Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs. Andy Lee

Official Fight Poster

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr 159 lbs beat Andy Lee 159 lbs by TKO at 2:21 in round 7 of 12

• Date: 2012-06-16
• Location: Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas, USA
• Referee: Laurence Cole
• Judge: John Keane 56-58
• Judge: Jesse Reyes 56-58
• Judge: Rey Danseco 56-58

• World Boxing Council Middleweight Title (3rd defense by Chavez Jr.)
• Promoters: Bob Arum (Top Rank), Fernando Beltran (Promociones Zanfer), Lou DiBella (DiBella Entertainment)
• Ring Announcer: Michael Buffer
• Aired On: HBO World Championship Boxing (Main Event)
  

Notes

• Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. 45-0-1 (31 KOs) vs. Andy Lee 28-1 (20 KOs)
• Chavez entered as the #3 middleweight contender in the world according to The Ring Magazine. Lee, a 3/1 betting underdog, was unranked by the same publication. [1]
• At 159 1/4 lbs., Lee was fighting at his lightest weight since March of 2008. Chavez weighed in at his lightest since September of 2009.
• At the weigh-in for the bout, representatives of Andy Lee requested that the gloves of Chavez be weighed to make certain they were at the agreed-upon weight. The request was denied by Texas Commission Sports Inspector Robert Tapia. Lee's manager, Perry Mandera, then asked Chavez's trainer Freddie Roach to weigh the gloves in the spirit of fairness. "He pushed past me and said, 'We don't have to, so we're not going to," according to Mandera. [2]
• The bout saw a heavier presence by security including patdowns, bag checks, helicopters, and snipers as there was thought to be the potential for violence from Mexican drug cartels. The fight was canceled for several days in April when a Homeland Security Investigations intelligence report, given to the University of Texas System, said leaders from both the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels might be in attendance. [3]
• Referee Laurence Cole called a halt to the fight after a punishing series of blows from Chavez rocked Lee, who was ahead on all scorecards.
• Lee got off to a good start, using his jab and effectively outboxing Chavez Jr. in the center of the small 16 foot ring, however, Chavez Jr. eventually got through using his substantial weight advantage (he put a lot of weight on after the weigh in), and with his stronger physicality, essentially turning the fight in his favor. Near the middle rounds, Lee began to lose stamina due to Chavez Jr's focus on body work. In round 7, referee Laurence Cole stopped the bout with Lee still on his feet after Chavez Jr. stunned him. Lee subsequently took a barrage from Chavez Jr. on the ropes leading to the stoppage. Lee was up on all the official judges cards at the time.