By: Danny Kendrick
If you’ll fix your eyes on the spectacle in the center of the arena, you’ll see that the hand is quicker than the eye…..
…..or so they’d have you believe. What I’m getting at with that is that the facade of a real champion that they’ve been parading before our eyes is nothing much more than an optical illusion. The wool’s been somehow pulled over the eyes of some fans; that, or those people choose to stay blind to the truth at hand because they are nothing but, as we on particular combat sport websites used to call them, “Nut Huggers.”
These are fans who are so stuck on a fighter’s jock, that they may as well be hugging ’em, if ya know what I mean.
Not that I think Chavez is devoid of any ability whatsoever. I’ve definitely seen strides made in his game over the last few years and I agree with his management and promotion going step by step with him, most especially from a business standpoint, being that he’s the son of quite possibly Mexico’s greatest boxing legend, and not throwing him to the wolves too soon, as has been done far too often with other fighters.
Having played the “Devil’s Advocate” for their side, let me jump the fence and give it to you from the neighbor’s perspective, so to speak. Basically, at this point, it’s time for him to sink or swim. It’s time to stop overprotecting Junior. He’s got a world title, he’s not flying under the radar any longer. Once a fighter has a title, that means that he’s boasting world class credentials. That’s saying he’s among the very best. That means you face the best to call yourself the best, and so far they’ve taken the path of least resistance in attempting to solidify his championship status. In fact, they’ve abused the privilege!
That could very well come crashing down around them after tomorrow night, along with their claims to move him to 168 to make a case for him there. If he gets put on his ass by Lee, what makes anyone believe he can swim in the shark infested waters of the super middleweight division?
Andy Lee is more than just a tough, rugged fighter. There’s a reason that Emmanuel Steward calls him the left-handed Thomas Hearns. Though I personally believe that may be a bit too bold of a claim, the fact remains that Lee can hit harder than the “average bear.” Getting caught at the extension of this guy’s straight left could be a cause for the Chavez camp to consider bringing a pillow and blanket for daddy’s little pretend fighter (okay, that may have been a bit low). Lee not only has a stiff straight left, but his skill set also includes a gut-wrenching left uppercut to the body, good right hook to both the head and body, ability to keep his opponent at distance when he wants (an M.O. of Steward’s fighters), tough pressure in cutting off the ring. He also has a tendency to not waste punches, combined with very good punch accuracy.
The best chance Chavez has from a tactical standpoint, would be to try to keep the fight in close quarters, since one of the weaker tendencies Lee has is to too often, get dragged into slugfest. However, this doesn’t totally alleviate the danger for Junior since, as the aforementioned Lee, has a crushing left body uppercut and a strong right hook that can definitely put Chavez down for a nice long nap. Lee does tend to be a bleeder so Chavez’s camp may very well have been dedicating some quality time into going over the “art” of the head-butt.
Now, we all know if it goes to the judges, Lee has about as good of a chance of winning an Olympic medal in synchronized swimming, as he does in winning a decision over Chavez Jr. in southern Texas or Mexico. Let’s just hope it doesn’t fall into the hands of the judges, especially taking under consideration what happened in a Top Rank event this last weekend. Never mind that it’s another Chavez, Jr. fight in his backyard. If it goes to the scorecards, it won’t matter if Lee pitches a shutout, the controversies, and the perpetual black eye on boxing will continue. Having addressed the expectation of pessimism that many of us are bracing ourselves for, don’t count out Lee’s chances of upstaging the show Top Rank has been scripting that is “The Chavez Jr. Career…,” Jr.’s career thus far.
