Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
TIRED OF ALL THIS MEXICAN LEGEND CRAP!
San Francisco, CA– Of all the articles on Julio Cesar Chavez, nobody, except myself, mentioned the fact that he was disqualified against Miguel Ruiz in Chavez’s hometown of Culiacán, Sinaloa in his 12th fight. Word has it Jose Sulaiman or someone of that ilk got the local commission to change the March 4, 1981 result the very next day. We will fast forward to when Chavez Sr. made his American debut in Sacramento, CA, this in late 1982 when he faced an old sparring partner of mine in Jerry Lewis. This was on the Bobby Chacon-Bazooka Limon III card at the Memorial Auditorium in California’s capital. It was Julio’s second straight fight and win over the California club fighter from San Jose which resulted in a TKO 6, with the first mismatch going down in October 1982, that being a TKO 5 in Tijuana, MX.
DIDN’T IMPRESS JACK FISKE OR MYSELF
Besides Chacon and the late Eric Martin, who nearly beheaded the then undefeated “Battling” Torres, both men had resounding wins. Still they were pushing the now 34-0 Chavez on us as the next Salvador Sanchez who had passed away a few months earlier. After watching Chavez beat on Lewis like a bongo drum, I can tell you that I walked away unimpressed, as did Hall of Fame writer Jack Fiske and ex-welterweight titleholder Carlos Palomino. Fighting Lewis once was a joke, fighting him twice in succession was a travesty.
LIKE MANY MEXICAN PUGS JULIO WAS “LEARNING ON THE JOB”
Like many Mexican fighters who turn pro at an early age, Julio Sr. was like 34-0, with all 34 being Jerry Lewis (stiffs) types. Fast forward 21 months and Julio Sr. is matched with (33-1-2) Mario Martinez in a vacant WBC 130 lb. title scrap in September 1984. Eight heats later, Chavez has his arm raised and the “legend” or “fable” depending on where you stand on Chavez Sr. began. After a New Years Day 1985 non-title win, Julio snagged a TKO 6 over Ruben Castillo (64-4-2 at the time) and stopped ex-WBA champ Roger Mayweather (21-2) in a deuce.
WERE THE PRATCHETT SCORES FAXED OR SENT FED EX?
In his next fight, Chavez had three scorecards Faxed in the night before when he faced Juan Laporte. Most people thought Chavez was “gifted” that night. After eight defenses of the 130 lb. Jose Sulaiman owned trinket, Julio moved up to 135 lbs. Although he had beaten names like Refugio Rojas, Rocky Lockridge, and Juan Laporte, I still wasn’t sold on Julio Sr. At lightweight (135) Chavez had his most impressive win in my mind (ever) against WBA titleholder Edwin Rosario (31-2) with a TKO 11 in a one-sided beat down.
NEVER FIGURED OUT HOW RAMIREZ WON OVER 100 FIGHTS!
After beating another guy I sparred with in the “oh-so-slow” Jose Luis Ramirez (101-6) for the WBC side of the 135 lb. title picture, Julio stepped up to 140 and halted Roger Mayweather (34-5) in ten at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles. They could have danced ten times, Chavez would have won 11 because he simply had Roger’s number! His second defense at 140 was against Meldrick Taylor (24-0-1) on March 9, 1990. It was a close fight on the cards, even though most ringsiders thought Mel was well ahead going into the final round.
JULIO SR. OWES LOU DUVA FOR THE MELDRICK TAYLOR WIN
Knocked down late in round 12, Meldrick was standing with his back to me as referee Richard Steele tried thrice to get Meldrick’s attention, Taylor was distracted by cornerman Lou Duva who was standing on the apron in Taylor’s corner hollering. You are told that when you get knocked down, that you look to your corner for aid and or advice. With Meldrick looking at Duva, Steele called the fight off and Chavez won in such a controversial manner that people today still argue over it.
CHAVEZ HAS DODGED THREE BULLETS ALREADY AS A PRO!
