THE GREAT 5 OF JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ – part 5
One of the sweetest and most emphatic victories of the Mexican
It is extremely difficult to determine just five matches of the great Julio Cesar Chavez. One of the best, if not the best, boxer of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, he was involved in some really great matches in the professional ring. All of Mexico was on its feet more than once to support and applaud its favorite. We have already recalled his meetings with Hector Camacho, Greg Haugen, Meldrick Taylor and Edwin Rosario, which make him a great athlete. We will do another light retrospective, because the last position in our ranking is occupied by a meeting from the early years of Chávez.
For every young boxer who has reached a world title, the real tests and meetings with experienced competitors are yet to come, who are left with very little chance of something significant at the end of their career. That's exactly the situation for Chavez when he faces Ruben Castillo. The veteran has already stopped the series of not one or two young and talented competitors. The Texan has 64 wins, 4 losses and 2 draws behind him, and 38 of his successes have come by way of knockout.
Castillo is a fighter who has defeated the likes of Salvador Sanchez, Alexis Argueyo and Juan LaPorte, but he is yet to face an amazing fighter like Chavez. For the Mexican, this is also the first defense of the World Boxing Council championship belt, so the tension is really not small. Chavez's potential or Castillo's experience? Who prevails in this outstanding encounter played on April 19, 1985 at The Forum, Inglewood, California.
The first round gets off to a flying start for the challenger, who uses his superior speed to land more punches to the head and body of Chavez. However, the Mexican responded appropriately in the second half. Gradually the balance of power began to turn and in the third round the champion challenged Castillo to exchange very heavy blows. However, the Texas native has an answer for every hook, every hook that Chavez throws at his head.
In the fourth part, both of them already have open wounds. For Castillo, the problem seems a notch more serious after one of Chavez's punches split his left eyebrow, while for the Mexican the problem is a notch lighter. And its power is the quality that takes the top.
The sixth round saw the last action of the match. Castillo is pinned against the ropes and it looks like the end is very near indeed. A veritable avalanche of hooks, hooks and several body shots send the American falling to the ropes. Before the referee counts to 8, the WBC world title challenger is on his knees, but is unable to stand before 10. With just four seconds left in the sixth round, the fight is over, and Chavez's first super featherweight world title defense is fact.
The Mexican competitor shows that even in the face of the first more difficult test, in the first meeting with a very experienced and classy boxer, he can handle it without any particular problems. Chavez knows how to get the match into a pace where he is more comfortable, where he can hurt his opponent more seriously. Trading shots for the younger competitor is by far the better strategy. Julio Cesar Chavez shows that endurance and strength are the qualities that can make him an amazing boxer.