Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez, 1974
Born	Cesar Estrada Chavez (1927-03-31)March 31, 1927 Yuma, Arizona, United States
Died	April 23, 1993(1993-04-23) (aged 66) San Luis, Arizona, United States
Occupation	Farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist.
Parents	Librado Chávez (father) Juana Estrada Chávez (mother)

Cesar Estrada Chavez (locally: [ˈsesaɾ esˈtɾaða ˈtʃaβes]; March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW).^[1]

A Mexican American, Chavez became the best known Latino civil rights activist, and was strongly promoted by the American labor movement, which was eager to enroll Hispanic members. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida. However, by the mid-1980s membership in the UFW had dwindled to around 15,000.^{[citation needed]}

After his death he became a major historical icon for the Latino community, and for liberals generally, symbolizing support for workers and for Hispanic power based on grass roots organizing and his slogan "Sí, se puede" (Spanish for "Yes, it is possible" or, roughly, "Yes, it can be done"). His supporters say his work led to numerous improvements for union laborers. His birthday, March 31, has become Cesar Chavez Day, a state holiday in three US states. Many parks, cultural centers, libraries, schools, and streets have been named in his honor in cities across the United States.

Early life[link]

Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927 in Yuma, Arizona, in a Mexican-American family of six children.^[2] He had two brothers, Richard (1929–2011) and Librado, and two sisters, Rita and Vicki.^[3] He was named after his grandfather, Cesario.^[4] Chavez grew up in a small adobe home, the same home in which he was born. His family owned a grocery store and a ranch, but their land was lost during the Great Depression. The family's home was taken away after his father had agreed to clear eighty acres of land in exchange for the deed to the house, an agreement which was subsequently broken. Later when Cesar's father attempted to purchase the house, he could not pay the interest on the loan and the house was sold to its original owner.^[4] His family then moved to California to become migrant farm workers.

The Chavez family faced many hardships in California. The family would pick peas and lettuce in the winter, cherries and beans in the spring, corn and grapes in the summer, and cotton in the fall.^[2] When César was a teenager, he and his older sister Rita would help other farm workers and neighbors by driving those unable to drive to the hospital to see a doctor.^[5]

In 1942, Chavez graduated from eighth grade. It would be his final year of formal schooling, because he did not want his mother to have to work in the fields. Chavez dropped out to become a full-time migrant farm worker.^[4] In 1944 he joined the United States Navy at the age of seventeen and served for two years. Chavez had hoped that he would learn skills in the Navy that would help him later when he returned to civilian life, however he soon discovered that at the time Mexican-Americans in the Navy could only work as deckhands or painters.^[6] Later, Chavez described his experience in the military as “the two worst years of my life.”^[7] When Chávez returned home from his service in the military, he married his high school sweetheart, Helen Favela. The couple moved to San Jose, California, where they would have seven children: Fernando, Linda (1951–2000),^[8] Paul, Eloise, Sylvia and Anthony.^[7]

Activism[link]

Chavez worked in the fields until 1952, when he became an organizer for the Community Service Organization (CSO), a Latino civil rights group. He was hired and trained by Fred Ross as an organizer targeting police brutality. Chavez urged Mexican Americans to register and vote, and he traveled throughout California and made speeches in support of workers' rights. He later became CSO's national director in 1958.^[9]

Worker's rights[link]

In 1962 Chávez left the CSO and co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) with Dolores Huerta. It was later called the United Farm Workers (UFW).

Chávez speaking at a 1974 United Farm Workers rally in Delano, California

When Filipino American farm workers initiated the Delano grape strike on September 8, 1965, to protest for higher wages, Chávez eagerly supported them. Six months later, Chávez and the NFWA led a strike of California grape pickers on the historic farmworkers march from Delano to the California state capitol in Sacramento for similar goals. The UFW encouraged all Americans to boycott table grapes as a show of support. The strike lasted five years and attracted national attention. In March 1966, the US Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare's Subcommittee on Migratory Labor held hearings in California on the strike. During the hearings, subcommittee member Robert F. Kennedy expressed his support for the striking workers.^[10]

These activities led to similar movements in Southern Texas in 1966, where the UFW supported fruit workers in Starr County, Texas, and led a march to Austin, in support of UFW farm workers' rights. In the Midwest, Cesar Chavez's movement inspired the founding of two Midwestern independent unions: Obreros Unidos in Wisconsin in 1966, and the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) in Ohio in 1967. Former UFW organizers would also found the Texas Farm Workers Union in 1975.

In the early 1970s, the UFW organized strikes and boycotts—including the Salad Bowl strike, the largest farm worker strike in U.S. history—to protest for, and later win, higher wages for those farm workers who were working for grape and lettuce growers. The union also won passage of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, which gave collective bargaining rights to farm workers. During the 1980s, Chávez led a boycott to protest the use of toxic pesticides on grapes. Bumper stickers reading "NO GRAPES" and "UVAS NO"^[11] (the translation in Spanish) were widespread. He again fasted to draw public attention. UFW organizers believed that a reduction in produce sales by 15% was sufficient to wipe out the profit margin of the boycotted product.

