By Jake Donovan

While fans and media are divided on who will come out on top in Saturday’s showdown between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Andrzej Fonfara, the consensus opinion is that the bout will likely end in a controversial decision.

Chavez Jr. returns for the first time in more than 13 months as he faces Fonfara, a legitimate Top 10 light heavyweight who gave World champion Adonis Stevenson a scare less than a year ago. A catchweight of 172 lbs. is in place for Saturday’s contest, which airs live on Showtime from StubHub Center in Carson, California.

The night marks the first fight for Chavez Jr. both on Showtime and under Al Haymon’s advisory banner (Fonfara is also part of Haymon’s stable). He is two fights removed from a debatable points win over Bryan Vera in their Sept. ’13 meet, though coming correct with a more convincing victory less than six months later, his last fight to date.

A handful of questionable calls have been made in regards to Chavez Jr’s career, though mostly out of the ring including: adjusting the weight limit to support his soft physique prior to the 1st fight with Vera; the absence of drug testing for his win over Marco Antonio Rubio, who specifically agreed to and signed on for random drug testing for their Feb. ’12 clash.

Through it all, the second-generation star—the son of the Mexican boxing legend of the same name—is generally viewed as a protected entity in the sport. This belief has been emphasized to his next opponent, who doesn’t seem the least bit concerned.

“It doesn’t matter how I win, decision or knockout,” insists Fonfara (26-3, 15KOs), who isn’t worried about the judges not giving him a fair shake should the bout go the distance. “This is boxing. If I stop him, I stop him.”

Fonfara climbed off the canvas in his World title challenge of Stevenson to return the favor late in the fight, before ultimately dropping a decision in their Showtime clash last May. He has since come back with a 10-round win over Doudou Ngumbu last November in his adopted hometown of Chicago.

Both bouts took place while Chavez Jr. was riding the pine, forced to sit out while battling it out in court over the terms of his promotional contract with Top Rank. The deal was eventually settled, paving the way for this fight. Meanwhile, 13 months have passed since his last ring appearance, with Fonfara coming in as the more active and the naturally bigger fighter.

“I respect Chavez. I want to win this fight. Chavez is a good fighter but I will win tomorrow,” Fonfara guarantees.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox