By Ian S. Palmer
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs Andy Lee Preview June 16th
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will be defending his WBC middleweight title against Andy Lee on June 16th in El Paso, Texas.
Chavez beat Marco Antonio Rubio by decision in his last bout in February and many fans hoped he’d be taking on Sergio Martinez for the title after Martinez had the WBC belt stripped from him by the organization’s president Jose Sulaiman. Instead, we have Andy Lee, who could be seen as a tune up fight for Chavez instead. Lee’s a good fighter, but isn’t in the elite class. However, the same could possibly be said of Chavez.
Lee has a fine record of 28-1, with 20 KOs, and is quite tall for a middleweight at 6-foot-2. The 28-year-old southpaw is a former NABF-NABA middleweight titleholder. He hasn’t really fought any of the division’s top talents, but had quite a successful amateur career and the Irishman won a couple of titles in Europe before turning pro in 2006. He also came close to winning the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.
Lee has lost just one fight, which was to Brian Vera by seventh-round stoppage in 2008 and he avenged that loss last year by a 10-round unanimous decision. Lee has good speed, power, and mobility for a tall man and it helps that famous trainer Emanuel Steward is in his corner. He goes to the body well and his side-to-side movement is quite good.
The 26-year-old Chavez will take his 45-0-1 record in the ring with him along with his 31 KOs. He’s a couple of inches shorter than Lee at six feet and that could trouble him. Chavez is entertaining to watch since he’s always coming forward and keeps his hands busy. His footwork’s good, but he hasn’t really got one-punch knockout power. He’s quite strong and physical though, but could have a problem making weight.
Chavez isn’t too hard to find and hit and doesn’t mind turning his fights into brawls due to his good chin. On the other hand, Lee doesn’t take a punch as well as Chavez does and that could be his downfall here. But if he can take Chavez’s hardest shots he could end up giving the champion quite a bit of trouble due to his boxing skills.
Chavez will have to depend on his footwork to catch Lee and negate Lee’s strong right jab. He might have a little difficulty doing this because of Lee’s size, reach, mobility, and speed. But Lee hasn’t taken on a world-class opponent before and might find it harder than he realizes. Chavez is definitely the toughest boxer he’s ever faced and it’s not going to be easy.
Chavez will be depending on his straight right hand to do damage to the southpaw while Lee will need a strong straight left. Chavez could wear down in the later rounds if he had to lose a lot of weight to make the 160 lb. limit. Lee needs to take advantage of Chavez’s mediocre defense and try to rack up as many points as possible.
It’s going to be hard to beat Chavez by decision though, especially with the bout being held in Texas. Chavez seems to be one of the WBC favourites and he’d have to completely dominate the bout or knock Chavez out to win the fight. Look for Chavez to hold onto his belt by late stoppage or decision.
Tomasz Adamek vs Eddie Cambers Preview June 16th
June 16th is the date of the Tomasz Adamek vs Eddie Chambers 12-round heavyweight duel at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The 35-year-old Polish-born Adamek is a former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion and had hoped to take a version of the heavyweight title by taking on Vitali Klitschko, but lost by a 10th-round TKO last September. The 30-year-old Chambers of Philadelphia took on Wladimir Klitschko in 2010 and was stopped in the 12th and final round.
While both of these fighters didn’t have what it takes to win a heavyweight crown, they’re still two of the best in the division, albeit a bit on the small side. They could possibly attempt to wrest the WBA title from the grips of Alexander Povetkin in the future, but time isn’t really on Adamek’s side and Povetkin has already decisioned Chambers.
Chambers isn’t really known as a power puncher and his record of 36-2 with 18 KOs is evidence of this. He’s good defensively, has good speed and a lot of heart, but weighs in for most fights at about 210 lbs or less. Some fans feel he’d be better off in the cruiserweight division. However, Adamek isn’t a big man either.
The Pole has a fine record of 45-2 with 28 KOs and is an underrated boxer with decent power. He tries to stay active and that could be an advantage since Chambers has fought just once since losing to Klitschko well over two years ago, beating Derric Rossy by decision in February 2011. Chambers could definitely have some ring rust and it might take him a few rounds to shake it off. He was supposed to fight earlier this year against Tony Thompson, but pulled out due to a back injury.
Adamek beat Nagy Aguilera by unanimous decision in March and is hoping a win over Chambers will set up another title shot. He has the advantage of fighting in his adopted hometown of Newark and the rink will be filled with passionate, Polish fans. He might find Chambers is one of the slickest boxers he’s faced though and could have trouble with his speed.
Adamek is quite a smart boxer and can usually adapt well in the ring. Chambers doesn’t appear to have the power to stop him and this could allow Adamek to keep up the pressure all night long. Chambers has fought some other top-rated opponents in his career such as Samuel Peter, Calvin Brock, and Alexander Dimitrenko.
Adamek’s only other loss came to Chad Dawson and he’s beaten the likes of Steve Cunningham, Paul Briggs, Chris Arreola, and Andrew Golota. Both men have fought some of the best and are equal when it comes to experience in big fights.
Chambers will need to live up to his nickname of ‘Fast Eddie’ and hit and move. He needs to use his jab, land quick combinations and stay out of harm’s way. Adamek has a solid chin to go along with his power and boxing skills and will be a hard man to beat and virtually impossible for Chambers to knock out. Look for Adamek to win this one by a decision.
