Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will return to the ring on July 20, featuring on the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson Netflix undercard in Texas.
Chavez will face MMA veteran Darren Till, a former UFC title challenger.
The 38-year-old Chavez (53-6-1, 34 KO) will be fighting for the first time since a Dec. 2021 win over David Zegarra in Culiacan, and really he’s been near-irrelevant in the sport following his loss to Canelo Alvarez seven years ago, way back in 2017.
Since the lifeless loss to Canelo, Chavez has gone 3-3, notably with a loss to Daniel Jacobs where he quit after five rounds and started a minor fan riot in Phoenix, all after promoter Eddie Hearn went above-and-beyond to put on a fight that meant nothing and isn’t remembered otherwise nearly five years later. He also lost to unknown Mario Cazares in 2020, and to aged MMA veteran Anderson Silva in 2021.
In short, Chavez has looked lousy in the ring for many years now, but he is a name that may draw Mexican boxing fans, arguably the sport’s most reliable demographic from a broadcaster perspective, and could indeed lead to a bump in subscriptions for the show.
The 31-year-old Till will be making his boxing debut. The Liverpool native is 18-5 in MMA between 2013 and 2022, his last fight coming in Dec. 2022, a loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282, his third straight defeat and fifth in six fights.
Chavez vs Till will be a six-round fight, either at cruiserweight or some catchweight between light heavyweight and cruiserweight.
More intriguing for a serious boxing fan is a fantastic prospect showdown between lightweights Ashton “H2O” Sylve and Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield, which is set for 10 rounds and features a pair of actual professional boxers.
The 20-year-old Sylve (11-0, 9 KO) is MVP’s most legitimate young prospect, a genuine talent who feels he’s ready to step up. He had his first 10-round fight on Feb. 2 in Orlando, beating Estivan Falcao by wide decision.
The 21-year-old Schofield (17-0, 12 KO) has been with Golden Boy, and his last five bouts have all been set for a 10-round distance, though just one of them actually went the distance. He last fought on Mar. 16, beating Esteuri Suero by disqualification in Las Vegas.
It’s a huge opportunity for both young fighters, in front of what should be a big audience, and it’s excellent, daring matchmaking, the type we don’t see too much with fighters at that level, or any level really.