Chavez Jr. Says He Will Shut Martinez' Mouth

Will Chavez Jr. be in too deep against Martinez on Sept. 15? Or will he throw cold water over Martinez' plan to show the son of the legend he's the boss? (Chris Farina-Top Rank)

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. promised to shut up Sergio Martinez, who he called a “big clown,” on a Wednesday conference call to hype the Sept. 15 Las Vegas middleweight showdown between him and Sergio Martinez.

A win will make Junior one of the biggest attractions in all of boxing, along the lines of Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, promoter Bob Arum said, and that is because he let the matchup simmer for the right amount of time.

Junior said when asked about the improvement which made his management comfortable with making the match, that hard work and dedication have paid off.

Will he be able to push Martinez around on fight night? Junior said that will be a key, but also that his boxing will be a key.

He said he knew that he had it in him to reach this level, and that it would take hard work to get there. He said he knew he'd fight Sergio eventually, and when Arum told him he had it, he was happy. He said he's in boxing to give the people what they want to see.

Junior was asked about fighting a mover. He said he might have to do more moving in this fight, but that he thinks he has a strategy to beat Sergio. He likes to change things up, show different skills, and that will be on display Sept. 15.

As for staying undefeated, the fighter said, “I don't like to lose,” in Spanish.

He appreciates being able to process things with his dad, because his dad has been in the same shoes, he said.

Junior said he doesn't think Sergio is that big a puncher, but that he will find out on fightnight. And, is he tired of people saying he piggybacked on his dad? He said he is used to it, and little by little, he has proved he is his own man. He said he is about fighting the best fighters, and that he is “very confident” he will win. “I want the fans to have a fight they will remember for a long, long time.”

The boxer said he got great sparring from three different guys, and that he is used to lefties.

Trainer Freddie Roach was asked about Junior blowing up from 160 to 180, or thereabouts. He said he “does put a lot of weight on” and “he's not breaking any rules” in doing so. He said that he liked that Junior handled the lefty Andy Lee, so he's comfortable making the match.

Freddie said that Chavez Sr. has showed him moves that work against a lefty in training. Martinez is smaller, and hard to hit, but body work will be important, to take away his legs, the trainer said.

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