Bob Arum: Chavez Jr's father says he still needs a real trainer and game plan

Did you enjoy Julio Cesar Chavez Jr's rematch win over Bryan Vera? Of course, we all did. It was a damn entertaining scrap between a couple of guys who were both in shape, both fought hard, and both looked to do damage. Chavez came out of it with a bit of a redemption win after last September's robbery of Vera.

That said, promoter Bob Arum may not have been as high on the performance as you or me, and understandably so. Arum says there are still preparation issues that need correction in Chavez's training camp, as pointed out by Chavez's father.

"As his father told me, unless he gets a real trainer and goes in with a game plan and has somebody experienced in his corner, we're all fooling ourselves. And that's not me saying it, that's somebody who really knows boxing better than me. There was obviously no game plan. In other words, it was freewheeling, which for the fans is very, very entertaining, but as a strategy for an A-class fighter, sort of stupid."

Indeed, for an A-class fighter, the strategy can be stupid. But is Chavez really an A-class fighter? It's hard to argue that, I think. There's no real evidence of it. Terrific attraction, yes. Popular and famous? Yes, yes. But an elite fighter? Well, maybe that's still the hope for some, but I don't see it personally. Chavez at his best is simply Chavez in shape, which means he has stamina and can open up his offense. We didn't see that last September, but we saw it this weekend.

In other words, is Chavez better off just being in shape and fighting to the best of his actual ability that we've seen already, or trying to change something beyond just staying in shape and taking his job seriously? Either way, a top-flight trainer is something he should probably have. He can afford it and it makes no sense not to work with an A-lister.