Julio Cesar Chavez Jr: Rematch with Martinez Would End in Knockout

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is speaking pretty boldly for a guy who lost all but 90 seconds of his fight with Sergio Martinez. In fact, he has a promise for the new middleweight champion, should a rematch take place. "I would knock him out in the rematch," Chavez Jr. told BoxingScene.com's Jhonny Gonzalez. The prediction is bold, but not outlandish. Chavez Jr. did knock down and badly hurt Martinez in the final round of their September 15th middleweight championship fight. It led many to speculate whether Chavez Jr. would have been able to finish the job if he had begun his attack earlier in the fight and not allowed Sergio to control the distance and potshot him from the outside. Despite the near knockout, Martinez won a clear-cut unanimous decision on the scorecards. If it weren't for the drama in the final seconds, there would likely be no market for a second fight. It was, up to that point, one of the most decisive outcomes in a big fight in boxing history. Chavez Jr. also tested positive for marijuana in the post-fight drug tests. That, combined with reports about his lackluster commitment to training, led many to speculate he didn't really take the fight seriously. It has become something of a regular issue in the Chavez camp. He's a fighter with obvious talent, but his immaturity and lack of commitment could cause him to not reach his full potential. Martinez has stated his willingness to accept a rematch sometime next year. Despite being the victor in the fight, he seems determined to send an even stronger message in the rematch. He appears stung by the public perception that he survived a fight he had, up to that point, dominated.