Chávez undertook a number of spiritual fasts, regarding the act as “a personal spiritual transformation”.^[12] In 1968, he fasted for 25 days, promoting the principle of nonviolence.^[13] In 1970, Chávez began a fast of ‘thanksgiving and hope’ to prepare for pre-arranged civil disobedience by farm workers.^[14] Also in 1972, he fasted in response to Arizona’s passage of legislation that prohibited boycotts and strikes by farm workers during the harvest seasons.^[14] These fasts were influenced by the Catholic tradition of doing penance and by Gandhi’s fasts and emphasis of nonviolence.^[13]

In a failed attempt to reach out to Filipino American farmworkers, Chávez met with then-President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos in Manila. There he endorsed the regime, which was seen by human rights advocates and religious leaders as a vicious dictatorship. This caused a rift within the UFW, which lead to Philip Vera Cruz's resignation from the organization.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Immigration[link]

The UFW during Chávez's tenure was committed to restricting immigration. Chávez and Dolores Huerta, cofounder and president of the UFW, fought the Bracero Program that existed from 1942 to 1964. Their opposition stemmed from their belief that the program undermined US workers and exploited the migrant workers. Since the Bracero program ensured a constant supply of cheap immigrant labor for growers, immigrants could not protest any infringement of their rights, lest they be fired and replaced. Their efforts contributed to Congress ending the Bracero Program in 1964. In 1973, the UFW was one of the first labor unions to oppose proposed employer sanctions that would have prohibited hiring undocumented immigrants. Later during the 1980s, while Chávez was still working alongside Huerta, he was key in getting the amnesty provisions into the 1986 federal immigration act.^[19]

On a few occasions, concerns that undocumented migrant labor would undermine UFW strike campaigns led to a number of controversial events, which the UFW describes as anti-strikebreaking events, but which have also been interpreted as being anti-immigrant. In 1969, Chávez and members of the UFW marched through the Imperial and Coachella Valleys to the border of Mexico to protest growers' use of undocumented immigrants as strikebreakers. Joining him on the march were both Reverend Ralph Abernathy and US Senator Walter Mondale.^[20] In its early years, Chávez and the UFW went so far as to report undocumented immigrants who served as strikebreaking replacement workers, as well as those who refused to unionize, to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.^{[21][22][23][24][25]}

In 1973, the United Farm Workers set up a "wet line" along the United States-Mexico border to prevent Mexican immigrants from entering the United States illegally and potentially undermining the UFW's unionization efforts.^[26] During one such event in which Chávez was not involved, some UFW members, under the guidance of Chávez's cousin Manuel, physically attacked the strikebreakers, after attempts to peacefully persuade them not to cross the border failed.^[27][28][29]

Animal rights[link]

Chávez was a vegan because he believed in animal rights and also for his health.^[30][31]

Death[link]

Chávez died on April 23, 1993, of unspecified natural causes in a rental apartment in San Luis, Arizona. Shortly after his death, his widow, Helen Chávez, donated his black nylon union jacket to the National Museum of American History, a branch of the Smithsonian.^[32]

He is buried at the National Chavez Center, on the headquarters campus of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), at 29700 Woodford-Tehachapi Road in the Keene community of unincorporated Kern County, California.^[33]

Legacy[link]

There is a portrait of him in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.^[34]

In 1973, college professors in Mount Angel, Oregon established the first four-year Mexican-American college in the United States. They chose Cesar Chavez as their symbolic figurehead, naming the college Colegio Cesar Chavez. In the book Colegio Cesar Chavez, 1973-1983: A Chicano Struggle for Educational Self-Determination author Carlos Maldonado writes that Chávez visited the campus twice, joining in public demonstrations in support of the college. Though Colegio Cesar Chavez closed in 1983, it remains a recognized part of Oregon history. On its website the Oregon Historical Society writes, "Structured as a 'college-without-walls,' more than 100 students took classes in Chicano Studies, early childhood development, and adult education. Significant financial and administrative problems caused Colegio to close in 1983. Its history represents the success of a grassroots movement."^[35] The Colegio has been described as having been a symbol of the Latino presence in Oregon.^[36]

In 1992, Chávez was awarded the Pacem in Terris Award. It was named after a 1963 encyclical letter by Pope John XXIII that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations. Pacem in Terris is Latin for "Peace on Earth."

On September 8, 1994, Chávez was presented, posthumously, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. The award was received by his widow, Helen Chávez.

