Julio César Chávez


Julio César Chávez González, also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005.
A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was listed by The Ring magazine as the world's best boxer, pound for pound, from 1990 to 1993. During his career he held the WBC super featherweight title from 1984 to 1987, the WBA and WBC lightweight titles between 1987 and 1989, the WBC light welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1996, and the IBF light welterweight title from 1990 to 1991. He also held the 'Ring' magazine and lineal lightweight titles from 1988 to 1989, and the lineal light welterweight title twice between 1990 and 1996. Chávez was named Fighter of the Year for 1987 and 1990 by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring respectively.
Chávez holds records for the most total successful defenses of world titles, most title fight victories and fighters beaten for the title, and most title fights ; he has the second most title defenses won by knockout. His fight record was 89 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw before his first professional loss to Frankie Randall in 1994, before which he had an 87-fight win streak until his draw with Pernell Whitaker in 1993. Chávez's 1993 win over Greg Haugen at the Estadio Azteca set the record for the largest attendance for an outdoor boxing match: 136,274.
He is ranked as the 17th best boxer of all time, pound for pound, by BoxRec, #24 on ESPN's list of "50 Greatest Boxers of All Time", and 18th on The Ring's "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years". In 2010 he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for the Class of 2011. He is the father of current boxers Omar Chávez and former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr.

Early life

Julio César Chávez was born on July 12, 1962, in Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. His father, Rodolfo Chavez, worked for the railroad, and Julio grew up in an abandoned railroad car with his five sisters and four brothers. Chávez came from a poor family and became a boxer for money, he stated: "I saw my mom working, ironing, and washing people's clothes, and I promised her I would give her a house someday and she would never have that job again." He began boxing as an amateur at the age of 16 and he then moved to Tijuana to pursue a professional career.

Career

Chávez made his professional debut at age 17. In his 12th fight, on March 4, 1980, Chávez faced Miguel Ruiz in Culiacán, Sinaloa. At the end of the first round, Chavez landed a blow that knocked Ruiz out. Delivered as the bell sounded, the blow was ruled a disqualification in the ring and Ruiz was declared the winner. The next day, however, his manager, Ramón Felix, consulted with the Mexican boxing commission, and after further review, the result was overturned and Chávez was declared the winner.

Super Featherweight

Chávez won his first championship, the vacant WBC Super Featherweight title, on September 13, 1984, by knocking out fellow Mexican Mario "Azabache" Martínez at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Martínez had been the betting favorite in the bout, due partly to his previous victory over former WBC world champion Rolando Navarette in a non-title bout. On April 19, 1985, Chávez defended his title against number one ranked contender Ruben Castillo by knocking him out in the sixth round. On July 7, 1985, Chavez defeated former and future champion Roger Mayweather via a second-round knockout. On August 3, 1986, Chavez won a twelve-round majority decision over former WBA and future IBF Super Featherweight champion Rocky Lockridge in Monte Carlo. In his next bout, he defeated former champion Juan Laporte by a twelve-round unanimous decision. On March 18, 1987, he defeated number one ranked challenger Francisco Tomas Da Cruz by third-round knockout. He successfully defended his WBC Super Featherweight title a total of nine times.

Lightweight

On November 21, 1987, Chávez moved up to the lightweight division and faced WBA Lightweight Champion Edwin Rosario. Prior to the bout, there were concerns about how Chávez would handle the move up in weight. Chávez commented, "Everything I've accomplished as champion, and the nine title defenses, would be thrown away with a loss to Rosario." The two fighters nearly exchanged blows during a press conference after Rosario threatened to send Chávez back to Mexico in a coffin. Chávez would ultimately give a career-defining performance as he defeated Rosario by an eleventh-round TKO to win the title. HBO Punchstat showed Rosario landing 263 of 731 punches thrown in the fight and Chavez 450 of 743. After the bout, Sports Illustrated ran the headline, "Time To Hail César: WBA Lightweight Champion César Chávez of Mexico may be the world's best fighter."
On April 16, 1988, Chávez defeated number one ranked contender Rodolfo Aguilar by sixth-round technical knockout. On June 4, 1988, he won against former two-time champion Rafael Limón by scoring a seventh-round TKO. Later that year, he unified the WBA and WBC belts by a technical decision win over champion José Luis Ramírez. An accidental head-butt opened a cut on Ramírez's forehead and the doctor halted the fight, sending the decision to the judges' scorecards at that point in the fight. Chávez, ahead on all scorecards, was declared the winner. He was also awarded The Ring Lightweight title after the victory.
Chavez vacated his WBA and WBC Lightweight titles in order to move up to the super lightweight division.

