In a 10-round battle of second-generation welterweight prospects, Omar Chavez (27-0-1, 20 KOs) will take on Jorge Paez Jr. 29-4-1, 18 KOs at the Arena Jorge Cuesy Serrano in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico this Saturday.
Chavez, son of Julio Cesar Chavez, has begun working alongside his brother, Julio Jr., at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles under the guidance of trainer Freddie Roach. The 21-year-old from Culiacan, Sinaloa has yet to face an opponent above the club level and, at times, has struggled with in-ring focus and basic defense against that low level of opposition. Paez represents a significant step up in class for Chavez.
“Paez is a good fighter with a difficult style,” Chavez told Record.com, “But I’ve seen that he can’t take a punch and I can punch hard. If things play out like I want, I think I can knock him out in four or six rounds.”
Paez, son of Jorge “Maromero” Paez, has also yet to face an elite-level opponent, but has fought an overall slightly higher level of opposition than Chavez. Sitting atop the 24-year-old’s resume is a 12-round unanimous decision over faded former lightweight champ Jose Luis Castillo last March.