The California cities of Long Beach, Modesto, Sacramento, San Diego, Berkeley, and San Jose, California have renamed parks after him, as well as the City of Seattle, Washington. In Amarillo, Texas a bowling alley has been renamed in his memory. In Los Angeles, César E. Chávez Avenue, originally two separate streets (Macy Street west of the Los Angeles River and Brooklyn Avenue east of the river), extends from Sunset Boulevard and runs through East Los Angeles and Monterey Park. In San Francisco, Cesar Chavez Street, originally named Army Street, is named in his memory. At San Francisco State University the student center is also named after him. The University of California, Berkeley, has a César E. Chávez Student Center, which lies across Lower Sproul Plaza from the Martin Luther King, Jr., Student Union. California State University San Marcos's Chavez Plaza includes a statue to Chávez. In 2007, The University of Texas at Austin unveiled its own Cesar Chavez Statue^[37] on campus. Fresno named an adult school, where a majority percent of students' parents or themselves are, or have been, field workers, after Chávez. In Austin, Texas, one of the central thoroughfares was changed to Cesar Chavez Boulevard. In Ogden, Utah, a four-block section of 30th Street was renamed Cesar Chavez Street. In Oakland, there is a library named after him and his birthday, March 31, is a district holiday in remembrance of him. On July 8, 2009, the city of Portland, Oregon, changed the name of 39th Avenue to Cesar Chavez Boulevard.^[38] San Antonio renamed Durago Avenue to Cesar Chavez Avenue in May 2011, not without some controversy. In 2003, the United States Postal Service honored him with a postage stamp. The largest flatland park in Phoenix Arizona is named after Chavez. The park features Cesar Chavez Branch Library and a life-sized statue of Chavez by artist Zarco Guerrero. In April, 2010, the city of Dallas, Texas changed street signage along the downtown street-grade portion of Central Expressway, renaming it for Chávez;^[39] part of the street passes adjacent to the downtown Dallas Farmers Market complex. El Paso has a controlled-access highway, the portion of Texas Loop 375 running beside the Rio Grande, called the Cesar Chavez Border Highway; also in El Paso, the alternative junior-senior high school in the Ysleta Independent School District is named for Chavez. Las Cruces, New Mexico has an elementary school named for Cesar Chavez as well.

The National Chavez Center, Keene, California.

In 2004, the National Chavez Center was opened on the UFW national headquarters campus in Keene by the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation. It currently consists of a visitor center, memorial garden and his grave site. When it is fully completed, the 187-acre (0.76 km²) site will include a museum and conference center to explore and share Chávez's work.^[33] On September 14, 2011, the U.S. Department of the Interior added the 187 acres (76 ha) Nuestra Senora Reina de La Paz ranch to the National Register of Historic Places.^[40]

In 2005, a Cesar Chavez commemorative meeting was held in San Antonio, honoring his work on behalf of immigrant farmworkers and other immigrants. Chavez High School in Houston is named in his honor, as is Cesar E. Chavez High School in Delano, California. In Davis, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bakersfield, California and Madison, Wisconsin there are elementary schools named after him in his honor. In Davis, California, there is also an apartment complex named after Chávez which caters specifically to low-income residents and people with physical and mental disabilities. In Racine, Wisconsin, there is a community center named The Cesar Chavez Community Center also in his honor. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the business loop of I-196 Highway is named "Cesar E Chavez Blvd." The (AFSC) American Friends Service Committee nominated him three times for the Nobel Peace Prize.^[41]

On December 6, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Cesar Chavez into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts.^[42]

Cesar Chavez's eldest son, Fernando Chávez, and grandson, Anthony Chávez, each tour the country, speaking about his legacy.

Chávez was referenced by Stevie Wonder in the song "Black Man," from the album Songs in the Key of Life, and by Tom Morello in the song "Union Song," from the album One Man Revolution.

On May 18, 2011, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the Navy would be naming the last of 14 Lewis and Clark-class cargo ships after Cesar Chavez.^[43]

One of Cesar Chavez' grandchildren is a professional golfer named Sam Chavez.

Cesar Chavez Day[link]

Cesar Chavez Day poster

Cesar Chavez's birthday, March 31, is celebrated in California as a state holiday, intended to promote service to the community in honor of Chávez's life and work. Many, but not all, state government offices, community colleges, and libraries are closed. Many public schools in the state are also closed. Texas also recognizes the day, and it is an optional holiday in Arizona and Colorado. Although it is not a federal holiday, the President proclaims March 31 as Cesar Chavez Day in the United States, with Americans being urged to "observe this day with appropriate service, community, and educational programs to honor Cesar Chavez's enduring legacy."^[44]

Timeline[link]

<timeline>

ImageSize = width:750 height:700 PlotArea = left:50 right:0 bottom:10 top:10

DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:1927 till:1996 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:3 start:1927 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1927

