The name of Julio Cesar Chavez falls into the category of boxing and sporting legends in general in its own right. His record of 90 undefeated fights and more than 100 victories make him one of the most special fighters in history. Unforgettable was that fight against Meldrick Taylor or the one against Greg Haugen at the Azteca Stadium with the attendance record (132,274 spectators). The ‘Great Mexican Champion’, who has achieved more victories in championship duels (31), was able to move an entire country and today at 62 years of age he visits Spain for charity reasons.
Chavez offered a ‘master class’ at the Emporio Boxing gym in Madrid, which was full of anecdotes. The legendary fighter shared his life experiences above all and his recipe for success: “Dreams come true through effort and perseverance, but the most important thing is discipline. It is something that is worth everything and thanks to it you can get to achieve what you set out to do. Along the way there will be falls from which one has to overcome. You have to have the courage to get up, but without discipline you get nowhere,” said JC.
My fight against alcohol and drugs has been the hardest of my life and my greatest victory
The Ciudad Obregon native even recalled that when he started, “I didn’t like boxing”. He followed the path of his brothers, although what interested him “was soccer”. “I put on the gloves so much that in the end I was interested,” he recalled. “I told my mother that if I lost I would go back to school, and that’s how I got to 90 fights undefeated,” joked the Mexican. The champion was also blunt when talking about his darkest time: “I felt alone and took refuge in alcohol and drugs and that’s why I lost my undefeated record. That has been the hardest fight of my life and the greatest victory,” he said.
Canelo vs. Crawford
We discussed with him some current boxing issues. Does Crawford have a chance to beat Canelo? The ‘Caesar of Boxing’ is very clear about what will happen in this fight between undisputed champions that will take place on September 13: “Crawford is a great fighter, he is one of the best pound-for-pound, and he has shown it through his fights and time, but it’s crazy to move up so many divisions to fight Canelo. He’s doing it for money, logically. I don’t see any chance of him beating Canelo. Yes, he’s going to give him a fight because he’s good, but he doesn’t have a chance to win. It’s too much weight and it’s not going to be enough for him to win,” he told MARCA.
Crawford? It’s crazy to go up so many divisions to fight Canelo. Logically, he does it for money
In recent weeks, there have been many ‘attacks’ on Canelo’s figure for a fight that is on everyone’s lips. Will the fight against David Benavidez take place? “It’s the fight everyone wants to see, but Canelo doesn’t want it and I don’t know when we’re going to see it,” JC replies.
Pacquiao has a chance to win; he’s up against a fighter who is not one of the great champions
There is another hot topic these days in the world of boxing: Manny Pacquiao’s return to fight for the world title against Mario Barrios. Chavez gives Pac-Man a chance of victory: “You should never rule out Pacquiao. It seems crazy to me to return at 47 years old. Logically he is going against a fighter who is not a great champion, a regular fighter and he has a chance to win.”
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