On my journey to learn who the best Mexican boxer of all time was, I discovered from cool information about the history of boxing. So before we find out who (in my opinion) the best Mexican boxer was, check out this cool information:
Ever since the dawn of human history, humankind has been involved in conflicts that were ultimately resolved through wars or seldom through peace negotiations. The use of weapons in those wars was common as is today. But often the people had to come to blows to settle the dispute as there were no accouterments at their disposal.
The earliest known depiction of any form of boxing comes from Sumerian carvings during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. Boxing was formally introduced as an Olympic game in 688 BC but it was during the late 19th and early 20th centuries that saw an immense increase in the popularity of the sport. Back then, this sport was stalked by the young people coming from poverty-stricken areas around the world – Places like Mexico, Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe produced one of the finest talents that went on to become the face of boxing.
It doesn’t matter if you are participating in boxing as a combat sport, doing boxing workouts at home or just even just watching it on TV, check out who I think was the best Mexican boxer of all time.
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The Best Mexican Boxer of All Time:
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez is the most influential and probably the greatest boxer to originate from Mexico. Julio Cesar Chavez was born on July 12, 1962, in Sonora, Mexico and like most of the fighters at that time, Chavez also spent his early childhood in indigence. He grew up in an abandoned railroad car with his parents hardly able to make both ends meet.
At the time when Chavez decided to pursue boxing as a profession, the only motive behind it was to earn money but little did he know that at the end of his career, he will be regarded as the greatest fighter the land of Mexico has ever put together.
His hard work and dedication is what allowed him to master the art of properly hitting a punching bag and dodging his opponents punches.
Some of Chavez’s career’s greatest moments that have led him to top the list of the best Mexican fighter of all time:
Double Victory over Roger Mayweather:
The Mexican sensation won his first major title back in September 1984, by flattening his national counterpart Mario Martinez in the eight-round of the scheduled fight. But it was July 1985 when the Sinaloa native rose to real fame when he emphatically defeated Roger Mayweather by knocking the former champ out cold in the second round to retain his previously won WBC super featherweight title.
And just four years later, the two again crossed each other paths but this time in an upper weight class. Chavez handed Mayweather another defeat as he forced the American to retire on the stool after the end of the 10th round. For the second time in his career, Mayweather saw his title being snatched by the Mexican prodigy.
A career-defining win against Edwin Rosario:
After successful nine title defenses at 130, Chavez decided to move up in the weight class and challenged WBA Lightweight champion, Edwin Rosario. At the close of 1987, the two agreed on a showdown that would ultimately go on to decide the “best fighter on the planet” at that time.
The hype before the fight was real. Chavez entered the fight as an underdog as it was his first outing as a lightweight and that too against an established fighter in Rosario. Rosario had promised to send Chavez back to Mexico in a coffin which led to the two fighters nearly coming to blows during a pre-fight press conference. But when the hour arrived, it was all Chavez as the Mexican put on a clinic and send Rosario crashing to the canvas to win the title via eleventh-round TKO.
After the fight, many experts named Chavez the world’s best fighter at that moment of time.
Lucky win against José Luis Ramírez:
In 1988, Chavez decided to unify his WBA and WBC lightweight title against his fellow Mexican and then the no.1 mandatory challenger, José Luis Ramírez. In the whole bout, the two went back and forth at each other but an accidental headbutt opened a cut on Ramírez’s forehead during the 11th round.
After a careful inspection by the doctor, the fight was halted and the decision was sent to the judges’ scorecards at that point in the fight. Chavez was slightly ahead on the scorecards and was declared the winner. Both the fighters agreed to run it back in the future but it never came to fruition as Chavez vacated his titles and moved up to the super lightweight division.
Controversial victory against Meldrick Taylor:
One of the most enthralling fights Chavez was ever involved in has to be the “Medrick Taylor fight”. The two fighters at their prime, putting their legacies on the line; a unification title clash at Light Welterweight – a fight that had all one could have wished for.
Taylor made a strong start, pushing Chavez to the ropes, landing good shots every now and then, and sneaking the rounds quietly. Taylor was way ahead of Chaves on the scorecards after the end of the 8th round, but Chavez showed great heart and resilience and rallied in the championship rounds.
But it was the last round in which all the drama folded. Chavez landed a hard right hand on Taylor’s head that wobbled the latter. Chavez saw the opportunity and jumped at it, knocking down Taylor in the dying seconds of the fight.
Taylor rose to his feet beating the mandatory 8 counts but was unable to keep his balance forcing the referee to call off the fight with just two seconds remaining on the clock. The whole stadium went to shock seeing the referee’s judgment. Many boxing fans believed that Chavez was lucky to come out victorious as he clearly lost the fight and that too with a big margin.
But whatever the decision was, the fight was named “Fight of the Year” for 1990 and later the “Fight of the Decade” for the 1990s.
More reasons Chavez is the Best Mexican Boxer of all Time:
One of the biggest reasons I consider Chavez the best Mexican boxer of all time is his unique record of 27 successful title defenses. The Mexican Hall of Famer has also set the record for most championship fights fought with the number tallying 37. Out of 37 fights, he came out on top on 31 occasions.
Chavez also holds the attendance record for a boxing fight with 132,274 fans that showed up to watch him fight Greg Haugen in 1993.
Chavez said goodbye to boxing once and for all in 2005, with his career spanning more than three decades. He left with an astounding record of 107-6-2 with 86 knockouts. Chavez became the first Mexican fighter in history to win the titles in three major divisions. And these numbers clearly depict why he is regarded as the best Mexican boxer ever.