First there was the Ruiz loss being turned into a win, the Dwight Pratchett fight, now Lou Duva giving him the win over Meldrick Taylor. After four title defenses against the likes of Frankie Mitchell, Lonnie Smith and John Duplessis, Chavez met the 40-1 Hector Camacho. This was a huge event at the Las Vegas Hilton on September 12, 1992 and J.C. took “The Harlem Heckler” apart in winning a near shutout over 12 rounds.
TWO MORE DEFENSES AND THE FOURTH BULLET!
In March 1993, Chavez stopped a slightly over the hill (32-4) Greg Haugen, before his halting fringe contender and ESPN favorite Terence Ali (52-7-2) in May. On September 10, Chavez was “schooled” so decisively by Pernell Whitaker that I gave the money I bet on Chavez to NFL Hall of Famer Jack Tatum after round ten. There was no way J.C. hadn’t lost an overwhelming number of rounds, but they called it a Draw in San Antonio, TX as judges Jack Woodruff went for Pernell 115-113, known WBC “hack” jurist Mickey Vann scored it even or 115-115, as did Franz Marti. This was a travesty that stunk so bad that the Alamodome still smells rank from that fight today!
FIFTH BULLET STRIKES CHAVEZ IN THE HEART!
Randall Drops Chavez With Right
Two fights later, finally a bullet finally struck the bratty Mexican mauler when unknown Frankie Randall (48-2-1) beat him handily, yet he only got a Split Decision 12 even after knocking Chavez down for the first time ever. The lone judge who gave it to Chavez was “surprise,” a Mexican Abraham Chavarria who tabbed the clear Randall win 114-113 instead for his countryman on January 29, 1994.
THE “PUNK” IN CHAVEZ GETS EXPOSED!
The WBC wanted to re-adorn Chavez with the belt that Randall clearly won, thus a rematch was put together for May 7, again in Las Vegas. Randall was clearly beating J.C. again when a clash of heads occurred and a cut Chavez turned his back on Randall and quit like the dog I always thought he had in him. In one of the WBC’s most blatant exhibitions of nefarious scoring as the WBC says the shortened round has to be scored. Thus Dalby Shirley, one of the worst judges in boxing history, this going back to 1979 and his voting Vito Antuofermo over Marvin Hagler, Dalby tabbed it 76-75 Chavez, Mexico’s Ray Solisincredibly had J.C. ahead 77-74, while the lone objective soul of this trio, Tamotsu Tomihara thought Randall was up 76-75.
CHAVEZ “QUIT” AND WAS DAMN NEAR CRYING!
Seeing the title was stolen from Randall by ineptitude or chicanery, you would have thought there would be another immediate rematch. Cast aside like a used condom, Randall, who fell into depression and Crack addiction after being royally screwed, wouldn’t get his rematch until a decade later in 2005. It was a sad day for the sport, but there have been so many, especially involving the WBC that I could pen a column everyday on WBC scoring atrocities. This night upset me to the point where I felt the need to vomit!
THAT’S SIX BULLETS NOW IN THE RECORD OF CHAVEZ
With a record of 90-1, only Chavez’s being Mexican and the WBC holding his hand since his 12th fight, J.C. Sr. should have been more like 85-6 instead. Seven fights after the Randal robbery, Chavez lost a TKO 4 to Oscar De La Hoya in June 1996. Four wins and a draw later, Chavez was beaten again by the now 29-0 De La Hoya. Two more wins in 1999, one thought to be “fixed” or what I will call bullet #7 against Verdell Smith (37-27-2), Julio then lost to Kostya Tszyu (24-1). Four more wins, including the burned out Frankie Randall, Chavez lost his last fight to a guy named Grovey Wiley (29-6-1) who made Julio quit in four rounds.
SANS WBC BULLETPROOF BEST, CHAVEZ WOULD HAVE LOST MANY MORE
There you have it, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.’s career in an expose of sorts seeing nobody else dare go against the boxing establishment and call a “spade a spade.” In closing, Julio was fine when he was ahead and in control. Put him in peril and he whined and moaned like a little bitch, not a Mexican boxing icon. So after reading this harsh dose of reality, do you still think Chavez Sr. is the greatest fighter in Mexican history? I say, hardly! His final numbers were 107-6-2, 86 KOs, with four of his losses coming by way of stoppage.
Pedro Fernandez