A Closer Look at Chavez’s Punch of the Night

by Eric Raskin

Sergio Martinez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. - Photo Credit: Will HartWhen fans turn on their televisions this Saturday night to catch the replay of the Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. middleweight championship fight, whether they watched the fight live last weekend or are seeing it for the first time, they’ll be tuning in primarily to see one round: the 12th. For 11 rounds, Martinez painted a masterpiece on Chavez’s face. Then Chavez, to the shock of pretty much everyone, broke up the no-hitter and nearly ended Martinez’s title reign.

It was a near-miracle. And it left everyone asking themselves, “What the heck just happened?” The short answer is: Chavez threw the hook.

For 11 rounds, Chavez never landed a telling left hook. He didn’t land much of anything, frankly, but what he did land came mostly in the form of long right hands at distance and bodyshots in close. Against the fleet-footed southpaw Martinez, Chavez couldn’t get into a position where he was comfortable letting any hooks go. And the problem with his right-hand-heavy attack was that the punch was too looping and predictable and “Maravilla” saw it coming every time.

So ineffective was Chavez that his exasperated trainer Freddie Roach, when interviewed by Max Kellerman during the 11th round, could only offer generic thoughts on how Chavez might knock out the Argentine: “He’s gotta punch with him. He’s gotta exchange with him. He’s gotta let his hands go. He’s walking in with his head first and not really letting his hands go.”

Not much changed in the first minute of the 12th, as Martinez jabbed and circled and Chavez was still clearly looking to land a fight-changing right hand. With 1:46 remaining on the clock, he finally did. Sort of. Martinez had his head in Chavez’s chest and then stepped back with his hands down—a classic mistake, but one Martinez’s reflexes usually allow him to get away with it—and Junior landed a looping right. Martinez was mildly buzzed, stood still, and absorbed a few more shots as the younger man let his hands go, but nothing major landed, and Martinez still appeared to be in complete control of the fight as he got back to flicking jabs and circling away just a few seconds later.

Then, with 1:29 on the clock, Chavez landed a straight right along the ropes. It was a clean shot, but it did no damage. Two seconds later, however, damage most definitely was done. Martinez was bent forward, just inches from Chavez, and as he popped out of his crouch to throw a jab, his eyes focused squarely on his opponent’s right hand, Chavez dropped in a quick left hook that beat the jab, and Martinez never saw it. It crashed into his jaw and sent him careening sideways, where the ropes held him up. Chavez let his hands go, landed two more flush left hooks, and down went Martinez.

We all know what happened from there: Martinez got up at the count of four, refused to clinch or run and instead got himself clocked several more times but survived the final minute without suffering another official knockdown and took the unanimous decision.

But let’s focus on the punch that created all of that late drama. Was Martinez tiring? Maybe a little, but his 108-punch output in Round 11 and general tendency to finish strongly suggest that wasn’t a big factor. Did he get sloppy? Not really. His hands weren’t any lower than usual — if anything, they were higher than usual. Did Chavez suddenly step it up? Perhaps a little bit. He seemed to be slightly more aggressive in the 12th, knowing there were no remaining rounds to save his energy for.

The best explanation seems to be that Chavez threw the right punch at the right time, that he’d lulled Martinez into not worrying about his left hook then picked the perfect moment to finally unleash it. It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t a lucky punch. It was just the kind of punch that Chavez wasn’t likely to use until he was desperate enough to stop worrying about being in perfect position and to stop worrying about getting hit in return. It was the kind of punch that lands when you start taking chances and start letting both hands go.

Chavez Jr.: Already The Greatest Son of a Legend Ever?

by Eric Raskin

Julio Cesar Chavez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. - Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland

A son of a great boxer can inherit his dad’s jab. He can inherit the old man’s left hook to the liver. He can inherit his hand speed, his athleticism, his punching power. What he typically can’t inherit is his hunger.

To be a great fighter requires a willingness to absorb physical punishment and overcome it. Kids raised in a comfortable, middle-class-or-better environment just don’t have the mental makeup -- usually -- to persevere in the prize ring.