Light Welterweight

In his next bout, he won the WBC Light Welterweight title by defeating Roger Mayweather for a second time. Mayweather did not come out of his corner after the tenth round, giving Chavez the TKO win. In 1989, Chávez defeated future champion Sammy Fuentes by tenth-round TKO. In his next bout, he handed Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes his first career loss by scoring a third-round knockout.

Chávez vs. Taylor

On March 17, 1990, he faced Meldrick Taylor, the undefeated IBF Light Welterweight Champion, in a title unification fight. While Taylor carried the fight to Chavez through round 8, Julio rallied in the last four rounds. With about 30 seconds left in the 12th round, he landed a hard straight right hand on the chin of Taylor, which hurt him badly. Shortly thereafter, he knocked down the former Olympic gold medalist. Although Taylor rose at the referee's count of six, he failed to respond coherently to referee Richard Steele's questions after being issued a mandatory 8 count, and continued to hold onto the ropes in the corner, resulting in Steele stopping the fight with only two seconds remaining. Many boxing fans and members of the media were outraged that Steele would stop a match that Taylor was winning with only two seconds left, while others felt that Steele was justified in stopping the fight given Taylor's condition and the fact that he was unable to respond to Steele before the conclusion of the match. Steele defended his decision by saying that his concern is protecting a fighter, regardless of how much time is left in the round or the fight. As Steele put it, "I stopped it because Meldrick had took a lot of good shots, a lot of hard shots, and it was time for it to stop. You know, I'm not the timekeeper, and I don't care about the time. When I see a man that has had enough, I'm stopping the fight." The Ring named it the "Fight of the Year" for 1990 and later the "Fight of the Decade" for the 1990s. While many hoped for an immediate rematch, Taylor opted to move up in weight in his next bout and the fighters did not meet again until 1994, when Chávez dominated and knocked out a faded Taylor in eight rounds.
After unifying the titles, Chávez engaged in a busy series of title defenses and non-title fights. On December 8, 1990, he defeated the WBC mandatory challenger Kyung-Duk Ahn by third-round knockout. On March 18, 1991, he defeated WBC number four ranked fighter John Duplessis by fourth-round TKO. On September 14, 1991, Chávez won a twelve-round unanimous decision over former champion Lonnie Smith. On April 10, 1992, he scored a TKO victory over number-one ranked contender Angel Hernandez in the fifth round. Later that year, he defeated Frankie Mitchell by fourth-round TKO.

Chávez vs. Camacho

On September 12, 1992, Chávez faced WBO Light Welterweight Champion Hector "Macho" Camacho in a highly anticipated bout. Chávez dominated Camacho en route to a unanimous decision win. The final scores were 117-111, 119-110 and 120-107 for Chávez. After the fight, on his arrival to Mexico, the President Carlos Salinas de Gortari sent the special car reserved for the Pope to take him from the airport to the President's house.

Chávez vs. Haugen

His 1993 fight with Greg Haugen featured trash talk from Haugen, who derided Chavez's 82-fight unbeaten streak as consisting mostly of "Tijuana taxi drivers that my mother could have knocked out" and insisting that "There aren't 130,000 Mexicans who can afford tickets" to see the fight in Estadio Azteca. Chávez responded by saying, "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; I am going to make him swallow the words that came out of his dirty mouth." Ultimately, 136,274 showed up to set a world record for outdoor fight attendance as they watched Chávez drop Haugen quickly and then back off with the apparent intention of punishing him for his prefight remarks. However, the referee had seen enough by the fifth round and stopped it for a TKO victory for Chávez. After the fight, Chávez commented to Haugen, "Now you know I don't fight with taxi drivers," and a bloodied Haugen responded, "They must have been tough taxi drivers." Later that year, Chávez scored a sixth-round TKO victory over number one ranked contender Terrence Alli.

