By Mike Coppinger

2014 was more or less a lost year for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

The son of a legend made things right in a clear-cut rematch victory over Bryan Vera in February, but failed to fight the rest of the year. The Mexican super middleweight is currently embroiled in a promotional dispute with Top Rank, with no end in sight. When he does make his long-awaited return, he has two big-name opponents in mind.

A high-profile HBO PPV bout against Gennady Golovkin was negotiated for July 19, 2014 at the Forum in Inglewood, California. However, Bob Arum and Co. wanted Chavez locked up past the expiration date of October 2015. The sides never came to terms and the fight fell by the wayside.

Then another attractive matchup, one with Carl Froch, was rumored for early 2015, but again, Top Rank and Chavez couldn't agree on a deal.

We'll see if Chavez can finally secure one of these two fights. After all, it's a new year.

Follow Mike Coppinger on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger