Julio César Chávez Sr
Things you didn’t know!

Speaking exclusively to Boxing Guru on his birthday, Julio Cesar Chávez Sr expressed his love for the sport as we pay tribute to the legend that he created.

“My love for boxing and for the sport can be compared to the love I have received from my fans in all my career as an athlete. Just know that every dream can come true, and every fall you can get up again”

A world champion across three weight classes and an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee with six world titles to his name, Julio César Chávez Sr is one of the sport’s most successful sons.

The father of Omar Chávez (former WBC Youth Intercontinental welterweight champion) and of former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr, his prodigies are nicknamed ‘La Leyenda Continua’ (The Legend Continues.) But what is the legend?

On ‘Mr KO’s’ 59^th birthday, Boxing Guru brings you five chapters of ‘El César del Boxeo’s’ (The Caesar of Boxing’s) 115 fight career that you may never knew have existed.

The Early Days:

hávez Sr was born during a time where Floyd Patterson and Sonny Liston were competing for a coveted heavyweight crown. The summer of 1962 was an important one for the development of boxing. Not only had a future star been born in Mexico, but boxing was growing in popularity. The eyes of the world were beginning to watch as history was being made.

Remembered now as one of the 20^th Century’s great Hispanic boxers, ‘El Gran Campeón Mexicano’ (The Great Mexican Champion) began his life living in poverty. One of ten siblings, Chávez was raised by his parents in an abandoned railroad car near the coast of Mexico. In desperation to earn money, the teenager made the decision to try his hand at boxing.

Aged just 16-years-old, Chávez burst onto the amateur scene in the late 1970s. Purportedly boasting a non-professional record of 14-1 before his 18^th birthday, it was clear from the get-go that a fresh talent was beginning to emerge.

Making his professional debut against Andres Felix in 1980, ‘El León de Culiacán’ (The Lion of Culiacán) was only 17-years-old when he knocked out his fellow countryman in round six of their clash in Culiacán. Wasting no time once off the mark, fights came thick and fast for a young prospect who eventually competed on 89 different occasions before finally being defeated 14 years later as a world champion. An unheard of 90-fight unbeaten streak!

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Chávez scheduled lightweight, bantamweight and featherweight fights almost once every month for a span of three years at the beginning of his career. Destroying anyone that dare stood in his way for the majority of his young life, he was an old-fashioned athlete who took the dangers of battle in his stride. Flourishing from the kick that comes as part and parcel of boxing, the Mexican famously beat Miguel Ruiz in a controversial victory that had nothing but pride at stake. In the build-up to the world title, the bout was of huge importance.

On March 4^th, 1981 Chávez was disqualified from his 12^th pro fight. Or so it seemed. It appeared that a first loss had been suffered when he landed Ruiz with a punch that knocked him out as the bell was sounded. The next day, Chávez’s trainer Ramón Felix consulted with the Mexican boxing commission who, after an intense review, overturned the disqualification, declaring ‘Mr KO’ winner. A milestone on a road to the super featherweight world championship.

The Super Featherweight:

Averaging 11 bouts a year between making his professional debut and winning his first world title fight, it was contest number 44 that changed the Mexican’s life forever.

Unheard of in the modern era, to share a ring on 44 occasions across four years wasn’t so common back in the 80s either. To have a 44-0 record was unthinkable, and still is.

Most notably beating America’s Adriano Arreola on points following the Ruiz fight, Chávez was considered for the first time in his career an underdog when he challenged an established Mario Martinez for the WBC super featherweight title vacated by Puerto Rico’s Hector Camacho due to weight-making issues. (Chávez would later go on to beat Camacho in 1992 by unanimous decision).

Fan favourite Martinez, aged 19-years-old, had earned his number-one ranking with back-to-back knockouts over Roberto Castanon and ex-champ Rolando Navarette. ‘Azabache’ (Martinez’s nickname) was not expected to lose.

