Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) hosted an international conference call ahead of his highly anticipated PPV showdown against Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) this Saturday in Las Vegas.
On possibly knocking Canelo out:
I feel I can. I feel that I’m a bigger guy. I fought at light heavyweight. He’s never fought fighters this size, and because of that, if things pan out and I get the right shot, I think of course it can happen.
On personal feelings between him and Canelo:
There’s a real, true rivalry, and on Saturday night, people are going to see firsthand this rivalry, how real it is. Obviously, we’re going to show it inside the ring.
On why Canelo doesn’t like him:
I don’t know specifically why he doesn’t like me or this animosity exists. Maybe because I’m the son of Julio Cesar Chavez, I don’t know. That could be one of the reasons…but I can tell you this: I am the son of a legend, but some of — all of my accomplishments have come from my work. I’m the one who wins these fights, and I think one of the reasons they picked me is because I put on good fights. And I’m the type of fighter that people want to see, and they know that this fight with me will generate bigger revenue, and that’s another reason why this fight is happening.
On his advantages over Canelo:
One of the advantages is that he’s fought a lot of fighters, not always in their prime. Also, he’s a smaller fighter. He’s a good fighter but smaller for his division and I think that’s an advantage that I have.
On making the 164.5lb catchweight:
I’m close to making weight already and I’ve done everything I’ve been asked to do with regards to my diet. It’s not easy, but I know when I focus on my diet and when I focus on making weight, I can do it. I’ve done it before, and this is just one additional time I’m doing it.
On being physically larger than Canelo:
It has been said that in boxing that that’s an important factor, that the weight and the bigger person is always going to have the advantage. That I think is true. But I think with this fight, I’m just focusing on staying strong, making the weight the right way so that I’m in there and able to compete at that level. But I think really that this fight is going to come down to me being intelligent, me being smart, and I think that’s going to be the difference, also.
On his brother Omar’s KO against Canelo’s brother Ramon last Saturday:
I want to congratulate my brother. I’m very happy for his victory against the Alvarez family, I know it’s difficult anytime somebody loses, but it’s a sport. With regards to that fight, it’s totally separate from my fight. My fight is a different fight, different event, something that I have to focus on. But I congratulate my brother. I’m very happy for his victory.
On his current mindset:
This fight has created a lot of passion in me, a lot of enthusiasm, and I think that that’s the difference in this. Excited about this fight, and I think that you’re going to see a different Julio that’s excited.
