Julio Cesar Chavez

By Richard Diaz
Love of Sports Correspondent

There’s a lot of debate over whether or not boxing’s status as the No. 1 fighting sport is being taken over by a MMA-style organization such as UFC.

It’s obvious boxing isn’t taking the threat lightly, as evidenced by the fact both Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins have recently fought in consecutive non-pay-per-view events.

Even with the emergence of EliteXC on network television, there’s no doubt MMA has a way to go before overtaking boxing’s throne. In all fairness, boxing is as ingrained within American culture as Major League Baseball. It’s been the heart of the people during tough times. It’s been a pleasant distraction from reality during World War II, as well as a source of unity amongst the people.

So, for all the media hype that surrounds the likes of UFC or EliteXC, it’s hard to imagine a trendy sport overtaking one that’s a legitimate part of history.

With a historical perspective in mind, I couldn’t help but think about all of the classic battles De La Hoya’s fought during his illustrious career. It didn’t take long to journey all the way back to 1996, which is when an up-and-coming De La Hoya took on Julio Cesar Chavez for the WBC super lightweight title. Although De La Hoya’s been the one in the news lately, that’s not where I’m going.

Rather than doing that, I’ve got to give up some Old School Love for the greatest Mexican boxer of all time: Julio Cesar Chavez.

Finding a boxing fan who’s never seen a Chavez fight would likely be a fruitless endeavor. He’s an iconic figure who should be remembered for his brutal approach to demolishing his opponent.

Chavez won 82 fights in a row before finally fighting to a draw against Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker. He subsequently lost his first professional match to Frankie Randall in 1994.

Impressive as that sounds by itself, it’s worth mentioning that the streak included some very memorable matchups. For some, his most memorable fight was the one against Meldrick Taylor in 1990. This was easily one of the greatest fights of the entire 1990s, and is often remembered for the knock out Chavez landed in the closing seconds of the final round.

Beyond that, I’ve got to give up some love for the way Chavez brutally assaulted the competition when they made the mistake of making things personal. I can’t help but remember his fights with Edwin Rosario and Greg Haugen, in which he relentlessly pummeled them and purposely backed off so he could inflict even more damage before the fight was called.

Many will recall his memorable feud with the flamboyant Hector “Macho” Camacho, while others might remember the two bouts with De La Hoya, both of which resulted in losses to the younger fighter. It’s worth mentioning that De La Hoya’s mean streak came out during the second fight with Chavez, when he literally changed his style to inflict more damage, in an attempt to end the fight in a manner that couldn’t be debated.

As is the case with many of the greats, saying goodbye was hard to do. His farewell tour lasted a good four years, ultimately concluding in a disappointing TKO at the hands of Grover Wiley. Ironically, it was the same Wiley who was dismantled by Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. in 2007.

Chavez, Jr. demonstrated that same mean streak which made his father so famous during this fight, knocking Wiley out in three rounds. He had mentioned before hand that this would happen, because he held some animosity towards him for making a big deal out of defeating a clearly past his prime Senior.

In the end, we should all take some time to give a little Old School Love to one of the greatest fighters of all time. If you’ve never seen him fight, I’d suggest you try to find a DVD or even hit up YouTube, because the man truly was a tremendous boxer.