rank PPV, $34.95). It's not uncommon for prospects-cum-contenders to face fighters whose records are glossier than substantive. The real frustration, however, is in that it's his second straight fight where his competition has leveled off and, quite frankly, falls short of pre-season expectations. Where things went awry for those hoping to witness the further progression of young Julio depends on the viewpoint with which you elect to sympathize. It was no secret that Arum was displeased with the purse offer made by HBO for the suggested Chavez Jr – Gomez card, though more on the side of the intended co-feature, which was to be Jorge Arce facing Martin Castillo. If HBO even considered upping the offer, it would be too little too late. Back came the returns for Chavez' PPV headliner, which exceeded expectations in pulling in 70,000 buys. Not a bad number at all for a show whose marketing consisted of a Top Rank grassroots campaign, and depending on the name value of Chavez Jr. and Jorge Arce (who appeared in the co-feature) to translate at the box office. It was just the excuse Arum needed to tell HBO what they could do with their suggested budget for the card that would never be. There would be no Chavez-Gomez crossroads bout. We wouldn't even get Chavez-Baldomir, no matter how bad the former linear welterweight champion looked in his intended tune-up against Luciano Perez last November. Instead, it was Chavez heading home to Mexico this past February, where he would face Jose Celaya, an alternate for the 2000 US Olympic Boxing team. Despite the lofty amateur credentials, Celaya was still a slight step down from Ray Sanchez, given that at just 26 years of age he was already on the wrong side of his prime. Losses to Eduardo Sanchez and James Webb exposed his limitations as a pro, further magnified against even a less-inspired version of Chavez, who dropped Celaya twice before forcing the Mexican-American to concede late in the 8th round. Still, no harm no foul. It was just two months after the taxing fight with Sanchez, and Chavez has always been one to stay busy – how else can you stockpile 35 fights in just 4 ½ years. A quick confidence builder before preparing for the better contenders the welterweight division had to offer – and in boxing's deepest division, there was plenty to offer. So how did we get to Tobia Giuseppe Loriga? The eternal optimist could sell Loriga, an undefeated but severely untested Italian junior middleweight on the prospect of his appearing to be better than the fighter whom he replaced. Michele Orlando, also from Italy, was the originally scheduled opponent, but was scratched from the card for medical reasons. The sales pitch on Loriga is that he owns two wins over previously unbeaten fighters, as If to solidify his own undefeated record. Those victories came over Sven Paris and Luca Pasqua, basically Italy's answer to any given Midwestern clubfighter that's shared a ring with Chavez in the earlier stages of his career. From the perspective of who they've fought, Chavez is basically facing the older, Italian version of himself. It's understandable why Top Rank would choose to travel the route they've taken with young Chavez. There isn't a promoter in the sport who wouldn't milk every last dollar out of their potential cash cow so long as nobody is forcing their hand. Without an HBO or Showtime dictating the terms, Top Rank is free to match up their fighter with whomever they damn well choose, at least until the fans revolt in demanding an upgrade. But given the most recent turn of events, it wouldn't be out of line to suggest that Top Rank has overplayed their proverbial hand a bit. Chavez' one-time suggested opponent, Alfonso Gomez, was made to look like a glorified sparring partner against Miguel Cotto a couple of weekends ago. No, Chavez is no Cotto, but perception is everything. Gomez looked good, not particularly great, in Contender-promoted shows. Whatever hype followed his post-Contender career came solely from his upset over the 2007 version of Arturo Gatti, That a win over a completely shot Gatti is considered an upset really says all you need to know of the regard in which the industry held Gomez. Still, squabbling over network budget was enough of an excuse to kill what would've been a considerable career profile boost for Chavez Jr, Instead, Cotto racked up a win of the "so what" variety against an opponent who had no business sharing his ring space. Now, two weeks later, fans are asked to pay $34.95 to watch Chavez Jr. against an unheralded, untested opponent, in the middle of a span where, by May 3, we'll have watched Cotto, Bernard Hopkins, Joe Calzaghe and Oscar de la Hoya without having to answer yes to "Click OK to order this event," The truly sad part is that Chavez' comeuppance arrived at a time when the junior middleweight division was in desperate need of a marketable name, at least one that fights on a full-time basis. Guys like Vernon Forrest, Verno Phillips and Cory Spinks among others are long on talent, but not quite able to translate their skills into box office success. Chavez Jr isn't quite yet ready for that level of competition, but he won't get any closer limiting himself to the level of competition offered thus far in 2008. For Questions or Comments E-mail Jake Donovan Today's Boxing Press Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums