Julio Cesar Chavez Jr drew a record-breaking audience to one of his most embarrassing losses to a man once tipped to face Jake Paul in the boxing ring.
The Mexican fighter is getting ready for his second fight in four years as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr takes on Jake Paul, following Paul’s win over Mike Tyson in 2024.
This is expected to be Chavez Jr’s last big payday as many expect him to retire following the match with the YouTube star.
However, he will be hoping this fight goes better than his embarrassing loss to one of Mexico’s greatest fighters nearly a decade ago.
- READ MORE – Julio Cesar Chavez Jr explains why he picked Jake Paul fight over YouTube boxing rival KSI
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr lost all 12 rounds in an embarrassing defeat to Canelo Alvarez
In a massive Cinco de Mayo showdown in 2017, Chavez Jr was absolutely embarrassed by Canelo Alvarez in one of the worst performances of his career.
Negotiations for the fight began after Chavez Jr’s comeback win against Dominik Britsch, and he soon signed up for a multi-million dollar payday to fight the Mexican great on May 6, 2017.
Over 20,000 fans crammed into the sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but they weren’t treated to the competitive fight they were expecting.
Instead, Canelo barely broke a sweat as he dominated his fellow Mexican in one of the most one-sided fights in top-level boxing.
Canelo had the size advantage over the second-generation fighter, but showcased his impressive speed more in this fight, taking very little punishment from Chavez Jr over an easy 12-round fight.
Chavez Jr only landed 71 punches throughout the fight, a paltry sum compared to the 228 hits that his opponent tagged him with.
The crowd in attendance even booed Chavez Jr’s lack of attacking threat, with his lack of punches proving deeply unpopular with the fans.
The only positive for Chavez Jr was that the total annihilation he suffered showcased his granite chin, inherited from his legendary father. He never came close to going down, despite taking a supreme punishment.
The judges were in agreement by handing all 12 rounds to Canelo, giving him a unanimous decision victory that looked to embarrass Chavez Jr with how dominant Canelo was over his fellow Mexican.
The fight drew over 1.2 million buys, putting Julio Cesar Chavez Jr among impressive company
To make his embarrassing performance even worse, more people watched Chavez Jr’s devastating loss than most fights.
That is because over 1.2 million bought the pay-per-view for his fight with Canelo, owing to the pair’s exciting styles, which had people expecting a close fight.
| Event | Date | Buyrate |
| Mayweather vs Pacquiao | May 2, 2015 | 4.6 million |
| Mayweather vs McGregor | August 26, 2017 | 4.3 million |
| De la Hoya vs Mayweather | May 5, 2007 | 2.4 million |
| Mayweather vs Canelo | September 14, 2013 | 2.2 million |
| Mayweather vs Cotto | May 5, 2012 | 1.5 million |
| Fury vs Usyk | May 18, 2024 | 1.5 million |
| