Mexican badass, "Culiacan Lion" or simply JC (J.C.) - Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. was born in a small town in Mexico in 1962. From childhood he loved to fight and went into amateur boxing early enough. however, at one of the tournaments he was condemned in a fight with a local guy from the capital. Chavez decided to go professional, where he could not wait for a decision on points, but simply knock out his opponent.

Professional debut

Julio Cesar Chavez fought his first professional fight back in 1980, and 4 years later he became World Champion. Since then, he will lose his belt more than once and conquer it again. And the first fights of his career, Chavez spent mainly in Mexico.

Triumph

Chavez has never missed a World Championship title for 14 years. The first defeat occurred only in a fight with Frankie Randall, this fight was for the boxer 89 in his career. Moreover, six months later, in a rematch, the Mexican took the title back, punishing the arrogant American and ending the fight ahead of schedule.

Unfortunately, boxing has changed a bit since the first defeat for Julio Cesar Chavez. The 15 years spent in the ring made the champion very old, in addition, he became addicted to drugs. It became harder to maintain a sports regime, however, Chavez was enough for another couple of years to continue to be the Champion. Then came the era of Oscar de la Hoya and Kostya Tszyu, each of whom defeated the greatest Mexican boxer.
Julio Cesar Chavez retired in 2005 by sending his son to the ring.

During his life in boxing, the Mexican superboxer had 116 fights in professional rings, of which he won 107 fights. He defeated boxers such as Roger Mayweather, Miguel Angel Gonzalez, and others. famous boxers of its time.

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. is a Mexican professional boxer, six-time world champion in three weight categories... During his 25-year career, Julio won the largest titles in the world and defeated the most famous boxers of the late 20th century; According to critics, Chavez is the greatest boxer ever born in Mexico (Mexico), and the Mexicans themselves consider him one of the greatest athletes in the country. To date, Julio holds the record for the number of champion titles defended - 27, for the number of victories in championship fights - 31, and the number of title fights - 37; he also ranks second in most belt knockouts at 21. With the longest winning streak lasting 13 years or 89 fights without a single defeat, Julio Cesar Chavez was at the top of most boxing rankings in the world at his peak, but even now , after retiring from the sport, his name appears annually on the lists best boxers in the history of sports. In 2011, the athlete was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame. Julio's son, Julio César Chávez, Jr., followed in his father's footsteps and today shows incredible success: having received the nickname "Return of the Legend", he not only repeats his father's records, but now threatens his success outshine the incredible victories and titles of your main teacher and hero.

Julio Cesar Chavez was born on July 12, 1962 in Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. His father, Rodolfo Chavez, worked on the railway, but his salary was not enough to support his family and home, so he lived in an old railway carriage with his five sisters and four brothers. It was poverty, as Chavez admitted, that made him practice boxing; knowing the demand for good fighters, he hoped to feed his family with his fists, not yet suspecting that he would not find equal partners in the ring. More than once, Chavez drew the attention of journalists and analysts to the fact that, unlike many athletes who came out of the slums, he never felt the need for boxing, but at first he even promised himself to leave the ring when there was enough money. This, of course, he did not do: first, Julio quickly became a favorite of the public; secondly, he immediately attracted the attention of experienced mentors, who from the very first minutes knew that the 16-year-old Julio was waiting for world fame.

At 17, Chavez turned professional; in his first fight, he faced the talented Mexican Miguel Ruiz, who, however, only lasted until the second round. This victory was the beginning of his career, most of the fights in which he won by knockouts; It is also interesting that most of them Julio earned from defense, when the opponent forgot himself in the attack and opened gaps in the defense.

In 1984, Chavez earned his first title in the lightest category up to 59 kilograms.

Four years later, in 1987, Julio knocked out Francisco Tomas Da Cruz, who at that time was considered number one in this category, in the third round.

The athlete defended his title of champion in the category up to 59 kilograms 9 times, and most of the fights did not last longer than the fifth round.

At the end of 1987, Julio moved into the next category - super lightweight up to 61 kilograms. It was here that the athlete attracted the attention of the world community after strong-willed victory over Edwin Rosario, super champion lightweight... At a press conference, Edwin promised reporters that he would send Julio back to Mexico - in a coffin and without teeth. But it was much more difficult to defeat Chavez: after 11 grueling rounds, Julio found the strength for the final blow, which not only knocked out Rosario, but brought the name of the Mexican talent to the front pages of sports publications. Sports Illustrated magazine in the same month presented a report about Julio under the title: "Time to Praise Caesar: Julio Cesar Chavez May Be The Best Boxer Of Our Time."

