Julio Cesar Chavez was OVERRATED OR UNDERRATED???

[Hookie74]

He is definitely an all-time great. He beat the following world title holders:

Mario Martinez (IBO)
Roger Mayweather x2
Rocky Lockridge
Juan LaPorte
Francisco Tomas da Cruz (WBF)
Edwin Rosario
Rafael Limon
Jose Luis Ramirez
Sammy Fuentas
Meldrick Taylor x2
Jaime Balboa (IBC)
Lonnie Smith
Hector Camacho
Greg Haugen
Pernell Whitaker
Frankie Randall x2
Tony Lopez
Giovanni Parisi
David Kamau (WBB)
Joey Gamache
Tony Martin (IBC)
Ken Sigurani (WBF,IBC)
Willy Wise (IBO)

23 different fighters, 26 wins.

He had Draws with World Title Holders:

Pernell Whitaker (Chavez first World Title fight at 147, his 88th pro fight)

Miguel Angel Gonzalez (his 103rd pro fight)

He also beat:

Ruben Castillo
Terrence Alli
Ivan Robinson
...and others

He went 87-0 before his first Draw.

He went 89-0-1 before his first Loss.

He has 31 wins in World Title Fights.

World Champ at 130, 135, and 140. He fought to a Draw for a World Title at 147 (I thought Whitaker won the fight).

[oogiebe]

Seriously!

[Silas1066]

While he was a great fighter for sure, he is overrated

His 87-0 record was nonsense, as he may have actually lost an early fight (whose decision was reversed), and much of the competition was poor.

Many believe Juan Laporte beat him in 1986, and he barely escaped with a mixed decision vs. Rocky Lockridge.

Taylor was schooling him before getting careless,. Chavez wasn't able to put Camacho away, and Whitaker clearly beat him.

He wasn't some invincible fighter, as guys with a lot of skill and hand speed were able to outbox him. Some of his bigger victories were against guys well past their primes, like Limon.

He was a good fighter in an era of weak competition, with power and a chin.

Doesn't belong in any top 20 lists imho

[elmersalsa]

How about a fight of Chavez vs Aaron Pryor? Two great fighters go at it at 135 or 140lbs. Who wins?

[Silas1066]

I would take Aaron Pryor in that one. He was simply too fast and awkward for Chavez to catch and KO

I see Aaron way ahead on points going into the late rounds before Chavez gets TKO'd.

[oogiebe]

Yeah...Pryor was a beast (especially with the magic bottle), so I'd have a tough time picking Chavez here.

[SenorPipino]

Yeah...Pryor was a beast (especially with the magic bottle), so I'd have a tough time picking Chavez here.

I never believe the magic bottle fairy tale.

What the hell was supposed to be in that little bottle?

Pryor takes a quick swig between rounds and suddenly comes out blazing and KOs Arguello.

Sounds like comic book stuff.

If there's a really a magic potion that can transform a boxer into Superman within seconds, then every fighter would have it stashed in his corner.

[paddy chavez]

Yeah...Pryor was a beast (especially with the magic bottle), so I'd have a tough time picking Chavez here.

I never believe the magic bottle fairy tale.

What the hell was supposed to be in that little bottle?

Pryor takes a quick swig between rounds and suddenly comes out blazing and KOs Arguello.

Sounds like comic book stuff.

If there's a really a magic potion that can transform a boxer into Superman within seconds, then every fighter would have it stashed in his corner.

Cocaine ,speed , adrenaline there's lots of things

[Silas1066]

Supposedly, the bottle contained ephedrine (Primatene tablets broken up) which increases lung capacity

Did it alter the result of the fight? Probably not, especially since Pryor beat Arguello in the rematch.

I was still heartbroken as a kid though, since Arguello was my favorite fighter back then

[nobleart1978]

Meldrick Taylor was ahead in the first fight against Chavez but the ref, Richard Steele, who was very friendly with Chavez' promoter Don King, stopped the fight with 2 seconds left in the final round.

That being said, Chavez had dished out a lot of punishment to Taylor. But Chavez was being outboxed for large chunks of the bout.

Frankie Randall outboxed JCC as well.
Aaron Pryor would outbox Chavez all night long!

[bollocks]

He cleaned out 3 divisions therefore he's somewhat under rated

[oogiebe]

He cleaned out 3 divisions therefore he's somewhat under rated

Simply put but essentially correct!

[SenorPipino]

Supposedly, the bottle contained ephedrine (Primatene tablets broken up) which increases lung capacity

Did it alter the result of the fight? Probably not, especially since Pryor beat Arguello in the rematch.

I was still heartbroken as a kid though, since Arguello was my favorite fighter back then

A lot of rumors, innuendo and speculation.

But nobody ever proved anything.

Panama said it was sugar water. Barring evidence to the contrary, I suspect that it probably was.

And I was an Arguello fan.

At 140, Pryor was simply the better fighter.

[oogiebe]

Supposedly, the bottle contained ephedrine (Primatene tablets broken up) which increases lung capacity

Did it alter the result of the fight? Probably not, especially since Pryor beat Arguello in the rematch.

I was still heartbroken as a kid though, since Arguello was my favorite fighter back then

A lot of rumors, innuendo and speculation.

But nobody ever proved anything.

Panama said it was sugar water. Barring evidence to the contrary, I suspect that it probably was.

And I was an Arguello fan.

At 140, Pryor was simply the better fighter.

I was so confused during that fight, as to how a fighter took so much punishment and seemingly and miraculously recovered time and time again. I don't doubt that cheating MAY have occurred. Who was Pryor's trainer?