The ‘Chávez’ era fully began in LA’s Grand Olympic Auditorium on September 13^th, 1984. Beating his countryman in the eighth round of a legendary matchup, Chávez would go on to defend the WBC super featherweight title nine times over a three-year span. But how did ‘J.C. Superstar’ triumph against Martinez?

Editor in Chief of THE RING magazine Doug Fischer described the clash as “trench warfare.”

A slugfest if ever there were one, Martinez seized the early stages and landed hooks, crosses and body shots on Chávez, who he had forced to the ropes. The Californian crowd were treated to war in the ring. The tables turned as proceedings continued, ‘El César del Boxeo’ utilising his strength and subtle defence to gain control. Cutting Martinez in the fourth round and throwing a damaging right hand to his opponent’s nose in the seventh, Chávez went for the kill in the eighth. Referee John Thomas (who officiated over 2000 fights in his career) stopped a gory savaging and introduced to the world a terrifying new victor.

Defending his super featherweight crown against the likes of Ruben Castillo (a victory that proved a reliable barometer of Chavez’s potential), Dwight Pratchett, Rocky Lockridge, Danilo Cabrera and even the late Roger Mayweather (via a second-round knockout), Chávez wanted a new challenge and so began a colossal new chapter of his life as an athlete.

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The Lightweight:

“To make a great dream come true, the first requirement is a great capacity to dream; the second is persistence” – Chávez Sr.

Invading the lightweight division was an inevitable but gutsy decision for the 130-pound legend. An even braver choice was made when a deal with the WBC was cast so that Chávez would challenge the most dangerous lightweight of the moment – Edwin Rosario.

Making the leap from super featherweight, having defended his title against Cabrera just three months prior, November 1987 was the month that ‘El Gran Campeón Mexicano’ wrote his name into the sport’s and, more significantly, the lightweight division’s, history books.

Mexico vs Puerto Rico (again), the latter party threatened to send Chávez back to his homeland in a coffin. In response to the insult, ‘El León’ landed over 60% of his punches, nearly slamming Rosario’s eye closed before the event was stopped in the eleventh round.

The audience in Las Vegas was treated to a phenomenon. A spectacle like no other, Chávez flawlessly shifted from the body to head, muscling the supposedly stronger Rosario into the ropes, chipping away at his opposite number with precision punching and deflecting the shots that were coming his way. Close combat action turned into a severe beating for ‘Chapo’ (Rosario’s nickname). A deadly combination at the end of the eighth round was complimented with frightful passion as the fight drew to its conclusion. Rosario’s corner mercifully threw in the towel. Chávez had won by technical knockout and conquered his second weight division. He had showcased the ability that leads to Sports Illustrated magazine’s headline: “Time To Hail César: WBA Lightweight Champion César Chávez of Mexico may be the world’s best fighter.”

Defending his newly-earnt lightweight crown, the story repeated itself. Defeating Rodolfo Aguilar by a sixth-round technical knockout in the first defence, former two-time world champion Rafael Limón was the third Chávez victim and José Luis Ramírez the fourth and final. ‘Mr KO’s’ lightweight reign was a thing of the past. The next chapter awaited.

Vacating his WBA and WBC Lightweight titles in 1989, Chávez moved up to the super lightweight division, kickstarting an extraordinary journey that most remember fondly as his best years.

The Super Lightweight/Light Welterweight:

Between 1989 and 2005, Mexico’s golden boy would lose on six occasions. Whilst the likes of Frankie Randall, Oscar De La Hoya and Kostya Tszyu knew how to beat Chávez, Mayweather, Meldrick Taylor and Greg Haugen simply could not.

Learning the hard way on May 13^th, 1989, Mayweather offered Chávez a shot at his WBC super lightweight (light-welterweight) title. Having lost once before to the Mexican, ‘Black Mamba’ wrote an unwritten rule that Mike Tyson and Ricky Hatton would later follow with decisions to avoid Michael Spinks and Manny Pacquaio re-matches. Don’t go back up against a warrior that previously caused so much damage.

Retiring to his corner in front of over 17,000 people at California’s ‘The Forum’, a tenth round of dominance set Chávez on the track to the first of several epic fights as the super lightweight (WBC light-welterweight) champion.

