Most fans wanted to see Jr. do well because of who his
father is but at the same time wanted him do it legitimately. After all the
perceived favor he had received, he was seen as soft and nowhere near the
fighter his father was. His victory over Sebastian Zbik on HBO in June of 2011
seemed to be the final nail in Jr.’s coffin as many fans and boxing media alike
swore Zbik won the fight as he outscored Chavez in 10 out of the 12 rounds.
(Chavez Jr. was stronger in the later rounds and landed the heavier punches
throughout the fight.)Rumors swirled that Top Rank had wielded its power to
ensure that Jr. won. By all accounts, Chavez Jr. is undoubtedly a cash cow and
that’s all that matters to promoters at the end of the day. Unless Zbik
actually killed Chavez Jr. in the ring that night it wasn’t likely he was going
to win. The message seemed loud and clear: boxing is not a sport, it’s a
business and this Chavez kid is a rainmaker.The backlash was intense as Chavez
Jr. was taking shots from all angles. Then suddenly something changed. He
seemed to grow a pair overnight. After seeing a cartoon of himself hiding
behind an apron worn by Bob Arum, Chavez Jr. apparently had enough and decided
to speak up. He angrily stated he was not a boy, he was a man and feared no
one—especially Sergio Martinez. He started facing tougher opponents and
completed three impressive victories over Peter Manfredo Jr., Marco Antonio
Rubio and Andy Lee.Afterwards, the truth of how Chavez Jr. got his title shot
against Zbik emerged, helping his image even more. Martinez had gotten
permission from the WBC to ditch his mandatory opponent at the behest of HBO.
Seems HBO didn’t find Zbik a big enough name, so, following the money, Martinez
shed his WBC belt but was still “Champion-in-Recess.” This left the WBC
middleweight belt suddenly up for grabs with Chavez Jr. the first in line with
a title shot.
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