During 87 fights, Julio remained invincible; only in 1993 American Pernell Whitaker won by decision. In the late 1990s, Julio's career began to decline, but despite this, he managed to win several major victories... His 107th victory came in May 2005, when Ivan Robinson broke down in the Los Angeles arena. A few months later, Chavez was defeated by Grover Wiley, after which he announced his retirement from the sport.

Today, the athlete is included in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and is also one of the best boxers in the history of sports. He spends most of the time with his family, and also helps his son, who today is extremely successful in the professional ring.

Mexican professional boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (50-3, 32 KOs) was born in Culiacan Rosales, Sinaloa, Mexico. Former WBC World Champion (2011-2012) middleweight (72.5 kg). The son of the outstanding boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, the WBC World Featherweight Champion.

Chavez Jr.'s track record in amateur boxing consists of only two fights that he fought as a teenager against Jorge Paez Jr., the son of former world featherweight champion Jorge Paez.

In the professional ring, the 17-year-old Mexican boxer made his debut on March 28, 2009 against Jonathan Hernandez, winning by unanimous decision. In the first four fights, Chavez won on points, the next 13 fights he completed ahead of schedule.

On October 8, 2005, Chavez met with future world champion Carlos Molina. This fight ended in a draw. In February of the following year, the boxers met again in the ring, this time Julio Cesar celebrated the victory by majority decision.

On August 19, 2006, the Mexican won the vacant WBC youth title by winning by TKO in the 4th round. american boxer Jerman White.

Chavez won the next title in his career on February 9, 2008. In a duel with the American Jose Celia, the continental belt of the American WBC champion in the second middle weight (76.2 kg) was at stake. The Mexican ended the fight by TKO in the 8th round.

On April 26 of the same year, Chavez successfully defended his title by knocking out compatriot Tobia Giuseppe Lorige in the 9th round. For him, this was the first defeat in his career.

In 2008, the Mexican met twice with the American boxer Matt Wanda. The first fight, which took place in July in Mexico, was an equal fight, but the judges gave the victory to Chavez. The spectators, outraged by this decision, began to throw various objects in the ring. In November, the boxers met again, this time in the United States. Chavez won a convincing victory by unanimous decision.

On March 28, 2009, Chávez took the WBC Latino title from Argentinean Luciano Leonel Cunello. The Mexican boxer won by a narrow margin.

A failed doping test prevented Chavez from including the victory over Troy Rowland, which he won on November 14, 2009, on his track record.

On June 26, 2010, the Mexican won the WBC silver title after defeating John Duddy by unanimous decision.

On January 29, 2011, Chavez defended his new title from the claims of American Billy Lyle, defeating him on points.

On June 4, 2011, Julio Cesar clashed for the WBC title with undefeated German Sebastian Zbik. As a result of the fight, the judges gave the victory to Chavez, but according to a number of experts, the Mexican looked unconvincing in that battle.

After three successful defenses of his title, Julio Cesar Chavez entered the ring against WBC diamond and The Ring champion Sergio Martinez of Argentina. He was preparing for this fight under the guidance of an outstanding coach. The Argentine boxer intended to reclaim the title he had been stripped of by a WBC decision in early 2011.

During the 12-round duel, Martinez outright outplayed his opponent, who surpassed him in size. In the final round, Chavez went on the offensive and even knocked down the challenger. However, the judges unanimously gave the Argentine boxer a well-deserved victory.

In addition, Chavez's doping test after the fight gave positive results for marijuana. This circumstance became the basis for a nine-month disqualification and a fine in the amount of 900 thousand dollars.

On September 28, 2013, the ex-champion met with compatriot Brian Vera. The judges considered that Chavez was more worthy of victory, causing a wave of indignation among the audience.

V next year, On March 13, the boxers held a rematch. This time, Chavez's victory on points was clear.

On April 18, 2015, the Mexican suffered a second defeat in the professional ring from the Polish boxer Andrzej Fonfara. At the end of the 9th round, Chavez was knocked down for the first time and refused to continue the fight.