Draw with Whitaker and first career loss

After a division-record 18 consecutive defenses of his light welterweight title, Chávez moved up one more weight division to challenge Pernell Whitaker for his WBC Welterweight title in September 1993. Since the late 1980s, Chávez stated several times that he wanted a fight against Whitaker. The Whitaker team, among them Lou Duva, told The Ring that they did not want a fight against Chavez in those days. In the eyes of many experts, Whitaker waited for Chávez to age. The result of the fight was a controversial majority draw, allowing Chávez to remain undefeated with Whitaker retaining his title. Various members of the American media, including The Ring and Sports Illustrated, were critical of the decision. Sports Illustrated put Pernell Whitaker on the cover of its next magazine with a one word title, "Robbed!" Chávez stated after the fight: "I felt I was forcing the fight... he just kept holding me too much, he was throwing too many low blows too." There was no rematch.
Chavez continued defending his Light Welterweight title and on December 18, 1993, he defeated British Commonwealth Light Welterweight Champion Andy Holligan by fifth-round TKO. Chávez faced Frankie Randall on January 29, 1994, in a fight that most expected him to win easily. Instead, Randall knocked him down for the first time in his career and went on to win a split decision and Chávez lost the title to Randall. Chávez blamed his loss on referee Richard Steele, who deducted two points from Chávez for low blows, which affected the difference on the scorecards. The WBC ordered an immediate rematch and Chávez regained the title on a split technical decision in May 1994. The fight was fiercely contested when they collided heads, opening a large cut over Chávez's eyebrow in the seventh round. After the head cut, during round eight, the referee called for the doctor, who then stopped the fight. Under WBC rules, Randall lost one point, giving Chávez the technical victory. The two faced one another in a rubber match 10 years later, which Chávez won.
Chavez then faced Meldrick Taylor in a rematch, four years after their historic first fight. Chavez defeated him in the eighth round by a knockout that sent Taylor from one side of the ring to the other. In his next bout, Chavez defeated three-time champion Tony Lopez. In 1995, he defeated former and future Light Welterweight Champion Giovanni Parisi. Later that year, he defended his title against number one ranked challenger David Kamau, despite suffering a cut in the opening round. Prior to the bout, Chavez indicated that he was considering retirement: "I've had a lot of problems with my arms, with my knees. I really don't want to extend myself much longer", Chávez said. "After so many years of working out, it all builds up. I am not giving what I used to be able to give. I will fight De La Hoya for a lot of money, and then retire."

Chávez vs. De La Hoya

On June 7, 1996, Chávez faced Oscar De La Hoya. A large gash appeared over the left eye of Chávez within the first minute of the first round, leading many to assume what Chávez later confirmed—that the cut occurred earlier in training and was re-opened in the bout. Heavy blood flow prompted the doctor to stop the fight in the fourth round. Until their eventual rematch in 1998, Chávez would always state that De La Hoya had not defeated him, but that a gash that he had suffered in training was the real cause of the stoppage of the fight. In his next bout, Chávez defeated former champion Joey Gamache in his 100th career bout.
A year after De La Hoya moved up to welterweight in 1997, Chávez fought Miguel Ángel González for the vacant WBC Light Welterweight title. That fight ended in a draw. In a rematch with De La Hoya for the WBC Welterweight belt in September 1998, De La Hoya won by 8th-round TKO. About De La Hoya, Chávez stated years after, "I have nothing against him, even though he beat me twice. I have no resentment towards him... De La Hoya was younger than me during our fight, and I was on my way out of boxing. If Oscar didn't fight me, he would not have been anything in boxing." Chavez spoke about his sparring session with De La Hoya six years before their first fight and stated: "I sparred with him and dropped him in the second round with a right hand. De la Hoya was a kid... that day after training he stayed and we went out to dinner, I gave him some $300-$400 from my pocket to help him out."

Retirement and farewell fights

Chavez won his first two bouts in 1999 before losing to then 32-year-old Willy Wise via 10 round unanimous decision. In 2000, at the age of 38, Chávez challenged Light Welterweight Champion Kostya Tszyu. Chavez lost the bout via 6th-round TKO. After a 2001 victory over Terry Thomas in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Chávez retired. However, on November 24, 2003, he came out of retirement to avenge his earlier loss to Willy Wise, knocking Wise out in two rounds in Tijuana, Mexico. In April 2004, Chávez went back into the ring, for what he again claimed would be his last appearance. In that fight, nicknamed Adiós, México, Gracias, he beat his former conqueror, Frankie Randall, by a ten-round decision. On May 28, 2005, Chávez once again stepped into a boxing ring, outpointing Ivan Robinson in ten rounds at the Staples Center. On September 17, 2005, at the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, Chávez suffered a TKO loss to until then little-known Grover Wiley in the 115th bout of his career, retiring in his corner before the start of the 5th round, after injuring his right hand. After the bout, Chávez told his promoter, Bob Arum, that this time he was definitely retiring from boxing. His defeat was avenged two years later by his son, Julio César Chávez, Jr., who knocked Wiley out in the third round of their fight.

Personal life

During the late part of his career, Chávez struggled with drug addiction and alcohol abuse. He stated that he started drinking the night after his fight against Edwin Rosario. He later developed a cocaine habit. Chávez got into rehab several times until he recovered. Nowadays he remains sober, in shape, training and weighs around.
Chávez is the father of Omar Chávez and former WBC Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr. He works as an analyst for ESPN and Azteca, and spends his time between Mexico and the United States, where he owns businesses and properties.
Chavez's brother, Rafael Chavez Gonzalez, was murdered on Sunday, June 25, 2017, during a robbery at one of Rafael's businesses.