PlotData=

color:red mark:(line, pink) align:left fontsize:M
shift:(25,0) # shift text to right side of bar
at:1927 text:March 31, César Estrada Chávez born near Yuma, Arizona.
at:1942 text:Chavez Begins as a farm worker
at:1944 text:Chavez begins his military service in the US Navy, which lasts 2 years.
at:1946 text:Chavez joins the National Agricultural Workers Union, his first.
at:1948 text:He and his family join the National Farm Workers Labor Union.
at:1952 text:Cesar Chavez is recruited for Saul Alinsky's Community Service Organization,~ an activist group that fought racial and economic discrimination against Chicano residents.
from:1958 till:1959 text:Chávez organizes strikes, marches, and a boycott of merchants~ in Oxnard to protest local unemployment.
at:1962 text:Leaves The CSO and moves to Delano where he founds the Farm Workers Association.
at:1965 shift:(25,-5) text: The NFWA and Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee start the grape boycott.
at:1966 shift:(25,8) text:In March, Chávez marches with 75 others from Delano to the capital, Sacramento, 340 miles~ to bring attention to the plight of farmworkers.
at:1968 text:In February, Chavez begins his historic 25 day fast.
at:1969 text:UFW declares National Grape Boycott Day.
at:1970 text:In December, Chávez imprisoned for challenging injunction against the boycott.
at:1973 text:UFW celebrates first convention in Fresno.
at:1975 text:California Supreme Court declares the short-handled hoe an Unsafe Hand Tool thus banned by California law
at:1977 text:An agreement was reached that gave the UFW the sole right to organize farm workers.
at:1984 text:Chávez announces a new grape boycott, this time focused on pesticides.
at:1988 text:Chávez fasts for 36 days to protest pesticide use
at:1993 text:April 23, after a fast of several days, Chávez dies in his sleep of unknown cause.
at:1994 text:Chávez posthumously receives the US Medal of Freedom from President Clinton.
at:1996 text:Made a memorial of his history.

</timeline>

See also[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Cesar Chavez

	Organized labor portal
	Biography portal
	Latino and Hispanic American portal

• List of places named after Cesar Chavez
• Sí se puede
• Union Organizer

References[link]

References and Further reading[link]

• Bardacke, Frank. Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers. New York and London: Verso 2011. ISBN 978-1-84467-718-4 (hbk.)
• Bardacke, Frank. "Cesar's Ghost: Decline and Fall of the U.F.W.", The Nation (July 26, 1993) online version^{[dead link]}
• Bruns, Roger. Cesar Chavez: A Biography (2005) excerpt and text search
• Burt, Kenneth C. "The Search for a Civic Voice: California Latino Politics," (2007).
• Dalton, Frederick John. The Moral Vision of Cesar Chavez (2003) excerpt and text search
• Daniel, Cletus E. "Cesar Chavez and the Unionization of California Farm Workers." ed. Dubofsky, Melvyn and Warren Van Tine. Labor Leaders in America. University of IL: 1987.
• Etulain, Richard W. Cesar Chavez: A Brief Biography with Documents (2002), 138pp; by a leading historian. excerpt and text search
• Ferriss, Susan, and Ricardo Sandoval, eds. The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement (1998) excerpt and text search
• Griswold del Castillo, Richard, and Richard A. Garcia. Cesar Chavez: A Triumph of Spirit (1995). highly favorable treatment
• Hammerback, John C., and Richard J. Jensen. The Rhetorical Career of Cesar Chavez. (1998).
• Jacob, Amanda Cesar Chavez Dominates Face Sayville: Mandy Publishers, 2005.
• Jensen, Richard J., Thomas R. Burkholder, and John C. Hammerback. "Martyrs for a Just Cause: The Eulogies of Cesar Chavez," Western Journal of Communication, Vol. 67, 2003 online edition
• Johnson, Andrea Shan. "Mixed Up in the Making: Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, and the Images of Their Movements." PhD dissertation U. of Missouri, Columbia 2006. 503 pp. DAI 2007 67(11): 4312-A. DA3242742 Fulltext: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
• LaBotz, Dan. Cesar Chavez and La Causa (2005), short scholarly biography
• León, Luis D. "Cesar Chavez in American Religious Politics: Mapping the New Global Spiritual Line." American Quarterly 2007 59(3): 857–881. Issn: 0003-0678 Fulltext: Project Muse
• Levy, Jacques E. and Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez: Autobiography of La Causa. (1975). ISBN 0-393-07494-3
• Matthiessen, Peter. Sal Si Puedes (Escape If You Can): Cesar Chavez and the New American Revolution, (2nd ed. 2000) excerpt and text search^{[dead link]}
• Meister, Dick and Anne Loftis. A Long Time Coming: The Struggle to Unionize America's Farm Workers, (1977).
• Orosco, Jose-Antonio. Cesar Chavez and the Common Sense of Nonviolence (2008)
• Prouty, Marco G. Cesar Chavez, the Catholic Bishops, and the Farmworkers' Struggle for Social Justice (University of Arizona Press; 185 pages; 2006). Analyzes the church's changing role from mediator to Chávez supporter in the farmworkers' strike that polarized central California's Catholic community from 1965 to 1970; draws on previously untapped archives of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• Ross, Fred. Conquering Goliath : Cesar Chavez at the Beginning. Keene, California: United Farm Workers: Distributed by El Taller Grafico, 1989. ISBN 0-9625298-0-X
• Soto, Gary. Cesar Chavez: a Hero for Everyone. New York: Aladdin, 2003. ISBN 0-689-85923-6 and ISBN 0-689-85922-8 (pbk.)
• Taylor, Ronald B. Chavez and the Farm Workers (1975) online edition

