Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Must Stop the Distractions to Be Considered Truly Great

The constant distractions surrounding Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. are what are wrong with the sport of boxing, and he needs to stop them before he can be considered one of the best fighters in the world.

Last year, he lost his WBC middleweight title to Sergio Martinez by unanimous decision in 12 rounds. It was the first loss of his career, which dropped his record to 46-1-1.

After the fight, the news got even worse.  

"The Son of the Legend" was suspended for nine months and fined $900,000 for failing a drug test after the fight. He tested positive for marijuana, and it was his second offense in Nevada since 2009.

Now his problem seems to be his inability to make weight. The fight on Saturday against Brian Vera was originally expected to be fought at 162 pounds, but Chavez Jr. was way out of fighting shape and wasn't going to come close to making that weight.  

Just a few days ago, the weight limit was increased to a maximum of 173 pounds because of his weight troubles, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. This was after the limit had been upped to 168 pounds earlier.

Chavez Jr. has had plenty of other distractions recently. He was arrested for a DUI back in January 2012, fired his former trainer Freddie Roach and parted ways with Alex Ariza, his strength coach.

At this point, Chavez Jr. isn't putting in the effort you would like to see from a truly great fighter. His 46-1-1 record and 32 career knockouts are impressive, but they mean nothing when he doesn't even try to make weight.

Floyd Mayweather may be another controversial fighter, but he is considered the greatest fighter in the world because he has a relentless work ethic to go with his unbelievable talent in the ring.

Chavez Jr. has the talent part down; he just needs to focus on the work ethic.

We will see how he does against Vera, but even if he wins, it won't be legitimate. Until he can prove to everyone that he can stay focused and avoid getting into trouble, he won't be considered an elite fighter.