Julio César Chávez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Julio César Chávez |
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Chávez in 2017
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | Julio César Chávez González |
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| Rated at |
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| Height | 5 ft 7+1/2 in |
| Reach | 68 in |
| Born | July 12, 1962 Obregón, Sonora, Mexico |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 115 |
| Wins | 107 |
| Wins by KO | 86 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 2 |
Julio César Chávez González (born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a famous Mexican former professional boxer. He competed from 1980 to 2005. Chávez was a world champion in three different weight classes.
The Ring magazine, a top boxing publication, named him the world's best boxer, pound for pound (meaning the best fighter regardless of weight), from 1990 to 1993. He won many titles, including the WBC super featherweight title, the WBA and WBC lightweight titles, and the WBC and IBF light welterweight titles.
Chávez holds several boxing records. He has the most successful defenses of world titles (27, tied with Omar Narváez). He also has the most wins in title fights (31) and the most title fights overall (37). Before his first professional loss in 1994, he had an amazing record of 89 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw. This included an 87-fight winning streak.
In 1993, Chávez fought Greg Haugen at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico. This fight set a record for the largest crowd at an outdoor boxing match, with 136,274 fans! Chávez is considered one of the greatest boxers ever. In 2010, he was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. His sons, Omar Chávez and Julio César Chávez Jr., are also boxers.
Contents
Early Life and Boxing Start
Julio César Chávez was born on July 12, 1962, in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. His father worked for the railroad. Julio grew up in an old railroad car with his five sisters and four brothers.
His family was very poor. Chávez decided to become a boxer to earn money. He once said, "I saw my mom working, ironing, and washing people's clothes. I promised her I would give her a house someday, and she would never have that job again." He started boxing as an amateur when he was 16. Later, he moved to Tijuana to become a professional boxer.
Professional Boxing Career
Chávez started his professional boxing career at age 17. In his 12th fight, on March 4, 1980, he fought Miguel Ruiz. Chávez knocked Ruiz out at the end of the first round. The referee first said Chávez was disqualified, but the next day, the Mexican Boxing Commission reviewed the fight and declared Chávez the winner.
Super Featherweight Champion
Chávez won his first championship on September 13, 1984. He knocked out Mario "Azabache" Martínez to win the vacant WBC Super Featherweight title. Martínez was favored to win, but Chávez proved them wrong.
He defended his title many times. On April 19, 1985, he knocked out Ruben Castillo in the sixth round. On July 7, 1985, he defeated Roger Mayweather with a second-round knockout. He also beat former champions like Rocky Lockridge and Juan Laporte. Chávez successfully defended his WBC Super Featherweight title nine times.
Moving to Lightweight
On November 21, 1987, Chávez moved up to the lightweight division. He faced WBA Lightweight Champion Edwin Rosario. Before the fight, some people wondered if Chávez could handle the heavier weight. Chávez said he didn't want to lose everything he had worked for.
The two boxers almost fought at a press conference after Rosario made a threat. But Chávez gave an amazing performance. He defeated Rosario by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the eleventh round to win the title. Sports Illustrated magazine wrote, "Time To Hail César: WBA Lightweight Champion César Chávez of Mexico may be the world's best fighter."
Chávez continued to win. He defeated Rodolfo Aguilar and Rafael Limón. Later, he unified the WBA and WBC belts by beating José Luis Ramírez. Chávez was ahead on points when the fight was stopped due to an accidental head-butt. He was declared the winner and also earned The Ring Lightweight title. Chávez then gave up his lightweight titles to move up to the super lightweight division.
Light Welterweight Success
Chávez won the WBC Light Welterweight title by defeating Roger Mayweather for a second time. Mayweather stopped fighting after the tenth round, giving Chávez the win. In 1989, Chávez defeated future champion Sammy Fuentes. He also gave Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes his first loss with a third-round knockout.
Chávez vs. Taylor: A Famous Fight
On March 17, 1990, Chávez fought Meldrick Taylor, who was the undefeated IBF Light Welterweight Champion. This was a title unification fight. Taylor was winning for most of the fight. But in the last round, with only 30 seconds left, Chávez landed a powerful punch that hurt Taylor badly.
Chávez then knocked Taylor down. Taylor got up, but the referee, Richard Steele, stopped the fight with only two seconds remaining. Many fans were upset because Taylor was winning. However, Steele said he stopped the fight to protect Taylor, who was in bad shape. The Ring magazine called it the "Fight of the Year" for 1990 and the "Fight of the Decade" for the 1990s. They had a rematch in 1994, where Chávez won again.
After this big win, Chávez defended his titles many times. He defeated Kyung-Duk Ahn, John Duplessis, and former champion Lonnie Smith. He also beat Angel Hernandez and Frankie Mitchell.
Chávez vs. Camacho: A Big Event
On September 12, 1992, Chávez faced Héctor Camacho, another famous boxer. Chávez completely dominated Camacho and won by a unanimous decision. When Chávez returned to Mexico, the President Carlos Salinas de Gortari sent the special car usually reserved for the Pope to pick him up!