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cesar Chavez

• "The Story of Cesar Chavez" United Farmworker's official biography of Chávez
• César E. Chávez Chronology County of Los Angeles Public Library
• Five Part Series on Cesar Chavez Los Angeles Times, Kids' Reading Room Classic, October 2000
• The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworker's Struggle PBS Documentary
• Farmworker Movement Documentation Project
• New York Times obituary, April 24, 1993
• Walter P. Reuther Library – President Clinton presents Helen Chavez with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1994
• Jerry Cohen Papers in the Archives & Special Collections at Amherst College. Cohen was General Counsel of the United Farm Workers of America and personal attorney of Cesar Chavez from 1967-1979.

Julio César Chávez
Chávez in 2006
Statistics
Real name	Julio César Chávez González
Nickname(s)	J.C. El César del Boxeo (The Caesar of Boxing)[1] El Gran Campeón Mexicano (The Great Mexican Champion)[2] Mr. KO
Rated at	Super Featherweight Lightweight Light Welterweight Welterweight Light Middleweight
Nationality	Mexican
Born	(1962-07-12) July 12, 1962 (age 49) Obregón, Sonora, Mexico
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	116
Wins	107
Wins by KO	89
Losses	6
Draws	2
No contests	0

For his son who is also a boxer, see Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr.

Julio César Chávez (born Julio César Chávez González on July 12, 1962) is a retired Mexican professional boxer. Chávez is considered the greatest fighter ever to come out of Mexico.^[3]

He is a six-time world champion in three weight divisions,^[4] and for several years he was considered the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.^[5] In a career that spanned over 25 years, Chávez won six world titles in three weight divisions: WBC Super Featherweight in 1984, WBA Lightweight in 1987, WBC Lightweight in 1988, WBC Light Welterweight in 1989, IBF Light Welterweight in 1990, and WBC Light Welterweight in 1994.

Julio César Chávez was known for his outstanding punching power, devastating body attack, remarkably strong chin and the relentless stalking of his opponents.^[4] He ranks #24 on ESPN's 50 Greatest Boxers Of All Time.^[6] On December 7, 2010, he was inducted in the prestigious International Boxing Hall of Fame for the Class of 2011.^[7][8] He is the father of prospect Omar Chávez and current WBC Middleweight Champion Julio César Chávez, Jr.^[9][10]

Early life[link]

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 peoples clothes, and I promised her I would give her a house someday and she would never have that job again."^[11] He began boxing as an amateur at the age of 16 and he then moved to Culiacán to pursue a professional career.

Career[link]

Chávez made his professional debut at age 17. In his 12th fight, on March 4, 1981, Chávez faced Miguel Ruiz in Culiacán, Sinaloa. At the end of the first round, Chavez landed a blow that knocked out Ruiz. Delivered as the bell sounded, the blow was ruled a disqualification in the ring and Ruiz was declared the winner. The next day, however, after further review, the Mexican boxing commission reversed the result and proclaimed Chávez the winner.

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, California. Martínez had been the betting favorite in the bout. On April 19, 1985, Chávez defended his title against number one ranked contender Ruben Castillo (63-4-2) by knocking him out in the sixth round.^[12] On July 7, 1985, Chavez defeated future champion Roger Mayweather via a second round knock out. 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, Monaco. 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 (27-1-0) by third round knockout.^[13] He successfully defended his WBC Super Featherweight title a total of nine times.

Lightweight[link]

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 against the hard punching Puerto Rican. 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 (36%) and Chavez 450 of 743 (61%). 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."'^[14][15]

On April 16, 1988, Chávez defeated number one ranked contender Rodolfo Aguilar (20-0-1) by sixth round technical knockout.^[16] On June 4, 1988, he successfully defended his title 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 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[link]

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 (44-0) his first career loss by scoring a third round knockout.

