Chavez Jr. makes name

His name is sporting royalty in his native Mexico, and he aspires to do great things as his father did.

But Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is a realist. He knows no matter how successful he becomes as a boxer, he'll never match the religious fervor with which his father is worshipped.

He has his father's surname, but the nickname "El Gran Campeon" remains elusive for Chavez, who headlines the Top Rank card tonight at Mandalay Bay Events Center against Matt Vanda in a rematch of their controversial July 12 bout in Hermosillo, Mexico.

"Because we have the same name, the comparisons are always going to be there," Chavez said through an interpreter. "But I think I've gotten out of his shadow a little bit, though I know the shadow's always going to be there.

"When I took up boxing, I knew that would be something that would linger throughout my career. I think I've been able to deal with it very well. But he was a great boxer, a great champion, and I'm trying to live up to what he did with my own career."

Chavez became a professional boxer at age 17, without the benefit of a single amateur bout. Although he is 37-0-1 with 29 knockouts, he has yet to win a world title. Chavez is ranked No. 5 by the WBC at 154 pounds.

Tonight's super welterweight main event is scheduled for 10 rounds, the same as the first Chavez-Vanda meeting. That night, Chavez started quickly but faded late. He escaped with a split decision, with judge Francisco Mouret scoring it 100-90 in his favor. The largely pro-Chavez crowd reacted angrily to the split decision. Fights broke out among fans, and bottles were hurled toward the ring.

"Unfortunately I had nothing to do with that," Chavez said. "I did my job, and the judges are supposed to do their job. People put it on me like I had something to do with the judge giving me all 10 rounds. I wasn't judging. All I did was fight."

There was also illness intrigue. Chavez came down with flu-like symptoms on the day of the fight and was given medicine, but he was running on fumes by the 10th round.

Chavez, an overwhelming 5-1 betting favorite at Mandalay Bay, said his health is not an issue this time.

"I feel fine," he said. "Without a doubt, there was more intensity to this camp than the first time. We want to prove something to this guy. I'm completely healthy and ready to fight."

Vanda (38-7, 21 KOs) is philosophical about the first fight. He knew the odds were stacked against him then, and he doesn't feel much different this time, even though the fight is in Las Vegas and an all-Nevada crew (Dick Houck, Dave Moretti and Glenn Trowbridge) will be judging.

"I knew we couldn't win unless we knocked him out," Vanda said. "It was a close fight. It could have gone either way. We got the rematch, so that's all that matters.

"But I don't think I got a level playing field. I'm fighting Bob Arum (Chavez's promoter), Top Rank and Chavez. We'll just pick up where we left off and it's the 11th round of a 20-round fight."

The nine-bout card begins at 3:30 p.m. Ticket sales have been sluggish, even though most of the 8,000 seats were priced at $100 or less. Arum said the pay-per-view telecast will be blacked out in Clark County.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@ reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.