Thu, May 17, 2012

CALL IT SLEEP

James Blears Category: LATEST NEWS

Not shaken or stirred, World Boxing Council Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez slept through an attempted conference call in spite of three attempts to wake him.

Chavez Jr (44-0-1 31 KO's) will be fighting number one contender and fellow countryman Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1) at the Alamodome in San Antonio this Saturday.

Last week, Rubio chatted to reporters at the WBC Offices for half an hour, about the upcoming fight in a conference call. But when it was his turn this week, at high noon, a irritable sounding American voice on the other end of the line said Julio Jr was asleep and knocking on his door had gone unanswered. After three phone calls WBC President Jose Sulaiman called it a day. The lack of response went down like a lead balloon with the WBC weekly press conference, which was packed to the rafters with expectant, but then disappointed Mexican reporters.

Yet...the prospect for this fight is certainly no snoozefest! Rubio has already gone on record vowing to KO Chavez Jr or get KO's himself in the attempt. Recognizing the defining nature of the bout Jose Sulaiman declared: "I believe that this is the toughest fight for Julio. Rubio is a puncher, he can hurt, and he has a lot of experience.

"I think that they are very evenly matched. It's experience against youth, power v boxing. I believe this is going to be a real challenge for Julio. But I also believe that Julio is one of the new heroes of boxing in Mexico."

Rubio's objection to world class Mexican referee Guadalupe Garcia, and his request for a third man in the ring of a neutral nationality, has been brushed aside by the WBC. Don Jose also commented: "Rubio doesn't trust the judges, but in WBC fights, it's very, very rare that we see a bad decision, and the judges are highly qualified."

There's a palpable tension over this scrap between two Mexican fighters, which can almost be cut with a knife, and Don Jose summed it by explaining: "Let me tell you, Rubio is waiting with anxiety for the fight, and Julio is waiting with concern. That says it all! It's going to be a very good fight!"