Drug-test be damned, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (51-3-1) will be fighting Daniel Jacobs (35-3). Announced at a Matchroom Boxing press conference in Los Angeles on Friday, the two former middleweight champions will meet in the ring on December 20th, live on DAZN at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The bout will be at super-middleweight so Jacobs will be moving up a weight class.
If you’re wondering why two high-profile fighters would settle for the “Valley of the Sun” instead of say, Las Vegas, it’s not because they’re fans of dry-heat and Cracker Barrel. Chavez Jr. was suspended by the Nevada State Commission for dodging VADA testing when he refused to be tested when a collection agent showed up at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, where JCC Jr. was training.
While the Grand Canyon state is more than happy to take this money-spinning fight, promoter Eddie Hearn isn’t holding his breath. According to Chris Mannix, the Matchroom mastermind already has veteran Gabriel Rosado (24-12-1) on-call to fight Jacobs if Chavez screws it up again.
Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs has to be considered the heavy favorite headed into the fight. The 32-year old warrior has firmly established himself as the third-best middleweight in the world (behind Canelo and GGG) since his remarkable comeback from cancer.
Upsetting Jacobs is exactly what a new look Chavez Jr. needs. The 33-year-old Mexican fighter went AWOL for two years after his embarrassing loss to Canelo and is desperate not to be a punchline. He’s not a bad fighter, but more of a talented underachiever who has spent his whole career in his father’s shadow.
Hearn isn’t cheating out on the undercard. He’s promised appearances by gold medalist Luke Campbell (20-3) and former world champion Maurice Hooker (26-1) as well as a WBC flyweight title bout between Julio Cesar Martinez (14-1) and Cristofer Rosales (29-4).
