Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: An Entire Country on His Shoulders.

Translated from Spanish to English by Sergio Martinez.

“I really appreciate the fact that I have so many fans behind me that love my father, so are loyal to me too. It is an honor to be able to have such great people behind me. I am going to continue to fight for the people and show my respect.”–Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. intends to continue the great Mexican boxing tradition pioneered by his father.

No doubt that tomorrow night, live from the Laredo Entertainment Center in Laredo, Texas, and televised on Telefutura’s “Solo Boxeo” boxing series, the chants of “Julio! Julio! Julio,” will rain down from what is a sold out crowd of over 8,000 fanatical Mexican, and Mexican-American fans. See fight fans, Laredo, Texas, my hometown, is a border city. Mexico, our motherland, is just a stone’s throw away from the battle site of the son of Mexico’s greatest boxing legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. Now that the faded ex-three division world champion is all but gone, the entire country of Mexico and all of the Mexican-American fans are getting behind the one that bares his name: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. “I am very happy that the people that followed my father are now following me. I think that it is something very special because that means that they really love my father and are now with me. I think that the Mexican people are very loyal and that they will always be loyal because that is the way we are made to be,” said Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to this writer after today’s weigh-in at the La Posada Hotel in Laredo, Texas.

At only nineteen-years-old and barely out of high school, “Junior” has so much riding on his shoulders. He has shown some definite flashes of brilliance, and like his father, never forgets to throw that legendary left hook to the liver. Julio is a tall, rangy fighter who works the body with a veteran’s savvy, is very controlled, has a stiff left jab, and is fundamentally sound. He does not possess great hand-speed (sound familiar? Neither did his dad), but he does have above average hand-speed, and fires shots with pinpoint accuracy. He is very efficient and, although tall for 140-pounds as he stands five-feet-eleven-inches, he is an excellent technician in the trenches.

Even with what appears to be all of the physical tools needed, and the genes to match; can he ever meet the expectations placed on him? “I’m learning everyday and I’m working on getting better. I love my father and what he accomplished, but I really do not feel pressure like people think. I know that I am a good fighter and I’m only going to get better. I am confident that I will leave my name also. I have all the support from the people around me that I need and I have great promoters. My father is always very supportive of me and is always by my side. I am still young, but I’m working on everything and am going to always improve.”

In closing, Chavez, Jr., had this to say, “I really appreciate the fact that I have so many fans behind me that love my father, so are loyal to me too. It is an honor to be able to have such great people behind me. I am going to continue to fight for the people and show my respect.”

Contact Sergio Martinez at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com