On July 18, 2015, the Mexican boxer met with Marcos Reyes. The fight took place in the intermediate weight category of 77.5 kg. But Chavez still outnumbered his rival in weight, thanks to which he could apply more heavy blows... However, in the total number of shots thrown out, Reyes surpassed Chavez. Despite this, the judges unanimously gave the victory former champion the world.

In 2016, Chavez had the only fight against the German boxer Dominik Britsch, in which he won on points.

On May 6, 2017, two Mexican boxers met in the ring - and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The fight took place in the intermediate weight category of 74.6 kg. Chavez also surpassed his opponent in height by 10 centimeters (185 cm for Chavez versus 175 for Alvarez). All rounds passed with a noticeable advantage of Alvarez, to whom the judges gave the victory with a crushing score of 120-108, 120-108, 120-108.

Julio Cesar-Chavez Jr. is currently planning to enter the ring on January 26, 2018 in Los Angeles (USA). Mexican boxer Alfred Angulo is named his alleged rival. The ex-champion must prepare for this fight under the guidance of the famous coach Nacho Berristain.

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Showtime

Much can be said about Mexican boxers, since this Latin American country has, is and is likely to have a lot of talents who, with their bright performances, attract millions of people to TV screens around the world. One of those who have already finished their sports career, but at the same time has not lost the love of the public, is Chávez Julio Cesar. This outstanding athlete will be discussed in this article.

Brief information about the person

Chavez Julio Cesar was born on July 12, 1962 in the Mexican state of Sonora, the city of Ciudad Obregon. His father was a railroad worker named Rodolfo Chavez. Future star Sports spent his childhood in an abandoned carriage next to four brothers and five sisters. It is no secret that many fighters in life find success precisely because of their poor materially childhood, and our hero was no exception in this matter. It was because of the economic problems of his family that Chavez Julio Cesar became involved in boxing at an early age. Already at the age of 16, he begins to perform at amateur ring, where he was able to win 14 fights and only one defeat.

Professional career

At the age of seventeen, Chavez receives the status of a professional. In the first year of his professional fights, he has 11 fights. From the very beginning, it became visible characteristics: perseverance, fast pace battle, powerful blows on the body, durability.

In the 12th battle, the Mexican was initially disqualified. In the fight against Miguel Ruiz, he struck after the gong. But later the result was changed: Chavez won by knockout. And all because his manager was a member of the local sports commission.

First title

After a couple of fights that were broadcast on American television, Chavez Julio Cesar, with his own record of 44-0, got the opportunity to compete for the WBC featherweight belt. This was made possible thanks to the release of the title by Hector Camacho. The Mexican did not miss his chance, and on September 13, 1984, he knocked out Mario Martinez in the eighth round, thereby obtaining the long-awaited champion belt.

Until 1987, Chavez successfully defended his title from the claims of challengers. Such eminent personalities as Juan La Porte, Danilo Cabrero, and others fell from his hands.

Moving to a new weight

In 1987, Chavez Julio Cesar, whose photo is given below, rises to the next weight category, where in November of the same year he meets Edwin Rosario. The Puerto Rican said too much of all sorts of nasty things about the Mexican people, and therefore Chavez was motivated more than ever. The Mexican gave his opponent the most severe beating and eventually won by TKO in 11 rounds. With this victory, Julio became the WBA lightweight champion. Eleven months later, Chavez expected another success - he won the WBC belt, defeating a great boxer, legendary champion Jose Luis Ramirez. This also took Chavez 11 rounds.

One more step up

In 1989, the Mexican native again decides to move to a higher category. He ends up in light welterweight. In this division, he also becomes the champion, defeating Mayweather for the second time, after which he makes two successful defenses, but the fight with the third challenger is worth talking about separately.

The Steadfast Meldrick Taylor

March 17, 1990. Las Vegas, USA. In the square of the ring, Chavez Julio Cesar Sr., a boxer who by that time was already at the top, met with the 1984 Olympic champion Meldrick Taylor. The American won on points during the fight, effectively using the jab and actively moving on his feet. However, in the 12th round, the champion drove the challenger into a corner and sent him to the canvas with his right side. After the knockdown, Taylor barely got up and to the referee's question: "Are you ready to continue?" said nothing. As a result, the Mexican was awarded a knockout victory. The decision was quite scandalous, and the fight itself was recognized as the best fight of the year. For the sake of fairness, we note that after the fight Meldrick was hospitalized, where, as a result of a medical examination, he was diagnosed with bleeding in the kidneys, a fracture near his left eye, and a torn lip. Therefore, we can conclude that the referee did the right thing, since he kept the American health and maybe even life.