Career in review

Chávez won six world titles in three weight divisions: WBC Super Featherweight, WBA Lightweight, WBC Lightweight, WBC Light Welterweight, IBF Light Welterweight and WBC Light Welterweight for the second time. He was also awarded The Ring Lightweight Championship in 1988. World champions whom Chávez defeated include Jose Luis Ramírez, Rafael Limón, Rocky Lockridge, Meldrick Taylor, Roger Mayweather, Lonnie Smith, Sammy Fuentes, Héctor "Macho" Camacho, Juan Laporte, Edwin Rosario, Greg Haugen, Tony López, Giovanni Parisi, Joey Gamache and Frankie Randall, who had taken the WBC Light Welterweight belt from Chávez just four months earlier. He also lost to three champions: Randall, Oscar De La Hoya and Kostya Tszyu. He was held to a draw by two others: Pernell Whitaker and Miguel Ángel González.
Chávez retired in his 25th year as a professional boxer with a record of 107 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws, with 86 knockouts and is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time. He holds records for most successful consecutive defenses of world titles, most title fights, most title-fight victories and he is after Joe Louis for most title defenses won by knockout. His record was 89-0-1 going into his first loss to Frankie Randall and had an 87 fight win streak until his draw with Whitaker. He was ranked #50 on Ring Magazine's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time." As an in-fighter or "swarmer," Julio César Chávez was renowned specially for his devastating left hook and his extremely strong chin. Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, stated that Chávez was one of the greatest fighters of his generation and top five of all time from his point of view. Trainer Angelo Dundee said that Chávez had one of the strongest chins in boxing history. In 2002, The Ring ranked Chávez as the 18th greatest fighter of the last 80 years. On December 7, 2010, his induction to the International Boxing Hall of Fame was announced.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
115Loss107–6–2 Grover WileyRTD4, 3:00Sep 17, 2005 America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
114Win107–5–2 Ivan RobinsonUD10May 28, 2005 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
113Win106–5–2 Frankie RandallUD10May 22, 2004 Plaza de Toros, Mexico City, Mexico
112Win105–5–2 Willy WiseTKO2 Nov 22, 2003 Centro de Espectáculos Alamar, Tijuana, Mexico
111Win104–5–2 Terry ThomasTKO2, 0:50Nov 24, 2001 Plaza de Toros Monumental, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
110Loss103–5–2 Kostya TszyuTKO6, 1:28Jul 29, 2000 Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.For WBC light welterweight title
109Win103–4–2 Buck SmithTKO3 Dec 18, 1999 Culiacán, Mexico
108Loss102–4–2 Willy WiseUD10Oct 2, 1999 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
107Win102–3–2 Marty JakubowskiTKO4 Jul 10, 1999 Plaza de Toros Calafia, Mexicali, Mexico
106Win101–3–2 Verdell SmithTKO4, 1:36Apr 1, 1999 Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, U.S.
105Loss100–3–2 Oscar De La HoyaRTD8, 3:00Sep 18, 1998 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.For WBC welterweight title
104Win100–2–2 Ken SiguraniTKO3, 2:09Jun 25, 1998 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S.
103Draw99–2–2 Miguel Ángel González12Mar 7, 1998 Plaza de Toros, Mexico City, MexicoFor vacant WBC light welterweight title
102Win99–2–1 Larry LaCoursiereUD10Jun 28, 1997 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
101Win98–2–1 Tony MartinUD10Mar 29, 1997 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
100Win97–2–1 Joey GamacheTKO8, 3:00Oct 12, 1996 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
99Loss96–2–1 Oscar De La HoyaTKO4, 2:37Jun 7, 1996 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBC light welterweight title
98Win96–1–1 Scott WalkerTKO2, 2:45Feb 9, 1996 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
97Win95–1–1 David KamauUD12Sep 16, 1995 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
96Win94–1–1 Craig HoukKO1, 1:19Jul 29, 1995 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
95Win93–1–1 Giovanni ParisiUD12Apr 8, 1995 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