Easing past Kenny Vice, Rodolfo Batta, Ramon Aramburu, Sammy Fuentes and Alberto Cortes, next up for Chávez was Meldrick ‘The Kid’ Taylor. A Gold medallist at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 1984 and an IBF light-welterweight champion, ‘Thunder Meets Lightning’ was one of the greatest matchups in boxing history.

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For the unified light-welterweight titles on March 17^th, 1990, ‘J.C. Superstar’ was 68-0 and risked it all against a younger fighter not yet at his peak. Power vs speed, a 12-round thriller was a present to boxing fans who had eagerly anticipated a fight that had it all. One that would come down to a 12^th round knockout.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali.

The first of two Chávez successes, questions can be raised over whether The Ring magazine’s Fight of the Decade for the 1990s was fully fair. Taylor thought referee Richard Steele had ended the bout prematurely. Here’s what happened:

Taylor’s unique combinations and intelligent boxing style vaulted ‘TNT’ to a huge lead over the duration of the first eight rounds. Whilst taking a physical beating on the inside from Chávez (to the extent that he would turn to the wrong corner), Taylor dominated the majority of the bout, naturally slowing up, but well ahead on two scorecards (108-101, 107-102) as he entered the 12^th round.

Lou Duva and George Benton had a decision to make as Taylor’s trainer. Did they implore their fighter to pursue a knockout, or encourage patience? The latter instructions resulted in Chávez picking up steam and inflicting punishment. Taylor looked a broken figure. Bleeding and swollen, perhaps his appearance lost him the world championship.

Behind on points and well aware, Chávez threw a Hail Mary shot at the Philadelphian and it landed. Dropped by sheer desperation as the clock ran down, Taylor was up in five seconds but looked away from Steele and into his corner. The referee stopped the fight with two seconds remaining. A hot topic, the former soldier and friend of Ken Norton’s decided that Taylor could take no more. Four years later, having bounced back from a loss to Randall in 1994, Chávez challenged and subsequently beat Taylor again by technical knockout.

As time passed, the fame grew, and the victories kept coming. Chávez was allowed to use transport reserved only for the Pope as issued by Mexico’s President Carlos Salinas de Gortari after a unanimous decision favoured ‘La Leyenda’ against Camacho in 1992. A year later he handed ‘Mutt’ Haugen “the worst beating of his life” in front of a world record-breaking 136,274 outdoor fight attendance, before then scoring a sixth-round TKO victory over number one-ranked contender Terrence Alli.

When Chávez announced that he would go to war with Pernell Whitaker just four months after storming Alli, most thought that the Hispanic legend would continue his 87-fight winning streak. After all, what damage could The Ring magazine’s tenth Greatest Fighter of the Last 80 Years actually do! Blemish the perfect record?

Chávez challenged the WBC welterweight champion and 1984 Olympic Gold medallist to a long-awaited duel on September 10^th, 1993 in Texas. Moving up a weight class to welterweight, Chávez reached where he needed to be on the scales and in doing so made ‘Sweet Pea’ (Whitaker’s nickname) more famous than ever before and $3 million better off.

The bout dubbed ‘The Fight’ was one of the most disputed majority draws in history. Chávez had kept his unbeaten record intact by the skin of his teeth. The Mexican had judges Mickey Vann and Franz Marti to thank, both scoring the fight evenly at 115–115. There’s an argument that only referee Jack Woodruff had fully appreciated Whitaker’s slick boxing skills, his scorecard boasting a 115–113 in the American’s favour.

Controversy was rife. Whitaker had controlled the fight, had kept his opponent out of tempo and was elusive in his movement. With a powerful jab and attacking with a sleeping style that made it difficult for ‘Mr KO’ to counter, Whitaker made clear to commentators that he had won. Boxing legends Bobby Czyz (former light heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion) and Ferdie ‘The Fight Doctor’ Pacheco (Muhammad Ali’s cornerman) were unanimous on American tv that their countryman had come out on top.

