FONFARA STOPS CHAVEZ JR. (PHOTOS)
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 19 Apr 2015
StubHub Center, Carson, CA:- From the beginning when Al Haymon signed Julio Cesar Chaves Jr (48-2-1,32KO) to fight Andrzei Fonfara (27-3-0,16KO), the old man Cesar Chavez Sr. did not approve the fight. He knew that Junior would be no match with the naturally bigger slugger from Poland.
And Chavez Sr was right on the button!
Chavez Junior gave it all even training in high altitude at Lake Tahoe to improved his endurance but it was all for naught.
Before his adoring crowd that made up the most of the nearly 8,636 that nearly filled the Arena, Chavez tried in vain to slug it out but ended in the short end of the stick.
Perhaps his loss was also because he has not fought since he defeated Brian Vera in March of 2014. Call it ring rust, but be that as it may, he really had no chance against a bigger foe. Chavez Jr in the end even admitted that Fonfara was bigger and heavier so he had no chance to beat him.
Fonfara was indeed bigger and on top of that had a longer reach, therefore Chavez tried to fight from the inside using his head to lead and stay as close as possible so he can score from the shorter distance. But along the way he forgot to move his head and Fonfara scored several close uppercuts. The fact that Chavez's eyes were battered and almost shot did not help either.
That and some dirty tactics from Fonfara which included among others low blows and head butts, made it harder for Chavez to even get close. In the 7th round, Fonfara even used his shoulder illegally drawing a point deduction from the referee, Jerry Cantu.
In the 9th round during a torrid exchange near the ropes, Fonfara scored with a huge left hook to the side of the head of Chavez. Chavez fell to the seat of his pants and took a 8 count from Cantu. When the fight resumed, Fonfara tried to finish the fight but Chavez surprisingly fought back valiantly and survived the round.
As he sat on his stool in his corner, he said something to his cornerman, Joe Goossen. Goossen then signal the referee that his ward is done and Cantu waved off the fight.
The stoppage was a foregone conclusion as Chavez did not have a chance short of a lucky punch to win the fight. He was behind in the score cards so quitting was a better alternative so he will not get hurt and come back to fight another day.
As soon as Cantu waved off the fight, beer and other soft drinks started to rain from the disgusted crowd. The poor folks that paid more money to be closer to the ring took it all in. I guess in the Latino crowd that is simply expected when their boy losses a fight. Luckily, save for some wet shirts and hairs no one was hurt.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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