Commendation from the President

Chavez Julio Cesar, whose biography is rich bright events, in the fall of 1993 he had another significant fight for himself. This time he was opposed by the legendary Hector "Macho" Camacho. Chavez won convincingly by decision. After the end of the fight, a car was sent for him from the champion and was taken to an audience with the head of the country.

Scandalous draw

In September 1993, Chavez fought a unification battle with the American and acted actively and outside the box, which allowed him to completely neutralize the attacking power of the Mexican. But still, in the end, a draw was declared. This verdict of the judges caused a scandal, and many believed that Don King played an important role in this.

Belt loss

In early 1994, Julio Cesar Chavez (world-famous boxer) fought with Frankie Randall. The Mexican was twice fined for blows below the belt, and in the 11th round he was generally knocked down for the first time in his career. All this led to the fact that the judges were divided, and the victory was given to the American. But in the spring, the Mexican again met with his abuser and took a very unconvincing revenge.

The dramatic confrontation with Oscar De La Hoya for Chavez consisted of two fights, both times the Mexican lost, and ahead of schedule.

Last chance

In the summer of 2000, Chavez was already a fairly old fighter, so the opportunity to box for the world title was his last one. He understood that in case of defeat, the road to the top for him was forever closed, and in case of victory, he got the opportunity to hold out for some more time at the peak and earn good money.

In the fight with the Russian Tszyu, the Mexican did not succeed. Kostya was very cold-blooded and very calculating. He was able to quickly show who is the real boss in the ring and literally “bombed” the challenger with left jabs. In the fifth round, Tszyu knocked Chavez down with a combination of four punches. In the sixth round, the Russian again sent the Mexican legend to the floor, the judge stopped the fight, believing that it was a knockout. After the battle, Tszyu said that he had fought a great warrior worthy of respect, and Chavez understood that it was time to retire and make way for a new generation. Nevertheless its the last battle he spent in September 2005.

As for the family, it plays a special role for our hero. Chavez Julio Cesar (personal life is characterized by stability) has been married for many years, he has two sons: the first is called Julio Cesar Jr., and the second is Omar.

Julio Cesar Chavez-Gonzalez first saw the light on July 12, 1962 in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico. The son of railroad worker Rodolfo Chávez, Julio spent some of his childhood in an abandoned railway carriage alongside his four brothers and five sisters.

Many fighters find inner rage at the need to tackle adverse economic conditions and poverty. Julio started boxing at a prematurely early age in much the same way.

At 16, he became an amateur boxer. In the amateur ring, Julio Cesar Chavez won 14 victories and suffered one defeat. In 1980, at the age of 17, Julio Cesar Chavez became a professional boxer. In the first year of his career, he had 11 fights. The characteristic qualities of the Mexican were tenacity, high tempo and powerful punches to the torso.

Chavez's early career contains one controversial point, although in many ways these events remain a mystery. In his twelfth pro fight, Julio was apparently disqualified. The fact is that Chavez struck his rival Miguel Ruiz a blow after the gong. Later, the result of the fight was changed to a knockout victory in favor of Chavez. It turned out that his manager was a member of the local boxing commission in Culiacan and the result of the fight was changed the very next day.

In 1983, Chavez fought on the undercard of the Edwin Rosario-Jose Luis Ramirez fight. This evening of boxing was influenced by Don King and was very well promoted. Chavez defeated Javier Fragoso by knockout in the fourth round. This greatly increased his popularity. After a couple of fights televised in the US and a 44-0 record, Chávez got his chance in a fight for the WBC super featherweight title that was vacated by Hector Camacho. On September 13, 1984, Chavez defeated Mario Martinez by TKO in round 8, winning his first championship belt.

After 9 successful defenses, Julio Cesar Chavez decided to move up in weight and in November 1987 faced the Puerto Rican native for the WBA lightweight title. Outraged at how Rosario insulted the Mexican people before the match, Chavez provided him with a brutal beating and won by TKO in the eleventh round. Just eleven months after this victory, Chavez won another belt - the WBC lightweight title - by defeating outstanding champion Jose Luis Ramirez is also in eleven rounds.