Chávez vs. Haugen: Record-Breaking Crowd
In 1993, Chávez fought Greg Haugen. Haugen had said some disrespectful things about Chávez's unbeaten record. Chávez responded, "I really hate him bad. When he looks at me, I want to vomit. I am going to give him the worst beating of his life."
An amazing 136,274 people came to watch the fight at Estadio Azteca. This set a world record for outdoor fight attendance. Chávez quickly knocked Haugen down. The referee stopped the fight in the fifth round, giving Chávez a TKO victory. After the fight, Chávez told Haugen, "Now you know I don't fight with taxi drivers." Haugen, who was bleeding, replied, "They must have been tough taxi drivers."
Draw and First Loss
After defending his light welterweight title 18 times in a row, Chávez (with a record of 87 wins and 0 losses) moved up to challenge Pernell Whitaker for his WBC Welterweight title in September 1993. The fight ended in a controversial majority draw. This meant Chávez remained undefeated, and Whitaker kept his title. Many in the American media felt Whitaker should have won.
Chávez then faced Frankie Randall on January 29, 1994. Most people expected Chávez to win easily. But Randall knocked Chávez down for the first time in his career and won the fight. This was Chávez's first professional loss. The WBC ordered a rematch, and Chávez won back his title in May 1994. They fought a third time 10 years later, and Chávez won again.
Chávez then had a rematch with Meldrick Taylor, winning by knockout in the eighth round. He also defeated three-time champion Tony Lopez and former champion Giovanni Parisi. In 1995, he defended his title against David Kamau.
Chávez vs. De La Hoya
On June 7, 1996, Chávez fought Oscar De La Hoya. A cut appeared over Chávez's left eye early in the first round. Chávez later said this cut happened during training and opened up again in the fight. The bleeding was so bad that the doctor stopped the fight in the fourth round. Chávez always said that the cut, not De La Hoya, was why the fight stopped. They had a rematch in 1998, where De La Hoya won again.
In 1998, Chávez fought Miguel Ángel González for a vacant WBC Light Welterweight title. That fight ended in a draw.
Retirement and Farewell Fights
Chávez won his first two fights in 1999, but then lost to Willy Wise. In 2000, at age 38, Chávez challenged Light Welterweight Champion Kostya Tszyu. Chávez lost that fight.
After a win in 2001, Chávez announced his retirement. However, he came out of retirement on November 24, 2003, to get revenge on Willy Wise, knocking him out in two rounds. In April 2004, Chávez fought again in a fight called Adiós, México, Gracias (Good-bye, Mexico, Thank you). He beat his former opponent, Frankie Randall.
On May 28, 2005, Chávez fought Ivan Robinson and won. His very last fight was on September 17, 2005, against Grover Wiley. Chávez had to stop fighting in the fifth round because he injured his right hand. After this fight, Chávez told his promoter that he was definitely retiring from boxing. Two years later, his son, Julio César Chávez, Jr., got revenge for his father by knocking Wiley out.
Exhibition Bouts
Chávez has also participated in several exhibition bouts. These are special fights not counted on a boxer's official record, often done for charity.
- On January 1, 1985, he had an exhibition bout to raise money for victims of a gas explosion in Mexico.
- In 2014, he returned to the ring for an exhibition to collect toys for children in need.
- He has also had exhibition fights against Jorge Arce and Héctor Camacho Jr..
Personal Life
Chávez is the father of two other boxers, Omar Chávez and former WBC Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr.. He now works as a boxing analyst for TV channels like ESPN and TV Azteca. He divides his time between Mexico and the United States, where he has businesses. He also has a daughter, Nicole Chavez.
Career Highlights
Chávez won six world titles in three different weight classes:
- WBC Super Featherweight (1984)
- WBA Lightweight (1987)
- WBC Lightweight (1988)
- WBC Light Welterweight (1989)
- IBF Light Welterweight (1990)
- WBC Light Welterweight (1994) for the second time.
He was also awarded The Ring Lightweight Championship in 1988. Some of the world champions Chávez defeated include Jose Luis Ramírez, Meldrick Taylor, Roger Mayweather, Héctor "Macho" Camacho, Edwin Rosario, Greg Haugen, and Frankie Randall. He lost to three champions: Frankie Randall, Oscar De La Hoya, and Kostya Tszyu. He had draws with Pernell Whitaker and Miguel Ángel González.
Julio César Chávez retired after 25 years as a professional boxer. His final record was 107 wins, 6 losses, and 2 draws, with 86 knockouts. He is widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. He holds records for:
- Most successful consecutive defenses of world titles (27)
- Most title fights (37)
- Most title-fight victories (31)
- Second most title defenses won by knockout (21, after Joe Louis with 23).
His record was 89 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw before his first loss. He had an 87-fight winning streak before his draw with Whitaker. Ring Magazine ranked him No. 50 on their list of "100 greatest punchers of all time."
Chávez was known for his powerful left hook and his incredibly strong chin, meaning he could take a lot of punches. Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson said that Chávez was one of the greatest fighters of his generation. Trainer Angelo Dundee also said Chávez had one of the strongest chins in boxing history. In 2010, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Images for kids
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Chávez in 2017
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Julio César Chávez in 2006
