Those hoping to see Jake Paul lose on Saturday will be hoping that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr has been dialed in during his training camp.
Chavez Jr, the former WBC middleweight champion, returns to the ring at age 39 on June 28. He will be the latest man to attempt to definitively defeat the polarizing Paul.
While once a highly touted prodigy following in the footsteps of his legendary father, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, the latter part of the Mexican’s career has not been kind to him.
Chavez Jr lost to Anderson Silva, and while victorious in his outing against another MMA veteran last time out in Uriah Hall, the nature of that win didn’t save the ex-champ from criticism.
The past-his-prime veteran has suffered six defeats in his last 14 fights, an inconsistent run that started with his first career loss in 2011. And when it came to that result, some suggested the signs were there.
Freddie Roach was frustrated with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr’s commitment to training
After beating Sebastian Zbik for the WBC middleweight title, Chavez Jr recorded three successful defenses before facing Sergio Martinez.
The Mexican was already known for a questionable approach to training, and legendary trainer Freddie Roach was seemingly agitated by it during the lead-up to the Martinez clash.
Roach expressed his frustrations to ESPN, having relocated to train Chavez Jr at the Top Rank gym in Las Vegas but been met with repeated no-shows by the then-champ.
“It does irritate me a little bit, but the thing is, I do wait for world champions and I do wait for Manny Pacquiao sometimes also,” Roach said. “I wouldn’t wait for some ordinary fighter.
“I told him we need to be more consistent in the gym and that’s been better, not 100 percent. I have gone to the house a couple of times to work him out there.
“One thing about Julio, once we start working out, the workouts are very good and he does work his ass off. The times are awkward and the locations are awkward sometimes. If he wakes up at three in the morning and wants to work out, so we go.
“The first couple of times I would just go back to the hotel,” Roach said. “Then he asked me to come to the house and work the mitts.”
Though he came close to an all-time classic comeback in round 12, Chavez Jr was largely dominated by Martinez in a one-sided match at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Roach put the result down to his fighter’s work ethic and said he would stop working with him if he didn’t turn up at the gym.
The 39-year-old Mexican hasn’t strung together more than two consecutive wins since.
Max Kellerman previews how Jake Paul will fare against ‘not as dedicated’ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr
Questions over Chavez Jr’s dedication remain to this day, and one renowned sports broadcaster believes it could be the reason why Paul emerges victorious on June 28.
Max Kellerman did not pick a winner when speaking to Bloody Elbow, but he did explain the advantage the YouTuber-turned-boxer has over his much more experienced and credentialed opponent.
“Jake Paul is very good at promoting fights that capture the imagination of the public. But he does that by picking opponents where you’d be like, ‘Oh, maybe he loses this one.’
“But Jake is a dedicated fighter and Chavez Jr has not been. This is even though Chavez Jr has competed at a much higher level in boxing. But Jake is dedicated and Chavez Jr’s track record tells you that he’s not as dedicated.
“Jake is a larger guy naturally and, like I said, he is a dedicated fighter,” Kellerman added. “Chavez has not been.”
Paul vs. Chavez Jr takes place at Anaheim’s Honda Center, going head-to-head with the high-profile UFC 317 pay-per-view at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.