Boxing Preview: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs. John Duddy

Tonight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX, middleweights Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and John Duddy face off in a WBC title eliminator that also will deliver the WBC silver crown to the winner.

Both Duddy, 29-1 (18), and Chavez Jr, 40-0-1 (30), have attractive records and both boxers sell loads of tickets to massive adoring fans wherever they appear.

They also share another interesting similarity and that is they have each squared off against a long list of less than world class competition, having never shared the ring with a grade A fighter.

At age 24, Chavez has had a load of contests in a hurry and this bout marks just the second time the Mexican has fought at middleweight, coming up from light middle after having turned pro as a super featherweight.

This probably gives 31 year old Duddy, a career middleweight, the strength advantage but the Irishman might have a hard time outpointing the son of perhaps Mexico’s greatest boxing icon in heavily pro-Chavez San Antonio.

Chavez Jr will look to box from the outside and try to damage the cut prone Duddy on the way in while Duddy must find a way to cut off the ring and force Chavez Jr to brawl.

Duddy shouldn’t have much trouble hitting Chavez Jr with the right hand but he’ll have to watch out for the Mexican’s left hooks, both upstairs and down.

After losing to little known Billy Lyell last year, Duddy can’t afford to drop another while the younger Chavez would be better able to absorb a loss at this stage in his career and that situation could play out in the ring tonight in Texas.