94Win92–1–1 Tony LopezTKO10, 1:41Dec 10, 1994 Estadio de Béisbol, Monterrey, MexicoRetained WBC light welterweight title
93Win91–1–1 Meldrick TaylorTKO8, 1:41Sep 17, 1994 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
92Win90–1–1 Frankie RandallTD8, 2:57May 7, 1994 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBC light welterweight title;
Split TD after Chávez was cut from an accidental head clash
91Loss89–1–1 Frankie Randall12Jan 29, 1994 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBC light welterweight title
90Win89–0–1 Andy HolliganTKO5 Dec 18, 1993 Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla City, MexicoRetained WBC light welterweight title
89Win88–0–1 Mike PowellTKO4 Oct 30, 1993 Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
88Draw87–0–1 Pernell Whitaker12Sep 10, 1993 Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.For WBC welterweight title
87Win87–0 Terrence AlliTKO6, 0:45May 8, 1993 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
86Win86–0 Silvio Walter RojasKO3, 2:05Apr 10, 1993 Auditorio Benito Juárez, Guadalajara, Mexico
85Win85–0 Greg HaugenTKO5, 2:02Feb 20, 1993 Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, MexicoRetained WBC light welterweight title
84Win84–0 Marty JakubowskiTKO6, 0:18Dec 13, 1992 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
83Win83–0 Bruce PearsonKO3 Oct 31, 1992 Culiacán, Mexico
82Win82–0 Héctor CamachoUD12Sep 12, 1992 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
81Win81–0 Frankie MitchellTKO4, 0:56Aug 1, 1992 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
80Win80–0 Angel HernandezTKO5, 1:11Apr 10, 1992 Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, MexicoRetained WBC light welterweight title
79Win79–0 Juan Soberanes RamosKO4 Mar 13, 1992 La Paz, Mexico
78Win78–0 Ignacio PerdomoRTD7, 3:00Dec 13, 1991 Hermosillo, Mexico
77Win77–0 Jorge Alberto MelianKO4, 1:36Nov 12, 1991 Mexico City, Mexico
76Win76–0 Lonnie SmithUD12Sep 14, 1991 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
75Win75–0 Tommy SmallKO4, 0:56Apr 26, 1991 Estadio General Ángel Flores, Culiacán, Mexico
74Win74–0 John DuplessisTKO4, 2:42Mar 18, 1991 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC and IBF light welterweight titles
73Win73–0 Kyung-Duk AhnTKO3, 2:14Dec 8, 1990 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBC and IBF light welterweight titles
72Win72–0 Jaime BalboaTKO4, 2:10Nov 8, 1990 Mazatlán, Mexico
71Win71–0 Russell MosleyKO3 Aug 18, 1990 Culiacán, Mexico
70Win70–0 Akwei AddoKO2 Jul 5, 1990 Palacio de Deportes, Madrid, Spain
69Win69–0 Meldrick TaylorTKO12, 2:58Mar 17, 1990 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title;
Won IBF light welterweight title
68Win68–0 Alberto de las Mercedes CortesTKO3, 1:56Dec 16, 1989 Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, MexicoRetained WBC light welterweight title
67Win67–0 Sammy FuentesRTD10, 3:00Nov 18, 1989 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC light welterweight title
66Win66–0 Ramon AramburuKO3 Oct 27, 1989 Mazatlán, Mexico
65Win65–0 Rodolfo BattaKO1, 2:56Oct 9, 1989 Bullring by the Sea, Tijuana, Mexico
64Win64–0 Kenny ViceTKO3, 1:57Jul 30, 1989 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
63Win63–0 Roger Mayweather10, 3:00May 13, 1989 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Won WBC light welterweight title
62Win62–0 José Luis RamírezTD11, 0:54Oct 29, 1988 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA lightweight title;
Won WBC and vacant The Ring lightweight titles;
Unanimous TD after Ramírez was cut from an accidental head clash
61Win61–0 Vernon BuchananTKO3, 2:02Aug 1, 1988 Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.
60Win60–0 Rafael LimónTKO7 Jun 4, 1988 Mazatlán, Mexico
59Win59–0 Rodolfo AguilarTKO6, 1:13Apr 16, 1988 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA lightweight title
58Win58–0 Nicky PerezTKO3 Mar 5, 1988 Tijuana, Mexico
57Win57–0 Edwin RosarioTKO11, 2:38Nov 21, 1987 Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Won WBA lightweight title
56Win56–0 Danilo CabreraUD12Aug 21, 1987 Agua Caliente Racetrack, Tijuana, MexicoRetained WBC super featherweight title
55Win55–0 Francisco Tomas Da CruzTKO3, 2:31Apr 18, 1987 Nîmes, FranceRetained WBC super featherweight title
