Has Chavez Jr. Prepped Hard Enough For Martinez? |
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| Written by Ron Borges | |||
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Friday, 14 September 2012 12:29
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Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. has according to many reports been a reluctant student in his preparation for Saturday night’s middleweight showdown with linear champion Sergio Martinez. It is by far the biggest fight of Chavez’s career yet it has been one of the more difficult training camps Roach has had with him, a fact that can be unnerving as fight night approaches. Roach was repeatedly seen on HBO’s 24/7 documentaries waiting for Chavez to show (or not) at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas, where he insisted on training rather than at Roach’s preferred Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. Roach has learned to be liberal about such matters once a man becomes a champion but regardless of the venue the work must be done. Whether it has been is a question that will only truly be answered Saturday night when Chavez steps in with the 37-year-old Martinez, an aging champion who has shown signs of slippage yet who remains an obsessive preparer for all the possibilities inside the ring. At 26, Chavez is unbeaten (46-0-1-1, 32 KO), wearer of the WBC strap that was, in Martinez’s opinion, handed to him because of the power of his father’s name, and outwardly at least brimming with confidence. Yesterday Roach insisted that while he was not happy with the manner in which Chavez prepared – which included late-night jogs in the Vegas neon and even later training sessions in the gym – the hay is in the barn. The work, he says, has been done. “It’s been a little bit of an unusual training camp,’’ the five-time Trainer of the Year admitted. “Sometimes we were training at 1 a.m., 3 a.m, finishing at 6 a.m. Sometimes I had to wait for him but you wait for a world champion. In the end, we got the work in. You’ll see it Saturday night.’’ Perhaps so but it seemed an odd way to prepare for the greatest challenge of your career. Unless, mistakenly, you think it is not. Whether Chavez is wiser than the rest of the boxing public and believes Martinez is now walking on the shady side of the street or whether he is simply a fighter afraid to face the reality of what is coming for him and so he cuts corner in the same way students refuse to study for an exam so that if they fail they can later say, “Well, if I’d studied I would have aced it.’’ remains known only to Chavez himself. “I’ve seen him knocked down (as recently as in his last fight with British contender Matthew Macklin before Martinez stopped him in the 11th round),’’ Chavez snapped angrily this week. “I’ve seen him knocked out (early in his career by Antonio Margarito, in a fight he was nowhere near ready for). He looked pretty good (then). “He talks b------t and then at the time of the right he’s only running, running, running. Saturday he’ll have me all over him!’’ At that the visibly irked Chavez turned toward Martinez, who was sitting only a foot or two away from him and he wagged his finger threateningly. “I’m not only going to beat you, I’m going to retire you from boxing!’’ Chavez hollered before turning his back on Martinez and walking away. It was not an act. It was an expression of raw emotion but, one wonders, from what source? Did it come from a deep well of confidence that this is his time and that he is far more than his critics, who say he is a creation of his father’s greatness, insist? Or was his anger spawned from a deeper sense of trepidation, knowing the hour is almost upon him and can no longer be avoided and he is not sure now whether he is up to the task he is about to face? Saturday night becomes the proving ground for young Chavez, whose resume is a thin one. That doesn’t mean he can’t fight, it only means no one can say for sure if he can. His improvement since Roach took over his training is clear and to be expected. Not only are his workouts now directed by a master craftsman but Chavez is also someone who came late to boxing, having had no real amateur experience before deciding six years ago at the age of 20 to suddenly enter his father’s trade after living his teenage years in the lap of luxury, a dilettante who visited the gym only to see his father sweat. Now it is his time to sweat and, frankly, some whisper he has not visited the gym often enough this time. They see his decision to take unscheduled off days and to arrive on his own time schedule as fundamental signs of both his immaturity and his lack of understanding of the difficult trade he has entered. His way, thus far, has been smooth, paved by his father’s legend and the promotional skills of Bob Arum and matchmaking expertise of Bruce Trampler. Unlike most fighters, Chavez had the luxury of being brought along slowly and it has led him to this moment. But now the speed of everything increases. Whether he is up to that, no one knows. “When we talk boxing now, it’s as equals,’’ the younger Chavez says of his father, a thought that is absurd on one level and the innocence of blind youth on another. Certainly they now both share the same trade and the same right to be called champions but they are not equals and never will be. In a sense however that is unimportant because the only man he must be the equal of now is Martinez. “I feel very confident in what I can accomplish,’’ Chavez says. “I know how hard it has been working day after day to get to this point. I’m not going to disappoint anyone. You are going to see a complete boxer. I don’t train to lose.’’ That is not the question. The question is have you trained at all? Or at least enough to match Martinez’s movement, ring intelligence and finishing ability? Like his father before him, Chavez is a hellacious body puncher who can do real damage on the inside if he can get himself in position. He has chopped down many of his opponents with the same relentless body attack that made his father the greatest Mexican fighter in boxing history. But it is one thing to hit Andy Lee or John Duddy, tough guys who tend to apologize to you if you don’t hit them, and someone like Martinez, whose footwork is sublime from his days as a dancer and soccer player and whose patience is his greatest asset. Roach has said they have plotted a plan filled with traps set to lure Martinez into places where young Chavez can tear at his body and no one doubts that early in the fight the young champion will attack. Even the challenger said as much, although the reason for it in his mind does not bode well for Chavez. “What else can he do?’’ Martinez said. “If he tries to box, he just loses faster.’’ Roach has told Chavez Martinez cannot fight backing up but few people can. Then again, backing him up may be a goal difficult to accomplish if his fighter has not laid all the ground work and done all the hard labor in the gym required because unlike his father, who cut corners many times in his preparation, Chavez, Jr. has not been blessed with all the gifts his father was given. And so we wait to see, anxious to learn if Freddie Roach’s anxiety is simply the normal reaction to the ticking of a clock or the more alarming one to the ticking of a time bomb. deepwater says:
I bet you he has. that 24/7 stuff looks like psy-ops to make sergio think he will be out of shape. chavez already won the mind game war with sergio. he made sergio come out of his skin and sound like a bully. good sparring wins the fight. ducking through ropes with your hands down insures chavez will run him down and clip him. riverside says:
I bet you he has. that 24/7 stuff looks like psy-ops to make sergio think he will be out of shape. chavez already won the mind game war with sergio. he made sergio come out of his skin and sound like a bully. good sparring wins the fight. ducking through ropes with your hands down insures chavez will run him down and clip him. deep, in the latest interview, Roach says, 24/ 7 showed small portions of the actual training, they want sergio to stand and trade with confidence as much as possible, make him believe he can walk thru Junior. Junior is not ready,the stood up of Roach might be part of the show. Surprisingly martinez admits the Pavlik fight was difficult, Now he is a couple of years older and he is going to have a bigger freight train in front of him. deepwater says:
yeah I think its all psy -ops man and i think it worked. sergio is acting like he never has acted b4 and he got big wrinkles around his eyes now. bringing in naaz to check the weight is silly and shows sergio is trying for any advantage since chavez has all the advantage now riverside says:
yeah I think its all psy -ops man and i think it worked. sergio is acting like he never has acted b4 and he got big wrinkles around his eyes now. bringing in naaz to check the weight is silly and shows sergio is trying for any advantage since chavez has all the advantage now I didn't know, Naz will be working his corner! I think Martinez knows he is in deep $h!t, looking for help already! Naz is going to watch Junior pee. I can't picture martinez taking advise from him during the fight, Martinez is used to doing whatever martinez want to do, the weight in crowd should be really hostile towards Martinez. Radam G says:
WTF! Team Martinez has hired the great and powerful Genie Naazim Richardson. Dat muthasharp-eyed wizard is going to be trying to discover shyt and put da hex on Team SOAL JCCJ. deepwater says:
my friend at the wynn says every big fat cat mexican is in town. no argentinians or spaniards around. crowd will be for chavez no doubt. chavez should bring margacheato around so he can remind sergio he got knocked out. ultimoshogun says:
my friend at the wynn says every big fat cat mexican is in town. no argentinians or spaniards around. crowd will be for chavez no doubt. chavez should bring margacheato around so he can remind sergio he got knocked out. When I read about Naz being brought in to watch the hand wraps I wondered if Maravilla had the Margarito fight in the back of his mind since Jr. presents the same pressure style. Its been awhile since he's been forced out of his comfort zone. amayseng says:
bringing NAZ in is a great idea, Radam G says:
A pugilist the age of the SOAL JCCJ can cut weight like that, amayseng. It's mainly water and the soft type of fat that he's carrying too much of because of his great love to eat. Losing weight and gaining it like that is the norm for many boxers. I can name tons past and present ones. ali says:
