Boxing: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. To Return Against Marco Reyes on July 18

The opinion of popular Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has never been this low. After testing positive for marijuana metabolites for the second time in his career following a loss to Sergio Martinez in 2012, and then with his subpar performance against Andrzej Fonfara last month, Chavez is desperately trying to rebuild the family name.

It was officially announced Friday that Chavez Jr. will next fight on July 18 against tough fellow countryman Marco “Dorado” Reyes. The bout will be televised live on Showtime and be held inside the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

Chavez Jr. (48-2-1, 32 KOs) has been loudly criticized for not looking his best against Fonfara, where he quit between rounds nine and 10, followed by a series of excuses as to why he fought so poorly. Before that, he was soundly beaten by Martinez, which was the first official loss of his career. “The Son of the Legend” had taken on numerous quality opponents including Andy Lee, Brian Vera, Marco Antonio Rubio and Matt Vanda up to that point.

Chavez is determined to get his career back on track.

“Thanks to Showtime for putting together this great fight,” said Chavez in a statement. “Reyes is a Mexican warrior and this will be a tough battle for me. This guy likes to brawl. But at 168 pounds I am the best and will prove it with a great victory for my fans.”

Reyes (33-2, 24 KOs) has fought almost exclusively in Mexico where he has toppled a string of tough, rugged contenders from across the country. He last fought on January 24 where he won a unanimous eight-round decision over David Alonso Lopez. Before that, “Dorado” dropped a majority 10-round decision to Abraham Han.

“I'm looking forward to this huge opportunity against Chavez Jr.,” said Reyes. “Fighting another Mexican, especially a Chavez, is huge motivation for me. I want to put on a great show for all the Mexican fans who will be watching.”

The co-feature, a pair of unbeaten bantamweight contenders will square off when Puerto Rican Olympian McJoe Arroyo (16-0, eight KOs) squares off against the Philippines’ Arthur Villanueva (27-0, 14 KOs). Their clash will be for the vacant IBF bantamweight title.

The Showtime-televised portion of the main card will be aired live at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. A full undercard will be announced in the coming weeks.