Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio: Why Julio Cesar Chavez Is Fighting the Wrong Opponent

Give credit where credit is due for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. He has done anything and everything he can to keep that "0" in the loss column throughout his career, and managed to hold the WBC Middleweight Title in the process. 

His fight with Marco Antonio Rubio on Saturday night does not figure to be the night that he falls from the ranks of perfection. In fact, this is essentially a showcase fight for Chavez because his management team won't allow him to take a serious fight. 

While there has been a long-talked about fight with Sergio Martinez, a deal has never been worked out because Top Rank has to protect its assets. Chavez is useless to them with one loss, and Martinez would more than likely be the one to give it to him because he is the superior fighter. 

Chavez has addressed the issue in an interview with Diego Morilla of ESPN Deportes earlier this week, saying that he would love to fight Martinez if he defeats Rubio. 

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The truth is that there haven't been any negotiations or anything. Simply, as everyone has seen, he has been talking about me, mouthing off and making statements. I expect to win on [Saturday] and then I want to make that fight. If there is a deal to be made, I would love to fight Sergio Martinez.

--snip--

Logically, I believe this fight should materialize at one point or another, and obviously I want to fight him because he is one of the best middleweight champions out there. But we are waiting for the fight to be made. I believe that, sooner or later, the fight has to be made because it's getting bigger every day, and we hope it will generate enough interest so we can reach a deal.

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Chavez can talk all he wants about how a fight with Martinez should happen—until he actually decides to sign on the bottom line, it's all trash coming out of his mouth. 

Obviously, this whole thing is irrelevant if Chavez loses to Rubio, but that's highly unlikely.

There has to be someone somewhere that steps in to let Chavez and Top Rank know that what they are doing now is a joke. 

Martinez has earned the right to fight Chavez, and is doing anything he can to make the fight happen. If the trash talk doesn't do it, then perhaps everyone discrediting Chavez's legacy because of his pathetic competition will push him over the edge. 

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