INJURIES have kept former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr (49-2-1, 32 KOs) on the sidelines for the better part of a year. After being linked to Mayweather Promotions super middleweight stablemates J’Leon Love and Badou Jack, the troubled fighter now finds himself without an opponent to close out the year.

“He’s desperate,” said Rodolfo Chavez, Junior’s uncle and trainer, to ESPN Digital. “The truth is he wants to fight. He has been training here in Culiacan with me and with Tiburcio Garcia. He said that he wants to fight anywhere and with anyone. He said that a fight on the 2nd or 3rd of December is possible. He doesn’t have any names, but he has been training for anything. He is feeling the urge to return.”

Chavez Jnr. held the WBC World middleweight title for a period of fifteen months between June of 2011 and September of 2012. By today’s standards, the politics surrounding his title reign are barely worth noting. Nevermind that the WBC chief was Chavez Jnr’s godfather and was accused of proverbially handing Jnr. the belt, pitting him against German contender Sebastian Zbik. The council then refused, for months, to sanction the fight against lineal champion, Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez for the full title WBC title at middleweight. How times have changed.

Fast forward half a decade and Chavez Jnr. is still finding roadblocks on his career path. Though, these days, it’s a bit more difficult to determine how much of the fault is his.

His escapades notwithstanding, people still seem to enjoy his fights. He only has two losses on his resume – one against a near-perfect version of Sergio Martinez, and the second against the powerful Andrezj Fonfara, after prematurely invading the light heavyweight division in early 2015.  Needless to say, Chavez Jnr. is far from irrelevant.

“At this time, it may be difficult to get any of the big names,” continued Rodolfo Chavez. “But we know that a fight involving Junior will always command attention. People either want to see him win or want to see him get hit. He has told us that if a good fight doesn’t come through in December, he will fight a Mexican boxer here in Culiacan to remain active.”

Perhaps Chavez Jnr. has realized that, unlike his last name, his prime years won’t last forever.