Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. claims to have “changed a lot mentally” this last year and said he is very focused going into his light heavyweight bout against Andrzej Fonfara Saturday night on Showtime.
Chavez Jr. has received criticism in the past for not making weight against Brian Vera in 2013. The fight was scheduled to take place at super middleweight, but Chavez weighed in as a light heavyweight. The fight went on, and Chavez won a disputed decision. He fought a rematch against Vera in March 2014 and won another unanimous decision. That was his last and only fight at super middleweight.
“I feel comfortable at light heavyweight,” Chavez Jr. said in a media workout Monday before the fight, “Any time that you can add a couple pounds, you feel better. Although I will be fighting at 175, I feel most comfortable at 168 as a boxer. Since I have had one year off, it was a better choice to fight at this weight so that I could see how my body feels.”
Chavez said he has prepared over a month for this fight and has been training with the renowned Joe Goossen in Lake Tahoe. Chavez said he liked training at the high altitude and felt comfortable. Often fighters pitch camp in remote places like Big Bear or Lake Tahoe to avoid distractions and benefit from high altitude training.
“Going to Lake Tahoe and really working hard is a sign of maturity,” Goossen said. “And I think that’s what Julio is going through right now. He really showed it by leaving his home and spending an extended period of time up there.”
Chavez’s father, the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. was at the media workout to support his son and admitted that he wished junior had taken an easier fight back.
“I would’ve liked to have seen him take a tune-up fight instead,” Chavez Sr. said. “Because of his long layoff; I particularly didn’t want this fight.”
Chavez will be coming off the longest layoff of his career (13 months according to boxrec) into a heavier weight class, against a proven light heavyweight who gave the “lineal” champion of the division, Adonis Stevenson, fits in a twelve round fight.
Chavez Jr. wants to leave his own mark in the sport, regardless of what he does outside the ring, inside of the ring is what he will be remembered for and taking on challenges like Fonfara is a step in the right direction.