After that, he went up in weight again. The following May, 1989, Chavez faced Roger Mayweather for the WBC light welterweight title. It was a kind of rematch, as Chavez had already faced Mayweather defending his WBC super featherweight title and winning by TKO in the second round. This time, the fight turned out to be a little more difficult and lasted until the 10th round. The Mexican won by technical knockout, having won the championship belt.

His third defense of that title made boxing history. This is largely due to two seconds. What is two seconds? During this time, the hummingbird flaps its wings 24 times. During this time, the Bugatti Veyron will reach a speed of 60 miles per hour. In the annals of boxing, however, there is another example. This time would be enough for Julio Cesar Chavez to cross the ring and inflict crushing blow on Olympic champion 1984 and IBF light welterweight champion Meldrick Taylor? Referee Richard Steele considered that yes. After all, despite the fact that Taylor fought on points, for all the previous rounds he suffered considerable damage and during the countdown after the knockdown on the score "eight" he was still staggering and did not answer Steele's phrase: Are you okay? At the end of the 11th round, he almost went to the wrong corner. After the fight, Taylor was taken to the hospital. He had a fractured orbital bones near his left eye, bleeding in his kidneys, and his lips were bleeding so badly that doctors said he lost two pints of blood. This decision gave rise to a lot of controversy and scandals, but it is quite possible that if Richard Steele had given Chavez those two seconds, Meldrick Taylor would never have been the same. The Ring magazine named the event the Battle of the Year 1990.

Julio Cesar Chavez - Meldrick Taylor

In September 1992, Chavez fought his next really big fight, which became the Mexican's main pay-streaming event. He defended his title against Hector "Macho" Camacho. In this fight, Julio Cesar Chavez won a landslide victory by decision. Following this battle, Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari dispatched a special vehicle to the airport. The driver met Chavez and took him directly to the president's house

In September 1993, the Mexican met in the ring with another great champion -. The American's non-standard movements neutralized Chavez's pressure throughout the fight. Whitaker dominated the fight, but the result was a controversial draw. Many believed that Don King influenced this. After the fight, Chavez announced that he would meet the American again. "Anytime, anywhere"... But the revenge never materialized.

In January 1994, Chavez met with Frankie Randall. In this fight, he was knocked down for the first time and was fined for low blows in rounds 7 and 11. He suffered his first loss by decision. He lost his belt, however, in May of the same year, managed to win it again, defeating Randall by technical decision after 8 rounds. The fight was stopped by a head collision. Then, Chavez faced Meldrick Taylor again with an early victory in the eighth round.

In June 1996, he met a rising star - during the fight, Chavez received a cut and the fight was stopped. This was the second official defeat in his career. In March 1998, Julio Chavez faced Miguel Angel Gonzalez in the ring. Most of those on the ringside believed that Gonzalez had won, but the fight resulted in a draw.

Then, Chavez moved to welterweight and faced Oscar De La Hoya again. Ironically, the fight was again stopped due to a severe dissection of Chávez, this time in the lip area. In 1999, Chavez was defeated by decision from Willie Wise. This fight was named Upset of the Year. In 2000, he lost to Kostya Tszyu. In November 2003, Chavez retraced the defeat of Willie Wise. Interestingly, in the same evening of boxing, his two sons performed. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. took his second victory in the pro ring, while Omar made his amateur debut. Then, Chavez faced Frankie Randall for the third time and won.

In May 2005, Chavez defeated Ivan Robinson, but suffered a hand injury in a fight and had to leave after another fight. In one of his interviews, Chavez said that after the fight with Edwin Rosario, he began to drink and take cocaine. Subsequently, he attended a rehabilitation center for several years. In 2011, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Now, he helps his son, Julio Jr., performing in the pro ring in every possible way, and also works as an analyst for ESPN and TV Azteca.

Julio Cesar Chavez has fought 37 title fights, defended his titles 27 times and was undefeated for 13 years. He has won six world championship titles in three different weight classes. He is rightfully one of the greatest boxers of all time, and at home they call him El césar del boxeo which means "Caesar of Boxing".

Prepared by Alexander Amosov

Read also