Julio Cesar Chavez Jr: The real reason "Mijo" quit

As most of the boxing community already know, former WBC Middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. quit in the corner between rounds five and six in what was supposed to be his glorious return to the ring against former WBA 160 pound champion Daniel Jacobs on Friday, December 20th, 2019.

After learning of the voluntary stoppage, the near 12K paying customers in attendance quickly turned on the supposed "fan favorite" and began "showering" the Mexican born fighter with lots of boos and booze from the various levels of seating within the Talking Stick Resort Arena.  Without hesitation, the die-hard Hispanic fans of boxing rejected Julio Jr's excuse that he had been "seriously injured" in the ring and couldn't continue.  

The inconceivable idea that a Mexican fighter would quit on his stool and not "go out on his shield" is a proverbial slap in the face to the long lineage of proud Mexican warriors of years past.  It's the lowest form of insult to any long-standing Mexican fight fan.

Of course, as a result of the numerous tragedies that have occurred throughout the 2019 boxing calendar year, many critics are currently defending Junior's actions, including his legendary father.

The all-time great fighter even posted this "concerned" message on his preferred social media account:

"With all due respect to the fans of Phoenix, Arizona: This time I disagree with you, my son was making a competitive fight and was winning, unfortunately, a head butt [and] a hit by the elbow [resulted in] a broken nose and [he] will now undergo surgery."  

Was a nose injury the real reason Julio "Mijo" Chavez failed to answer the 6th round's opening bell?

Anyone who has never watched a Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight might believe that.

The real reason for the voluntary stoppage can be discovered by his level of activity during the stunted five-round affair.

Chavez's busiest rounds were the opening and closing stanzas...doing his best work in combination to the body and head of Daniel Jacobs.  Although Junior was the aggressor throughout the entire contest, he really didn't throw enough punches to merit winning rounds 2,3 and 4.  

The late great Emanuel Steward once said, "you can always tell when a fighter is questioning his own conditioning when he only works at the beginning and end of a fight."  

Is it any coincidence that Junior decided to throw in the towel after putting forth one final burst of energy to end what would prove to be the final round of the scheduled twelve round fight?  

Nope.  Look to the event's weigh-in ceremony which took place the previous day for answers.

The behemoth "Super Middleweight" scaled in almost five pounds over the 168-pound division limit.  Of course, upon relinquishing a hefty $1 million penalty, the scheduled bout wasn't called off and fight fans were treated to even more drama on Friday night. 

After seeing how big Chavez was while marching into the ring on Friday night, It's obvious the notoriously lazy fighter was not in proper fight shape.  

Unsure of his own conditioning, it became apparent that "Mijo" didn't believe he could compete for all twelve rounds.

So rather than get inevitably stopped in the mid to late rounds by the heavy-handed and always in shape Daniel Jacobs, he elected to take the easy way out and quit before getting flattened in front of his adoring fans.

When one considers that the grossly overweight "Cruiserweight" is the same guy who refused to participate in the pre-fight drug testing protocol several weeks prior, are paying customers really expected to find sympathy and forgiveness for the spoiled Mexican combatant?

Are fight fans really supposed to give this undeserving millionaire a break?

Some sympathetic critics might say, "don't be so hard on the guy...prizefighting is dangerous business."  

Yes, it is...which is why they earn as much as they do.

Keep in mind, every prizefighter is fully aware of the dangers that linger in the professional ring before ever stepping into the squared circle...just as every soldier, fire-fighter and police officer knows they could very easily lose their lives while on the clock in their respective occupation.

The most glaring difference is that no one has ever heard of any soldier, fireman or policeman earning millions of dollars for putting themselves in harm's way.

So "NO", Julio...you won't find any sympathy from any fight fan who has been privileged enough to witness fighters like Arturo Gatti, Micky Ward, Diego Corrales, Lamon Brewster, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, etc...one could easily come up with an endless list of warriors who merit more sympathy than the spoiled Mexican "fighter"; that's if he even deserves to wear that moniker any further.

So this is the end of the road for Chavez Jr. and his career as a prizefighter, right?

Nope...not even close.

As long as there remains a shortage of genuine ticket sellers in the sport of boxing, a legitimate attraction like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will always find a home with some promotional group. 

While all three of Jacobs' fight fans in attendance celebrated, as the referee in charge called a halt to the bout, the thousands who were there to support the popular Mexican fighter left the arena justifiably disgusted and deflated.  

Like it or not, the seemingly semi-retired Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was the overwhelming box office draw on Friday night.  

Make no mistake, "Mijo" will be back. It might take a good year or two, but he will indeed be back.

No, he may not make $3 million for his next fight, but Chavez Jr. will continually make more than probably 99% of the brave men and women who dare to lace up the gloves and take punishment for our entertainment.