54Win54–0 Juan LaporteUD12Dec 12, 1986 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Retained WBC super featherweight title
53Win53–0 Rocky Lockridge12Aug 3, 1986 Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, MonacoRetained WBC super featherweight title
52Win52–0 Refugio RojasTKO7, 2:33Jun 13, 1986 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Retained WBC super featherweight title
51Win51–0 Faustino Martires BarriosTKO5, 2:02May 15, 1986 Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris, FranceRetained WBC super featherweight title
50Win50–0 Roberto Collins LindoKO2, 0:31Mar 22, 1986 Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
49Win49–0 Jeff Bumpus5, 1:19Dec 19, 1985 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Unanimous TD after Chávez was cut from an accidental head clash
48Win48–0 Dwight Pratchett12Sep 21, 1985 Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC super featherweight title
47Win47–0 Roger MayweatherTKO2, 2:30Jul 7, 1985 Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBC super featherweight title
46Win46–0 Ruben CastilloTKO6, 2:56Apr 19, 1985 The Forum, Inglewood, California, U.S.Retained WBC super featherweight title
45Win45–0 Manuel HernandezTKO3 Jan 1, 1985 Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico
44Win44–0 Mario MartínezTKO8, 3:00Sep 13, 1984 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Won vacant WBC super featherweight title
43Win43–0 Delfino MendozaKO3Jun 13, 1984 Hermosillo, Mexico
42Win42–0 Ramon AvitiaKO6May 4, 1984 Culiacán, Mexico
41Win41–0 Armando FloresKO3Sep 1, 1983 Mazatlán, Mexico
40Win40–0 Adriano ArreolaPTS10Jul 16, 1983 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
39Win39–0 Benjamin AbarcaKO5Dec 30, 1983 Culiacán, Mexico
38Win38–0 Romero SandovalKO2, 1:58Jun 15, 1983 Grand Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
37Win37–0 Javier FragosoKO4May 1, 1983 Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
36Win36–0 Ernesto HerreraKO2Apr 4, 1983 Tijuana, Mexico
35Win35–0 Othoniel LopezKO4Feb 25, 1983 Ensenada, Mexico
34Win34–0 Jerry LewisKO6 Dec 11, 1982 Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, U.S.
33Win33–0 Jerry LewisKO5Oct 23, 1982 Tijuana, Mexico
32Win32–0 Jose ResendezKO6 Sep 28, 1982 Auditorio Fausto Gutierrez Moreno, Tijuana, Mexico
31Win31–0 Santos RodriguezKO8Aug 20, 1982 Culiacán, Mexico
30Win30–0 Gustavo SalgadoKO2 Jul 19, 1982 Auditorio Fausto Gutierrez Moreno, Tijuana, Mexico
29Win29–0 Juan Carlos AlvaradoKO3May 8, 1982 Culiacán, Mexico
28Win28–0 Benny AbarcaPTS10Apr 26, 1982 Tijuana, Mexico
27Win27–0 Johnny JensenKO3Mar 11, 1982 Tijuana, Mexico
26Win26–0 Carlos BryantKO2Feb 19, 1982 Culiacán, Mexico
25Win25–0 Ramon PerazaKO1Feb 4, 1982 Tijuana, Mexico
24Win24–0 Jesús GarcíaKO2Jan 29, 1982 Guamúchil, Mexico
23Win23–0 Ramon LuqueKO1Jan 12, 1982 Tijuana, Mexico
22Win22–0 Manuel VasquezKO7Dec 17, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
21Win21–0 Jose Angel MedinaKO6Oct 19, 1981 Tijuana, Mexico
20Win20–0 Jorge RamirezKO2Sep 25, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
19Win19–0 Daniel FelizardoKO3 Aug 31, 1981 Tijuana, Mexico
18Win18–0 Jesus Cuate LaraKO2 Aug 7, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
17Win17–0 Daniel MartinezKO1Jul 27, 1981 Tijuana, Mexico
16Win16–0 Bobby FernandezKO3Jul 10, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
15Win15–0 Fidel NavarroKO1Jun 26, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
14Win14–0 Victor GamezKO1Jun 5, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
13Win13–0 Eduardo Lalo AcostaKO2May 8, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
12Win12–0 Miguel RuizKO1Mar 4, 1981 Culiacán, Mexico
11Win11–0 Julio GaxiolaKO4Feb 2, 1981 Tijuana, Mexico
10Win10–0 Roberto FloresKO3Dec 15, 1980 Culiacán, Mexico
9Win9–0 Andres FelixKO2Nov 26, 1980 Culiacán, Mexico
8Win8–0 Jesus MartinezKO1Oct 13, 1980 Culiacán, Mexico
7Win7–0 Jesus Cuate LaraPTS10Sep 22, 1980 Culiacán, Mexico
6Win6–0 Miguel CebreroPTS10Sep 5, 1980 Culiacán, Mexico
5Win5–0 Tito GeraldoPTS6Jul 18, 1980 Guamúchil, Mexico
4Win4–0 Roberto Garcia6 May 20, 1980 Guaymas, Mexico
3Win3–0 Ramon FloresKO3 Apr 8, 1980 Navojoa, Mexico
2Win2–0 Fidencio Cebreros6Mar 3, 1980 Culiacán, Mexico
1Win1–0 Andres FelixKO2 Feb 5, 1980 Culiacán, Mexico