Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. failed to impress upon his ring return on Saturday night following a mountain of life problems and a stint in rehab.
The 38-year-old former WBC middleweight champion made his comeback from dark times after substance abuse and the possibility of his boxing career being over. However, to his credit, Chavez Jr. fought back and secured a spot on the Jake Paul undercard in Florida. He didn’t set the world alight in what was described as a ‘bad performance’ against non-boxer Uriah Hall.
CompuBox was on hand to crunch the numbers after a six-round fight with Hall.
“As a middleweight, Chavez Jr walked down opponents and wore them down with body punches. This version of Chavez, coming off of a 31-month layoff and fighting at cruiserweight, spent most of the fight boxing behind his jab, while Hall was the aggressor.
“Hall threw 59 more punches than Chavez Jr, but Chavez was more accurate, landing 40% of his total punches and 46% of his power punches. 62% of Chavez Jr’s landed punches were body punches. Hall out-landed Chavez 29-24 over the last two rounds. Two judges scored the fight 59-55, and the third scored it 58-56, all for Chavez Jr.”
Ex-World Boxing News Lead Writer Dan Rafael stated, “Hilarious scoring. Whatever. Bad fight. Bad performance,” on Chavez Jr.
In the aftermath, Chavez Jr. spoke to ESPN Knockout, outlining his intentions to compete for a final world title or face Jake Paul. The latter is far more likely, as Chavez Jr. has done nothing in two and a half years to warrant a shot at any world title.
“I came back from all the problems. I didn’t risk Hall hitting me, and I felt very good. But I think I can still compete. That’s what I showed. I prefer to face a world champion, but Jake Paul would be a good fight, too,” he told Salvador Rodriguez.
Canelo Alvarez’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, commented on Chavez due to his dogged determination to return to the ring. That fact cannot be denied about Chavez, despite the one-time world ruler being completely shot to pieces as a competitor.
“Today, I celebrate the return to the ring of Julio César Chávez Jr. He showed that when you have willpower, anything is possible. Keep going, champion. Congratulations,” said Reynoso.
Let’s hope Chavez can manage his demons for the rest of his life as he chases one final payday in his boxing career. The Paul fight remains possible in November.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
