DiBella Warns Chavez to Put Up or Shut Up

PRESS RELEASE-New York, NY (Feb. 6, 2012) - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. defended his version of the WBC Middleweight Championship this past Saturday, February 4, and as long as Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez follows suit in his upcoming matchup against Matthew Macklin on March 17, promoter Lou DiBella expects the two to meet to determine who is the full and real WBC Middleweight Champion.

"As long as Sergio takes care business on March 17, Chavez must fight him next. Either fight him or he has to vacate his title. It’s plain and simple," said DiBella. "We are tired of waiting for Chavez to step up to the plate. He needs to stop hiding behind his people and be a real champion. He says that he wants the fight, so then prove it. The WBC ruled in our favor at their convention in December, and the two were both permitted to have voluntary defenses. We don’t want to look past Sergio’s fight on March 17 because he is going to have his hands full with Macklin. If Sergio wins though, I expect negotiations to begin immediately for Sergio against Julio. Immediately!"

The only reason that Chavez has the title now is because Martinez vacated the belt when his mandatory challenger was allegedly not up to television programming standards. If Chavez does not want to meet his mandatory, then the son of the legend should do the honorable thing and vacate his WBC title rather than continuing to face lesser opposition. After the Rubio fight this past Saturday, HBO boxing analyst Jim Lampley candidly stated that Chavez "still has not fought a fighter of legitimate championship quality."

Martinez (48-2-2, 27KO’s) defends his Middleweight crown against top-rated Irish middleweight contender Matthew "Mack the Knife" Macklin (28-3, 19KOs) on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. The card, promoted by DiBella Entertainment, entitled "THE REAL Middleweight Championship - Get Your Irish Up", will be aired live on HBO’s "World Championship Boxing" at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

Tickets are priced at $505, $355, $205, $125 and $65 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased through the Madison Square Garden Box Office or through Ticketmaster, at ticketmaster.com, or call (800) 745-3000. Call DiBella Entertainment at (212) 947-2577, or visit www.dbe1.com and @loudibella on Twitter for more information.