Chavez - Vera

The Rematch

   

The two fighters who will face each other March 1st in San Antonio’s Alamodome for a rematch couldn’t be more different. One is the son of Mexico’s greatest champion and the other is a tough, unassuming contender from Austin, Texas.

Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. and Bryan Vera faced off last September in Carson, California. Chavez who has had trouble making weight in previous fights failed to make weight for this fight. Vera is naturally a smaller fighter and agreed to face Chavez at the increased weight of 173 lbs. This was an advantage for Chavez the larger fighter.

Both fighters mauled each other back and forth as the fight wore on. The scoring looked close and Vera had seemingly done enough to pull off the upset victory. But unless there is a knockout boxing is as subjective as figure skating except that not everyone considers themselves an expert on figure skating.

The judges that evening, as so often happens in boxing, seemed to be more influenced by Chavez’s pedigree that the fight taking place in front of them. Vera landed more punches and more power punches according to HBO’s statisticians. In Vera’s own words "I backed his ass up the whole time."

Chavez, 27,  has to keep cutting weight to make the super middle weight limit of 168 lbs. because to fight in the light heavyweight or cruiser weight division would undoubtedly end his career by exposing him to bigger, stronger fighters. 38 year old Sergio Martinez beat him up for 11 rounds after weighing in at 158lbs.

Expect Chavez to make weight. He wants like all fighters want to earn the sport’s biggest pay days. But his behavior has him outside the sport’s elite at least for the time being. A decisive win over Vera will not get him back into the Pay Per View upper echelon but it won’t keep him out of it either. US boxing fans will be reluctant to generate the buys for him to score the $10-$20 million dollar pay day that is currently way out of his reach.

Don’t be surprised if this fight ends with a knockout by Vera. It would compliment the downward spiral that Chavez has been on for some time.