That’s what makes it all the more remarkable that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. now stands on the precipice of great things. And that’s also what makes it possible for Chavez to already be recognized as the greatest son of a truly great fighter, ever.

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. is arguably the finest fighter Mexico has ever known, a Hall of Famer who won titles in three divisions, sat atop the pound-for-pound lists, and ended his career with 107 victories in 115 bouts.

Junior will never catch up to the accomplishments of “The Lion of Culiacan.” But he has probably already surpassed all the other sons of legendary fighters who tried to follow in their fathers’ footsteps.

Marvis Frazier, son of Joe Frazier, had a decent career, but he got crushed twice at the top level. Marcel Cerdan Jr. showed some promise but never quite panned out. Same for Hector Camacho Jr. (whose dad may or may not deserve the “great” label anyway). Others like Roberto Duran Jr., Ronald Hearns, and Aaron Pryor Jr. never got past clubfighter status.

There are certainly a few sons of pro boxers who exceeded the accomplishments (thus far) of Chavez Jr. -- it’s just that their dads can’t be categorized as true greats. Cory Spinks won the world welterweight title, but his dad Leon, despite upsetting Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title, was mostly a disappointment as a pro. Guty Espadas Jr. repeated his father’s feat by winning a title, but neither of the Espadas men will be more than a footnote in the annals of history. Floyd Mayweather is on his way to going down as one of the greatest ever to lace on gloves, but his dad was merely a talented fringe contender.

If there is a son of a truly great fighter who still stands above Chavez Jr., it’s Tracy Harris Patterson. However, Tracy was adopted at age 13 by former heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson, so they aren’t blood relation. Debate amongst yourselves whether the Pattersons should be included in this discussion.

In any case, if you change the categorization from son of a great fighter to child of a great fighter, Chavez Jr. does get some stiff competition from Laila Ali. The daughter of the most famous fighter who ever lived shocked the naysayers by becoming arguably the top women’s pro boxer in history. You could make a case that her career accomplishments -- even if the competition was somewhat limited -- go beyond those of Chavez Jr.

For now, anyway. If Chavez dethrones Sergio Martinez on Saturday night, it’s safe to say Ali is no longer the greatest.

Who Can Steal the Night on the Chavez-Martinez Undercard?

by Eric Raskin

Boxing undercards are a two-way street. They’re meant to support the main event, obviously, but the main event is also meant to support them, as underappreciated and/or underexposed fighters can use the eyeballs attracted by the featured bout to build their own names and reputations. Who will steal the spotlight on the Sergio Martinez-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. undercard? There are four bouts instead of the usual three, and no shortage of intriguing prospects and under-the-radar warriors worth keeping an eye on:

Roman “Rocky” Martinez (25-1-1, 16 KOs) vs. Miguel Beltran Jr. (27-1, 17 KOs), 12 Rounds, Junior Lightweights

Martinez is, simply put, one of the surest things in boxing from an entertainment standpoint. He hasn’t been active enough, however, since losing a close decision to Ricky Burns in a 2010 Fight of the Year candidate, fighting only once (KO 6 Daniel Attah) in the last 24 months. It’s make-or-break time for the 29-year-old Puerto Rican as he steps back up against a fellow one-loss fighter, the 23-year-old Mexican Beltran (who will no doubt have the support of the heavily Mexican crowd at Thomas & Mack). In sharp contrast to Martinez, Beltran fought four times in 2011, and his youth and activity should give him certain edges. Whoever prevails, it’s hard to envision anything short of an action-packed, dramatic punchout leading up to Martinez and Chavez entering the ring.

Matthew Macklin (28-4, 19 KOs) vs. Joachim Alcine (33-2-1, 19 KOs), 10 Rounds, Middleweights

The most recognizable name on the undercard -- particularly to anyone who’s followed Sergio Martinez’s career -- is Macklin, the Irishman who pushed “Maravilla” hard for 11 rounds in a bid for the middleweight championship six months ago. “Mack The Knife” returns to action against former 154-pound beltholder Alcine, who in his most recent fight, upset David Lemieux by majority decision.