Chávez vs. Taylor[link]

On March 17, 1990, he faced Meldrick Taylor, the undefeated IBF Light Welterweight Champion, in a title unification fight. While Taylor won the early rounds, Chávez rallied in the later rounds, scoring a knockdown with seconds remaining in the final round of the fight. Although Taylor rose at the referee's count of six, he did not respond coherently to referee Richard Steele's questions and continued to hold onto the ropes all along. Steele stopped 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."^[17] 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 moved up in weight in his next bout and the fighters did not meet again until 1994 when Chávez dominated and then 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 (29-1) by third round knockout. On March 18, 1991, he defeated WBC number four ranked fighter John Duplessis (34-1) by fourth round TKO. On September 14, 1991, Chávez won a twelve round unanimous decision over former champion Lonnie Smith. April 10, 1992, he scored a TKO victory over number one ranked contender Angel Hernandez (37-0-2, 22 KOs) in the fifth round. Later that year, he defeated Frankie Mitchell (29-1) by fourth round TKO.

Chávez vs. Camacho[link]

On September 12, 1992, Chávez faced WBO light welterweight champion Hector "Macho" Camacho (41-1-0, 18 KOs) in a highly anticipated bout. Chavez 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 for the Pope to take him from the airport to the President's house.

Chávez vs. Haugen[link]

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. Chavez 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."^[18] Haugen was proven wrong on both counts: 132,274 showed up to set a record for fight attendance and 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 sportingly responded, "They must have been tough taxi drivers."^[19] Later that year, Chávez scored a sixth-round TKO victory over number one ranked contender Terrence Alli.

Draw with Whitaker and first career loss[link]

After a division record 20 consecutive defenses of his light welterweight title, Chávez (87-0) moved up one more weight division to challenge Pernell Whitaker (32-1) for his WBC Welterweight title in September 1993. 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 Magazine 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!"^[20] 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."^[21] 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 (21-0-0) by fifth round TKO. Chávez faced Frankie Randall in January 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 would face one another in a rubber match 10 years later, which Chávez would win.

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."^[22][23]

Chávez vs. De La Hoya[link]

On June 7, 1996, Chávez faced Oscar De La Hoya. A large gash appeared over the right 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 referee 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 recently stated: "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."^[11]

Retirement and farewell fights[link]

Chavez won his first two bouts in 1999 before losing to unheralded 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 (Good-bye, Mexico, Thank you), 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 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[link]

Nowadays, Chávez lives in Mexico and works for the network TV Azteca as a boxing narrator. He owns businesses, gas stations and properties in Mexico and the United States. He's the father of prospect Omar Chávez and current WBC Middleweight Champion, Julio César Chávez, Jr..^[24]

Career in review[link]

Considered one of the greatest fighters in history, Chávez won six world titles in three weight divisions: WBC Super Featherweight (1984), WBA Lightweight (1987), WBC Lightweight (1988), WBC Light Welterweight (1989), IBF Light Welterweight (1990) and WBC Light Welterweight (1994) for the second time. He was also awarded the 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 lost to only three champions: Randall, Oscar De La Hoya and Kostya Tszyu, plus to Willy Wise and Grover Wiley. He was held to a draw by two others: Pernell Whitaker and Miguel Ángel González.

Chávez finally retired in his 25th year as a professional boxer with a record of 107 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws, with 89 knockouts and a reputation as one of the best boxers of all time. He holds records for most successful consecutive defenses of world titles (27), most title fights (37), most title-fight victories (31) and he is tied with Joe Louis for most title defenses won by knockout (21). Chávez also has the longest undefeated streak in boxing history, 13 years. 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.^[25] 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 ability to take a punch due his extremly strong chin. Trainer Angelo Dundee stated that Chávez had the strongest chin 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[link]

