Julio Cesar Chavez Jr returning July 18, says he'll work with Robert Garcia

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, the former middleweight titleholder who was trounced in his return fight against Andrzej Fonfara in April, will be back in action on July 18, taking on Mexican middleweight Marcos Reyes at a location to be announced in Texas, according to ESPN.com.

Chavez, 29, will also be returning with a new trainer, and named Robert Garcia as his chief second last week. Dan Rafael says no official deal has been secured with Garcia, but if Chavez has made the announcement, they're probably close. Chavez (48-2-1, 32 KO) worked with Joe Goossen for the Fonfara bout, his first and last fight with the veteran trainer.

Chavez worked for a few years with Freddie Roach before leaving Roach's camp following his loss to Sergio Martinez in 2012, which was also accompanied by a failed drug test in Nevada and a suspension that kept him out of action for a year. When he returned against Bryan Vera in 2013, he performed poorly, and actually worked with Garcia a bit at that point, but the partnership never became official. And it wasn't the first time the two had talked, as Chavez was reportedly going to train with Garcia in 2009, but "never came" to camp, Garcia said in 2013.

So given that this is the third time (at least) these two names have been linked, maybe wait until it's truly official to declare it official, but on paper, the two do match up pretty well. Garcia has a good history with fighters like Chavez, and is as good a bet as anyone to get something more out of the second generation star, whose indifference to training has been consistently criticized over his career.

Reyes (33-2, 24 KO) is a middleweight by trade, but the weight for the Chavez-Reyes fight has not been announced. The 27-year-old last fought on January 24, beating David "The Destroyer" Lopez over eight rounds, coming off the canvas in round two to do so. Last October, he dropped a majority decision against Abraham Han.

Chavez is just 2-2 in his last four fights, and the two wins include his first fight with Vera, which almost everyone felt was an outright robbery and gift decision. He was out for 13 months before facing Fonfara, following a legal dispute with former promoter Top Rank, which ended with Chavez signing a deal with Al Haymon.

Chavez-Reyes will be televised on Televisa in Mexico, and likely on a PBC show in the United States.