Robert Marroquin (22-1, 15 KOs) vs. Alejandro Lopez (23-2, 7 KOs), 10 Rounds, Featherweights

The Marroquin express got derailed in April 2011 when the highly regarded prospect dropped a decision to Franky Leal, but the 23-year-old Marroquin has bounced back with a trio of victories. Lopez, best known for handing Teon Kennedy his first defeat, will provide a major step up in class from those three opponents. If Marroquin is to become the star that he was touted as prior to the shocking loss to Leal, this is a must-win bout for the Dallas featherweight.

Mike Lee (10-0, 6 KOs) vs. Paul Harness (4-3-1, 3 KOs), 6 Rounds, Light Heavyweights

Macklin isn’t the only man on this card who could be described with the words “Fighting Irish.” Lee is a 2009 graduate of Notre Dame and is best known for sharing screen time in a Subway commercial with the likes of Ryan Howard and Michael Strahan. But Lee still has much to prove in the prize ring. Harness has never been stopped, so it will be interesting to see whether Lee can take a step toward catching up to his hype and end this bout early.

Prepare for the Andre Ward Era

by Hamilton Nolan

Andre Ward - Photo Credit:Will Hart

In front of a chaotic hometown crowd in Oakland, California, Andre Ward (26-0) made a rather irrefutable case for himself as boxing's most unbeatable fighter with a domineering tenth round TKO of light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson (31-2).

Dawson, who had dropped down to 168 pounds to meet Ward for the super middleweight belt, was a larger fighter who clearly possessed more raw strength. But after a two round feeling-out process, Ward brutally and methodically asserted his volition. He knocked Dawson to his knee for the first time in the third round with a fast, efficient left hook to the temple, and again in the fourth round with the same punch. From that point on, Ward controlled the pacing of the fight and drove the bigger man backwards at will. In the tenth round, Ward again landed his left hook to Dawson’s temple, causing his legs to wobble like a flapper dancer at a Prohibition-era gin joint. Ward rushed in and knocked Dawson down again; he rose, but his legs, swaying drunkenly side to side, told the story of just how much punishment he had taken. The referee called it, and Oracle Arena exploded with cheers of “S.O.G!”

Dawson, a southpaw, possesses all of the physical tools one could hope for in a fighter, but has always suffered from a lack of assertiveness. It killed him tonight. Here is how Andre Ward won: he kept his lead left hand above Chad Dawson’s lead right hand. And Dawson, who prefers to carry his lead hand low, let him. This allowed Ward to turn his left hook into Dawson’s temple with ease. Ward won the fight using only two punches: the left hook, which eventually knocked Dawson senseless, and a straight right to the belly, which he planted whenever Dawson decided to pull his elbows out of his gut and try to protect his skull. Ward neutralized Dawson’s killer straight left with his feet, simply by circling to the outside. He took away Dawson’s right hook by keeping his hand above it and batting it down whenever Dawson deigned to unleash it, which was rarely. That left Dawson with nothing except Ward’s left fist on his mind. 

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The Overnight Mega-Fight

by Eric Raskin

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Sergio Martinez

In boxing, the road to respect is usually a long one. You put in your time, pay your dues one marginally-more-challenging opponent at a time, and, if you keep winning, ultimately get your shot at the big fight. At least that's how it usually goes. What makes the Sept. 15 middleweight championship bout between Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. so extraordinary is that it completely defies the rules about respect being earned instantly. One minute, this fight fell somewhere between absurdity and atrocity. The next minute, everyone demanded it.

And to make things even more unusual, the moment we demanded it, we got it. That doesn't happen very often in boxing.

On the night of June 16, 2012, Chavez knocked out Andy Lee in seven rounds, and suddenly boxing's most popular "fraud," the kid who filled arenas but supposedly couldn't fight, had become the people's challenger for the lineal middleweight title held by Martinez. Maybe it's a slight exaggeration to say that Chavez's transformation happened all at once. Baby steps were taken in wins over Sebastian Zbik and Marco Antonio Rubio in the 12 months prior. But the Lee fight was a statement. And in combination with the 37-year-old Martinez looking more vulnerable than expected in his last two outings against Darren Barker and Matthew Macklin, we'd gone from a mock-able mismatch to a mega-fight for all the middleweight marbles.

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