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Later in life, Chávez said: “Pernell was a great person. He was one of the toughest fighters I ever faced and one of the best in the world.”

Returning to Mexico a month later, ‘El Gran Campeón Mexicano’ beat Mike Powell and in his last bout of 1993, British Commonwealth Light Welterweight Champion Andy Holligan.

Back in America for the January 1994 grand opening of the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Chávez expected to christen the venue with a 91^st triumph. Three-time light-welterweight world champion Frankie Randall was the opponent and like all Chávez challengers, he had other ideas. The original Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr upset!

For the WBC super lightweight title, it was David vs Goliath, ‘The Surgeon’ beating and knocking down Chávez for the first time ever in a theatrical performance on January 29^th, 1994.

A loss by split decision, Randall’s dominance ignited anger within Chávez, who was deducted one point in both the seventh and eleventh rounds for low blows. Steele’s judgement was ultimately the reason why the heavy favourite lost to a 15-1 underdog.

Randell, who was wearing teal trunks with white trim, had the golden prize of a world title belt in his sights. When Chávez steamrolled the American early on with his famous left hook, Randall countered in the centre of the ring, ‘The Surgeon’ operating in a style unknown to his seasoned opposite. Switching tactics from mid-ring trading to close-quarters combat, for the first time in history a boxing godfather was stumped. A nail-biting clash, supporters were on the edge of their seats. Pressure applied by both sides throughout the full 33 minutes, Randell, as evident by the scorecards in his favour, fought the better fight – 116-111, 113-114 and 114-113.

In true Chávez style, an immediate rematch was scheduled for just four months later. Tasting revenge, a technical decision concluded ‘This Settles Everything’ on 7^th May 19994. After the two accidentally clashed heads in the seventh round, the cut above Chávez’ eye ended a heated display of elite pugilism and sent the outcome to the scorecards.

Everything was settled for the Mexican! With Randall docked a point for the incident, the scorecards read 76-75 and 77-74 for Chávez. Judge Tamotsu Tomihara had the fight 76-75 in Randall’s favour.

The third act of the trilogy followed Chávez’ losses to De La Hoya, Willy Wise and Kostya Tszyu. With three famous defeats all on American soil, the Mexican had passed his prime. Ten years after regaining his belt against Randall, the two met again in 2004. With nothing at stake but pride (Chávez’s WBC Welterweight title taken by ‘The Golden Boy’ De La Hoya in 1998 and the WBC World Super Light title won by Tszyu in 2000), the trilogy concluded with a classic third fight.

Chávez won a 10-round unanimous decision at the 45,000-seat Plaza Mexico arena. The bout was dubbed: “Goodbye, Mexico … Thanks.”

On May 22^nd, 2004, Chávez stepped into retirement having won the war with Randall. Venturing back to the ring almost exactly a year later, the athlete addicted to his job grafted for one final victory and beat ‘Mighty’ Ivan Robinson by a unanimous decision. Losing to the virtually unknown Grover Wiley less than four months later, ‘El León de Culiacán’ retired officially and as a true hero.

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The Man:

After 25 years of professional boxing with 115 fights under his belt, ‘J.C Superstar’ continues to work his magic. Since taking a back seat in 2005, Chávez works hard as a pundit and as a mentor to his sons. Two young prodigies are in safe hands under the guidance of an icon who Mike Tyson believes is “one of the greatest fighters ever in the history of boxing.”

Overcoming addiction and pain with a rare legacy to reflect on, what better way to conclude a tribute to Julio César Chávez Sr than by learning from the great man himself! Happy birthday to the legendary ‘El César del Boxeo’ from everyone at Boxing Guru!

Boxing Guru’s Five Favourite Julio César Chávez Sr Quotes:

“True wealth is not measured in money or status or power. It is measured in the legacy we leave behind for those we love and those we inspire.”

“Only when we have become non-violent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves.”

“The people united will never be defeated.”

“We draw our strength from the very despair in which we have been forced to live. We shall endure.”

“Together, all things are possible.”

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Noah Abrahams articles