Martinez is about to mop the floor w jr. Chavez loos drained .._ the Roast says:
I havent watched a 24/7 episode since JMM drank his own pee, until tonight. Something very weird about JCC Jr. Sleeping until 6pm, blowing off his trainer Roach, etc. Looks like a guy who has never had a job in his life. Makes his own rich kid schedule, thinks he knows it all. I reeeeeally hope he gets a boxing lesson from a man who has come up the hard way. dino da vinci says:
I havent watched a 24/7 episode since JMM drank his own pee, until tonight. Something very weird about JCC Jr. Sleeping until 6pm, blowing off his trainer Roach, etc. Looks like a guy who has never had a job in his life. Makes his own rich kid schedule, thinks he knows it all. I reeeeeally hope he gets a boxing lesson from a man who has come up the hard way. RoastMaster General, you are going to get your wish. I don't really know what fights the others have been watching, but if it's the same ones I have, I'm clueless as to how they come to their conclusions. "B" says:
For anyone who wants to know. Julio has been caught cheating before and he also was not tested before the rubio fight( that was not an accident) and there was shady nonsense for when pissed for the lee fight. And before people who picked Chavez get all emotional and start crying just check the facts. He may be clean for this fight but what I have stated actually happened. And In my experience in the sport fightingt/observing is that a guy who is really big for the division should not cut any extra weight than is needed. Some folks think 158 for Chavez means he is in shape but it could mean he is drained or even overtained. See Leonard vs. Hearns 1. Tommy was 145 and and i think it played a part in how flat he was in the second half of that fight...that and those thunderous bodyshots Ray was landing Radam G says:
We will SEE! All you muthasuckas have been sippin' on your own peepee and poison koolaid. Holla! jzzy says:
Chavez looks emaciated on the scale, like he made weight by not eating and lost muscle mass. HE"S IN DEEP TROUBLE NOW. He's gave up his only advantage and will be cut to pieces by Martinez. deepwater says:
Chavez looks emaciated on the scale, like he made weight by not eating and lost muscle mass. HE"S IN DEEP TROUBLE NOW. He's gave up his only advantage and will be cut to pieces by Martinez. google the pics from chavez lee weigh in. same exact deal. how did that work out for lee? the funniest part of the whole lee chavez fight was when l;ampley showed manny steward giving advice from the corner during the round. it was 20 seconds of silence,manny yells jr is getting tired, another 20 sec of silence. great instrucitons from steward.lol.lol. amayseng says:
honestly i have been a fan of jr, used to get annoyed with everyone giving him a hard time because he isnt his dad and has had a padded career... Radam G says:
WTF! Am I surrounded by a universe of 99 percenters? Go SOAL JCCJ, GO! Win it for the one percenters. Nobody can choose how, where, when, why, who and what he was born. deepwater says:
hating people because of their wealth or lack there of isnt nice. hating people because of their race isnt nice. hating people because of religion isnt nice. just because someone has something is not a reason you do not have something. that said I hate how sergios trainer never removes his damn sunglasses amayseng says:
hahaha @ RAdam, man i liked you, but now i cant knowing you were a rich brat growing up.. amayseng says:
deep i said hate but honestly i did not truly mean it, seriously....im a little better than that and far from racist or discriminative in any form.. deepwater says:
I know. but why does that damn guy never take his sunglasses off? brownsugar says:
Whatever strategy Naz brings to the table, will get tossed out the window during the heat of battle,...resulting in the relatively RAW Chavez going back to what he knows best. .... plodding forward behind a face-first seek and destroy offense. brownsugar says:
I miss understood the part about. Nazim Richarson being in Sergio's Corner during the fight. MY Bad. brownsugar says:
Chavez waited to 2 years after his God Father, Jose Suliaman, president of the WBC handed him Martinez's title. ali says:
I havent watched a 24/7 episode since JMM drank his own pee, until tonight. Something very weird about JCC Jr. Sleeping until 6pm, blowing off his trainer Roach, etc. Looks like a guy who has never had a job in his life. Makes his own rich kid schedule, thinks he knows it all. I reeeeeally hope he gets a boxing lesson from a man who has come up the hard way. I feel u Roast i was watching 24/7 thinking the same way Radam G says:
Shut da fudge UP, SCLA Ali! You are still partying since your boxing demigod Money May got sprung. Dude is already warring with Two Quarters -- I mean 50 Cent. Haha! amayseng says:
come on RADam sm got beat by margacheato ten years ago, dont you think for one that sm has matured, grown, adapted, became better and is better? Radam G says:
YUP! SM has grown OLD as HECK indeed! He's passed his prime. No late starting applies. SM fights like an amateur in that O-Games type of scoring jive. His balance is bad, his punches are wide and arm-punching types. TotoyBato says:
Chavez will run over Martinez like a steamroller, slowly and surely will flatten him. amayseng says:
where is my boy RADAm??/ Radam G says:
C'mon amayseng. Lady Luck was with SM. History almost repeated itself. Tonight SM was da MAN. LL can be such a bytch. Hahaha! Holla? puncher says:
YUP! SM has grown OLD as HECK indeed! He's passed his prime. No late starting applies. SM fights like an amateur in that O-Games type of scoring jive. His balance is bad, his punches are wide and arm-punching types. DUDE has done nothing but beat a superhyped long tally, a drunk and a couple of marshmallow Redcoats from across the pond. I'm going with the SOAL JCCJ on this one. I'm not fooled by optical illusion and wolfin.' SM is talking plenty, just like a criminal being led to his own execution. A confidence man would not be doing what SM is doing. He's hoping to convince the SOAL JCCJ to shutdown before the fight even starts. But SM is just juicing the SOAL JCCJ up. SM has a severe arsh thrashing COMING. And no genie's hocus pocus or his rapid-firing lips can help him. Enjoy the fights. Holla! I see that the young punk (because that is the way he trained and talked) got beat up by a dude that beat a superhyped long tally, a drunk and a couple of marshmallow Redcoats from across the pond. Lets say he just did not get beat...Sergio got him ready for Holloween with the new face job. Have a good one! Radam G says:
And the truth, and the whole truth still STANDS! You can't HANDLE DA TRUTH! Holla! Radam G says:
The SOAL JCCJ caught a lot of thumbs in the eye and less punches there. This is why Martinez -- not Junior Time -- is the one who went to the hospital to get to stitched up in da mug, forehead and cranium. And the bambi muthasucka ran so hard that he tore ligaments in both knees. His incorrect punching caused him to broke his hand. Dude punches without tightly closing his fists. Very amateurish -- as I say -- and I'm sticking with it. puncher says:
The SOAL JCCJ caught a lot of thumbs in the eye and less punches there. This is why Martinez -- not Junior Time -- is the one who went to the hospital to get to stitched up in da mug, forehead and cranium. And the bambi muthasucka ran so hard that he tore ligaments in both knees. His incorrect punching caused him to broke his hand. Dude punches without tightly closing his fists. Very amateurish -- as I say -- and I'm sticking with it. Bambies have been getting a lot of foot and leg injuries lately these days. That spitted! SM was da MAN in that fight. Will he continue to be -- not at that age and injuries? A 37-year-old boxer is ancient, and does not heal like a 27-year-old or a 17-year-old one. Holla! Be MR Pumpkinhead Chavez used his head twice because he could not use his fists...and at the end you had Jason 20 being interviewed. Not bad by a dude that that beat a superhyped long tally, a drunk, a couple of marshmallow Redcoats from across the pond and a pumpkinhead from down south. I will take that incorrect punching style and very amateurish style anytime...in fact ask Jr Pumpkenhead...he had a better view. Saludos! Radam G says:
"YOU CAN'T HANDLE DA TRUTH!" Keeping plugging away, though. The whole TSSU and most of cyberspace are watching. Hehehe! Fanasty doesn't change reality. Martinez clearly WON! But he got da double fudge hebejeebeez beat outta him in round 12. That's a hard fact, JACK! And he who lives by da gun, dies by da gun. This time, he WON! But it is rare for lightning to strike twice in the same place. Next time, his now bad-@ss knees won't be able to keep up with the pace.
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LAS VEGAS – Freddie Roach is feeling uneasy. It’s a common trait among trainers less than 48 hours before a major fight but this time it is not so much the fight he is worried about. It is his fighter.
Wow! "Ticking of a clock or the more alarming one to the ticking of a time bomb." That was a nice weaving of words.
Maybe the SOAL JCCJ didn't properly trained enough. But in his own words, according to the bullsh*tology of BBB [Bold Bullsh*tter of Boxing] 24/666 -- I mean HBO 24/7 -- Sergio Martinez hasn't done enough sparring. And if that is true, youth is going to cash and dash and smash and thrash his arse.
SM has no electrifying mojo! He's a fighting hobo. And his style is all diesel. The SOAL JCCJ is gonna pop dat @ss. "Pop goes da weasel!" SM will break like glass. Dude ain't even a man of straw! The SOAL JCCJ is gonna beat SM like the federallies whuppin' the @ss of an arrogrant drug-pushing outlaw. SM pushes a lot of rherotical __ ___ ___ ___! His long-in-da-tooth a$$ ain't gonna do ___ ___ __ ___!
SM is trying to talk his way through the bout. It ain't gonna WORK! Dude is going to have to FIGHT. Something that he hasn't done lately. Don't try to sell me that optical illusion jive of him beating a long-tall superhype, a drunk and marshmallows from across the pond.
These "SHOCK-da-world" bouts against aged champions seem to never halt. And da double fudge ODDBALL thing about it, is that the pugilistic powers that be and the fanfaronades that are keep getting FOOLED by the same old tunes. Just from different cuts of records and CDs.
I'm reminded of John L Sullivan-James J. Corbett, Sugar Ray Robinson-Carmen Basilo I, Sonny Liston-Cassius Clay I, John Mugabi-Terry Norris and Oscar Dela Hoya-Manny Pacquiao, just to spit a few. Holla!