By John J. Raspanti, Doghouse Boxing: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0, 32 KOs) regained his WBC middleweight
championship by stopping Andy Lee (28-2, 20 KOs) in the seventh round at
the Sun Bowl Stadium in EL Paso, Texas. All three judges had Lee ahead
58-56 at the time of the stoppage.
Southpaw Lee did well in the
first two rounds by establishing his jab. His right hand also found the
chin of Chavez Jr. Lee’s plan was to box and for six minutes it worked.
Chavez Jr. landed a strong left hook that moved Lee back. Lee stayed in
control in round two by jabbing and countering Chavez Jr. Lee landed a
sharp left uppercut that straightened the champion up. Chavez Jr.
connected with a double left hook to the body of Lee.
In round
three a Lee left hook and right hand surprised Chavez Jr. The punches
had no effect though as Chavez Jr. asked for more. Lee obliged by
landing another right. Chavez Jr. was beginning to land some wicked body
shots. His left hook to Lee’s side hurt. He connected with another
combination as Lee languished on the ropes.
Chavez Jr. landed two
hard rights in round four. Lee countered with a strong left uppercut.
Chavez Jr. shook it off and connected with another heavy combination to
the body of Lee. Both fighters landed uppercuts at the bell. Chavez Jr.
kept working Lee’s body in round five. Lee went back to jabbing, but the
effect was transparent. Chavez Jr. walked right through Lee and landed a
big left hook. Lee connected with his own right near the midway point
of the round. Chavez Jr. stung Lee with an inside uppercut. The Kronk
fighter was beginning to tire while Chavez Jr. was getting stronger. Lee
was still trying to box, but didn’t have the firepower to keep the
younger champion off him.
In round six, Chavez Jr. continued to
pound the body of Lee. The challenger tried to fight back, but the
defending champion was too strong. Chavez Jr. hurt Lee with a strong
left hook in round seven. He leaned on Lee and opened up, ripping him
with shots to the body. Lee was wilting as Chavez Jr. whaled away.
Chavez
Jr. bulled Lee into the corner and unleashed another combination to the
head and body. After a Chavez Jr. right crashed off the chin of Lee,
referee Lawrence Cole wisely waved off the contest.
The time of the stoppage was 2:21 of round seven.
“I
started slow to see if he had any power,” said Chavez Jr. in the ring
after the fight. “I saw he didn’t have anything so I came on.”
Lee had nothing but praise for Chavez Jr.
“I have no excuses. I couldn’t hurt him,” Lee said softly. ‘He’s a big middleweight.”
The
Chavez Jr. win sets up a showdown with Sergio Martinez this September
in Las Vegas. The win should go a long way in quieting the many Chavez
Jr. critics.
Follow and visit John on Twitter: twitter.com/#!/johnboxing1
--
Questions/comments johnboxing1@hotmail.com
For much more boxng headlines and videos, visit the homepage at DoghouseBoxing.
Write for Doghouse Boxing: anthonyc1974@gmail.com.
Tweet
NEW: Follow Doghouse Boxing on FaceBook!
For more Boxing News 24/7 and so much more...
visit our homepage now!