By Ian S Palmer
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. returns to the ring for the first time since May of 2017 when he takes on Evert Bravo of Colombia in a 10-round light heavyweight bout in Mexico this Saturday, August 10th. Chavez last fought two years ago when he dropped a unanimous decision to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in a fight he was dominated in. Bravo’s last outing came in June when he stopped Luis Gonzalez in the fourth round.
The 33-year-old Chavez is known to gain weight and focus more on his out-of-ring activities and lifestyle than he does on training so it’s a good thing this bout is being fought at 175 lbs. It’s no secret that Chavez isn’t as good as he was a few years ago and the former WBC Middleweight Champion has had problems outside of the ring. He was banned nine months and fined $900,000 in 2013 for testing positive for an illegal substance, but still has a fine record of 50-3-1 along with 32 Kos. The two-year absence won’t do him any favours either.
Chavez’s other two losses were a unanimous decision to former WBC Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina in September of 2012 and a ninth-round stoppage at the hands of Andrzej Fonfara in April of 2015. However, Chavez had Martinez down and in deep trouble in the last round in their title fight before the bell arguably saved Martinez. Against Fonfara though, Chavez suffered a bit of a beating. Chavez has made the right move to head to the light heavyweight division after having trouble making the weight in the super middleweight and middleweight divisions.
Size-wise, Chavez is a decent-sized guy as he stands 6-feet-1-inch tall with a 73-inch reach and has 304 rounds under his belt since turning pro back in 2003. He has pretty good power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 58 per cent. He’s a powerful boxer with a pretty solid chin and is hard to keep at bay when he decides to let his hands go. Most of his knockouts come on an accumulation of blows rather than just once punch and he’s relentless when at his best.
Chavez will apply pressure to the body and head and keep moving forward until he eventually breaks his opponent down. His biggest wins so far have been over Brian Vera (twice), Andy Lee, Marco Antonio Rubio, Peter Manfredo Jr. and John Duddy. He also fought to a six-round draw with Carlos Molina in 2005.
As for Bravo, he’s a 34-year-old veteran with a record of 25-10-1 along with 19 Kos. He’s also 6-feet-1-inch tall with a reach of 72 inches which means he has a negligible one-inch reach disadvantage against Chavez. He turned pro back in 2004 and has boxed 145 rounds since as a super middleweight and light heavyweight. It would be safe to say he has a questionable chin since he’s been stopped nine times in his 10 losses.
These stoppages came against the likes of Alfredo Angulo, Junior Younan, Roamer Alexis Angulo, Alejandro Berrio, Walter Sequeira, Roberto Bolonti, Jinner Guerrero, Thomas Oosthuizen and Jose Chiquillo. The only decision loss on his record was an eight-round affair with Sean Monaghan in November, 2017. He’s not much more than a professional journeyman opponents who’s lost six of his last 10 bouts with five KO’s.
His draw came against Orlando Torres over eight rounds in 2007 and he’s managed to win the Colombian, WBC Fecarbox, and WBA Fedebol Titles since turning pro. Bravo has some experience against a few decent boxers, but he’s never actually beaten anybody of note. He has a puncher’s chance against Chavez and that’s about it.
Prediction…
Chavez has lost some speed and his dedication to the sport has been questioned. However, he’s fighting a hand-picked opponent in his comeback to earn a W on his record and regain some of his lost confidence. In general, Chavez has a pretty good chin and if he loses to Bravo he should consider retiring.
