Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio: 3 Ways for Chavez Jr. to Dominate

Marco Antonio Rubio may have won 53 fights in his career with 46 knockouts, but against WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., he faces an entirely different challenge.

Chavez, in addition to being undefeated in 46 fights, has three distinct advantages against Rubio that will make it very difficult for Rubio to win.

Here are three ways Chavez will dominate as we head into their bout on Saturday in San Antonio, Texas.

3. Length

Chavez has a four-inch advantage in reach, which means if he keeps his distance, he can fire off at Rubio without being in danger.

It's proven challenging for many of Chavez's opponents, obviously, and Rubio will be no different. You add in the fact that Rubio may not want to bring it inside and it's hard to imagine him winning.

2. Power

Chavez isn't a brutalizing puncher, but his size advantage against Rubio increases the power tenfold. When you're getting hit by a significantly bigger guy, it's like getting hit by a freight train.

I know Rubio has a great chin, but he's never faced a guy this big. His only shot is going for the knockout early so he doesn't withstand too much punishment heading into the later rounds.

1. Size Advantage

The biggest you can expect Rubio to get for this fight is about 165 pounds.

Chavez, on the other hand, can lose an astounding 20 pounds of water weight for the weigh-in, then beef up to 180 pounds by the time of the fight.

Anyone who even casually follows boxing knows that a guy with a 20-pound advantage in weight is nearly impossible to beat unless the undersized boxer is worlds better. Rubio is not, and I expect him to fall in the later rounds.