Chavez stops Lee in 7th

Associated Press

EL PASO, Texas

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. recovered from a slow start due to leg cramps and stopped Andy Lee at 2:21 of the seventh round Saturday night to retain the WBC middleweight title.

A right uppercut by Chavez snapped Lee’s head upwards and sideways and Chavez connected on a barrage of punches before referee Laurence Cole intervened and waved an end to the fight.

With the victory, Chavez (46-0-1, 32 KOs) put himself in position for a title-unification fight with recognized world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez.

Chavez began tentatively, not even throwing his first punch until 75 seconds had elapsed in the first round, and was initially outboxed by Lee (28-2), a much taller challenger than Chavez had previously faced.