107 Wins (86 knockouts, 21 decisions), 6 Losses (4 knockouts, 2 decision), 2 Draws[26]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	107-6-2	Grover Wiley	RTD	4 (10)	2005-09-17	America West Arena, Phoenix, Arizona	Julio César Chávez, Jr. later knocked Wiley out.
Win	107-5-2	Ivan Robinson	UD	10	2005-05-28	Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Win	106-5-2	Frankie Randall	UD	10	2004-05-22	Plaza de Toros, Mexico City, Distrito Federal
Win	105-5-2	Willy Wise	TKO	2 (10)	2003-11-22	Centro de Espectaculos Alamar, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	104-5-2	Terry Thomas	TKO	2 (10)	2001-11-24	Plaza De Toros Monumental, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Loss	103-5-2	Kostya Tszyu	TKO	6 (10)	2000-07-29	Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona
Win	103-4-2	Buck Smith	TKO	3 (10)	1999-12-18	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Loss	102-4-2	Willy Wise	UD	10	1999-10-02	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	102-3-2	Marty Jakubowski	KO	4 (10)	1999-07-10	Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
Win	101-3-2	Verdell Smith	TKO	4 (10)	1999-04-01	Don Haskins Convention Center, El Paso, Texas
Loss	100-3-2	Oscar De La Hoya	RTD	8 (12)	1998-09-18	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada	For WBC Welterweight title.
Win	100-2-2	Ken Sigurani	TKO	3 (10)	1998-06-25	Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut
Draw	99-2-2	Miguel Angel Gonzalez	PTS	12	1998-03-07	Plaza de Toros, Mexico City, Distrito Federal	For vacant WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	99-2-1	Larry LaCoursiere	UD	10	1997-06-28	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	98-2-1	Tony Martin	UD	10	1997-03-29	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	97-2-1	Joey Gamache	TKO	8 (10)	1996-10-12	Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
Loss	96-2-1	Oscar De La Hoya	TKO	4 (12)	1996-06-07	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	96-1-1	Scott Walker	TKO	2 (10)	1996-02-09	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	95-1-1	David Kamau	UD	12	1995-09-16	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	94-1-1	Craig Houk	KO	1 (10)	1995-07-29	Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, United States
Win	93-1-1	Giovanni Parisi	UD	12	1995-04-08	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	92-1-1	Tony Lopez	TKO	10 (12)	1994-12-10	Estadio de Beisbol, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	91-1-1	Meldrick Taylor	TKO	8 (12)	1994-09-17	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	90-1-1	Frankie Randall	TD	8 (12)	1994-05-07	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won WBC Light Welterweight title.
Loss	89-1-1	Frankie Randall	SD	12	1994-01-29	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost WBC Light Welterweight title. Chavez suffers the first knockdown of his career in round 11.
Win	89-0-1	Andy Holligan	TKO	5 (12)	1993-12-18	Estadio Cuauhtemoc, Puebla, Puebla, Mexico	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title. Longest undefeated streak.
Win	88-0-1	Mike Powell	KO	4 (10)	1993-10-30	Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Draw	87-0-1	Pernell Whitaker	PTS	12	1993-09-10	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, United States	For WBC & Lineal Welterweight titles.
Win	87–0	Terrence Alli	TKO	6 (12)	1993-05-08	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title. Longest winning streak.
Win	86–0	Silvio Walter Rojas	KO	3 (10)	1993-04-10	Auditorio Benito Juarez, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Win	85–0	Greg Haugen	TKO	5 (12)	1993-02-20	Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	84–0	Marty Jakubowski	TKO	6 (10)	1992-12-13	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	83–0	Bruce Pearson	KO	3 (10)	1992-10-31	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	82–0	Hector Camacho	UD	12	1992-09-12	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	81–0	Frankie Mitchell	TKO	4 (12)	1992-08-01	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	80–0	Angel Hernandez	TKO	5 (12)	1992-04-10	El Toreo, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	79–0	Juan Soberanes	KO	4 (10)	1992-03-13	La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Win	78–0	Ignacio Perdomo	RTD	7 (10)	1991-12-13	Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Win	77–0	Jorge Alberto Melian	KO	4 (10)	1991-11-12	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	76–0	Lonnie Smith	UD	12	1991-09-14	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	75–0	Tommy Small	KO	4 (10)	1991-04-26	Estadio General Angel Flores, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	74–0	John Duplessis	TKO	4 (12)	1991-03-18	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC & IBF Light Welterweight titles.
Win	73–0	Kyung-Duk Ahn	TKO	3 (12)	1990-12-08	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBC & IBF Light Welterweight titles.
Win	72–0	Jaime Balboa	TKO	4 (10)	1990-11-08	Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	71–0	Russell Mosley	KO	3 (10)	1990-08-18	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	70–0	Akwei Addo	KO	2 (10)	1990-07-05	Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	69–0	Meldrick Taylor	TKO	12 (12)	1990-03-17	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC & won IBF Light Welterweight titles. The Ring magazine's "Fight of the Year" (1990).
Win	68–0	Alberto de las Mercedes Cortes	TKO	3 (12)	1989-12-16	Palacio de Deporte, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	67–0	Sammy Fuentes	RTD	10 (12)	1989-11-18	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	66–0	Ramon Aramburu	KO	3 (?)	1989-10-27	Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico	Broke Nino Benvenuti's 65 win undefeated streak.
Win	65–0	Rodolfo Batta	KO	1 (10)	1989-10-09	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	64–0	Kenny Vice	TKO	3 (10)	1989-07-30	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	63–0	Roger Mayweather	RTD	11 (12)	1989-05-13	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, United States	Won WBC Light Welterweight title.
Win	62–0	Jose Luis Ramirez	TD	11 (12)	1988-10-29	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBA & won WBC & vacant The Ring Lightweight titles.
