December To Remember: Miguel Cotto vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. **UPDATE**
Original article posted August 6, 2010
**** UPDATE 09/23/2010 ****
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Bob Arum seemed pretty confident in this statement back in August, "That fight will happen, we're waiting on terms to be finalized and for the site, but Madison Square Garden is available, and that's great news," Arum told The Los Angeles Times regarding a Cotto vs. Chavez Jr. match up.
Now is seems Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will enter the ring against Alfonzo Gomez (22-4-11), a big step down from previously mentioned Miguel Cotto (35-2-28) and briefly mention Pawel Wolak (27-1-17).
Is your head spinning? It should be, Wolak was slated as a possible opponent as early as this morning after Cotto was dismissed, however the nod seems to have been given to Gomez, leaving Wolak with his polish sausage in hand.
The failure of the Cotto vs. Chavez match could be debated. Let's take a look at the facts:
1) It’s been reported that Chavez Jr. backed away from the deal. The match was a verbal agreement between representatives of the two fighters before any financial details were discussed.
2) Cotto will not fight until 2011, even though Kermit Cintron & Vanes Martirosyan came to the table as possible replacements for Chavez, with Cotto's camp citing these opponents are not worth the training required to fight in December.
3) Chavez Jr. will fight in the main event for a PPV titled Latin Fury scheduled for December 04, 2010.
It’s likely Chavez Jr. advisers feel Cotto may be too much for the young fighter at this point in his career.
This has been the pattern for Chavez when selecting opposition and could be his down fall in the long run. With 41 bouts under Junior’s belt, less than 10 of those have been against notable fighters.
In the meantime the least dangerous match up for Chavez Jr. is Gomez, as he boasts a 39 percent knockout ratio. To be fair Gomez is a tough guy who has lost to Cotto in the past but has defeated Jose Luis Castillo & Arturo Gatti.
Chavez Jr. will win this fight in brilliant fashion as he did against Duddy.
As a side note, Jr. needs to be careful with the wishy-washy manner in which he selects his opponents. The Mexican boxing fan does not appreciate tentative flip-flop fighters, especially those that are sons of former champions.
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