Legend's son faces a slugger
Julio Cesar Chavez hopes to go one step further than his legendary father by winning a world title fight at the San Antonio Alamodome.
The unbeaten WBC middleweight champion faces Marco Antonio Rubio on Saturday night.
It is the same venue in San Antonio, Texas, where Chavez's father fought to a 12-round draw with Pernell Whitaker in 1993.
Chavez Sr is a former six-time world champion and is considered the greatest fighter to have come out of Mexico.
But his 26-year-old son, often referred to as Son of the Legend, says he is not trying to emulate his dad. His immediate concern is holding on to his title by beating Rubio so he can keep his record of 44-0-1 intact.
"This fight will leave no doubt that I am the top middleweight in the world," Chavez said on Friday.
Rubio, of Mexico, has a record of 53-5-1, including 46 knockouts. He has a reputation of being an attacking slugger. "I'm going to give all my heart in the ring," he said.
On the undercard, three-division world champion Nonito Donaire, of the Philippines, will faces Wilfredo Vazquez (21-1-1, 18 KOs) for the WBO junior featherweight title.
"What I've heard so far is music to my ears," Donaire said this week. "What they've said has really fired me up."
Donaire boasts a record of 27-1, including a nine-year win streak.
He retained his WBC and WBO bantamweight titles with a 12-round unanimous decision over Argentina's Omar Narvaez last October.