Win	61–0	Vernon Buchanan	TKO	3 (10)	1988-08-01	Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California, United States
Win	60–0	Rafael Limon	TKO	7 (?)	1988-06-04	Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	59–0	Rodolfo Aguilar	TKO	6 (12)	1988-04-16	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBA Lightweight title.
Win	58–0	Nicky Perez	TKO	3 (10)	1988-03-05	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	57–0	Edwin Rosario	TKO	11 (12)	1987-11-21	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won WBA Lightweight title.
Win	56–0	Danilo Cabrera	UD	12	1987-08-21	Caliente Racetrack, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	55–0	Francisco Tomas Da Cruz	TKO	3 (12)	1987-04-18	Nîmes, Gard, France	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	54–0	Juan Laporte	UD	12	1986-12-12	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	53–0	Rocky Lockridge	MD	12	1986-08-03	Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo, Monaco	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	52–0	Refugio Rojas	TKO	7 (12)	1986-06-13	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	51–0	Faustino Martires Barrios	TKO	5 (12)	1986-05-15	Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Bercy, France	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	50–0	Roberto Collins Lindo	KO	2 (?)	1986-03-22	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	49–0	Jeff Bumpus	TD	5 (10)	1985-12-19	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	48–0	Dwight Pratchett	UD	12	1985-09-21	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	47–0	Roger Mayweather	TKO	2 (12)	1985-07-07	Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	46–0	Ruben Castillo	TKO	6 (12)	1985-04-19	Forum, Inglewood, California, United States	Retained WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	45–0	Manuel Hernandez	TKO	3 (?)	1985-01-01	Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Win	44–0	Mario Martinez	TKO	8 (12)	1984-09-13	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States	Won vacant WBC Super Featherweight title.
Win	43–0	Delfino Mendoza	KO	3 (?)	1984-06-13	Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
Win	42–0	Ramon Avitia	KO	6 (?)	1984-05-04	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	41–0	Armando Flores	KO	3 (?)	1983-09-01	Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	40–0	Adriano Arreola	PTS	10	1983-07-16	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	39–0	Benny Abarca	KO	5 (?)	1983-12-30	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	38–0	Romero Sandoval	KO	2 (10)	1983-06-15	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, United States
Win	37–0	Javier Fragoso	KO	4 (?)	1983-05-01	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Win	36–0	Ernesto Herrera	KO	4 (?)	1983-04-04	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	35–0	Othoniel Lopez	KO	4 (?)	1983-02-25	Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Win	34–0	Jerry Lewis	KO	6 (?)	1982-12-11	Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, United States
Win	33–0	Jerry Lewis	KO	5 (?)	1982-10-23	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	32–0	Jose Resendez	KO	6 (?)	1982-09-28	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	31–0	Santos Rodriguez	KO	8 (?)	1982-08-20	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	30–0	Gustavo Salgado	KO	2 (?)	1982-07-19	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	29–0	Juan Carlos Alvarado	KO	3 (?)	1982-05-08	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	28–0	Benny Abarca	PTS	10	1982-04-26	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	27–0	Johnny Jensen	KO	3 (?)	1982-03-11	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	26–0	Carlos Bryant	KO	2 (?)	1982-02-19	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	25–0	Ramon Peraza	KO	1 (?)	1982-02-04	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	24–0	Jesús García	KO	2 (?)	1982-01-29	Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	23–0	Ramon Luque	KO	1 (?)	1982-01-12	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	22–0	Manuel Vasquez	KO	7 (?)	1981-12-17	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	21–0	Jose Angel Medina	KO	6 (?)	1981-10-19	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	20–0	Jorge Ramirez	KO	2 (?)	1981-09-25	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	19–0	Daniel Felizardo	KO	3 (10)	1981-08-31	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	18–0	Jesus Cuate Lara	KO	2 (10)	1981-08-07	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	17–0	Daniel Martinez	KO	1 (?)	1981-07-27	Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
Win	16–0	Bobby Fernandez	KO	3 (?)	1981-07-10	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	15–0	Fidel Navarro	KO	1 (?)	1981-06-26	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	14–0	Victor Gamez	KO	1 (?)	1981-06-05	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	13–0	Eduardo Lalo Acosta	KO	2 (?)	1981-05-08	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	12–0	Miguel Ruiz	KO	1 (?)	1981-03-04	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico	Fight result originally a first round disqualification loss for Chavez.
Win	11–0	Julio Gaxiola	KO	4 (?)	1981-02-02	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	10–0	Roberto Flores	KO	3 (?)	1980-12-15	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	9–0	Andres Felix	KO	2 (?)	1980-11-26	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	8–0	Jesus Martinez	KO	1 (?)	1980-10-13	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	7–0	Jesus Cuate Lara	PTS	10	1980-09-22	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	6–0	Miguel Cebrero	PTS	10	1980-09-05	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	5–0	Tito Geraldo	PTS	6 (10)	1980-07-18	Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	4–0	Roberto Garcia	TKO	6 (?)	1980-05-20	Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico
Win	3–0	Ramon Flores	KO	3 (?)	1980-04-08	Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico
Win	2–0	Fidencio Cebreros	PTS	6	1980-03-03	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico
Win	1–0	Andres Felix	KO	6 (6)	1980-02-05	Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico	Julio's Professional debut.