Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. to fight Anderson Silva on June 19

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is fighting MMA legend Anderson Silva on the undercard of his father’s June 19 final trip to the ring.

The surprise opponent for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been announced, and it’s MMA legend, Anderson Silva.

The fight is going down on Saturday, June 19, from Jalisco Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Chavez Jr. vs. Silva fight is part of a fight card billed as the “Tribute to the Kings.” The main event is an exhibition bout between Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho Jr.

Until the second press conference for the ‘Tribute to the Kings,’ Chavez Jr.’s opponent was listed as TBA. Chavez Jr. made the announcement himself during the second press conference on Wednesday, March 18.

The announcement is quite a surprise and adds a new wrinkle to the event, which also features Omar Chavez vs. Ramon Alvarez, the older brother of Canelo Alvarez.

Chavez Jr. (52-5-1, 34 KOs) won his last contest in November by TKO but had lost two in a row before that. He quit in his corner after round 5 of his bout with Daniel Jacobs in December of 2019 after his nose was broken.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. announced that he will be fighting Anderson Silva on June 19.

Silva (34-11) is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. He fought most of his career in the UFC and reigned as the middleweight champion for a record-setting 2,457 days. He has flirted with the idea of trying his hand at boxing and gets his shot against Chavez Jr.

Details of the fight between Chavez Jr. and Silva haven’t been shared. Chavez Jr. was unclear when asked if their boxing bout would be professional or an exhibition but seemed to imply that it would be a professional match.

Chavez Jr. is 35 years old, and Silva is 45 years old. Chavez Jr. has a distinct advantage over Silva in the boxing ring and held the WBC middleweight title for over a year from 2011-2012.

The primary exhibition contest between Chavez Sr. and Camacho Jr. takes place 29 years after Sr. defeated Hector Camacho Sr. who is deceased. Chavez Sr. is one of the best boxers of all time and a multi-division champion. He’s 58 years old, and Camacho Jr. is 42 years old.

Chavez Sr. told FanSided that this bout is a tribute to Camacho Sr.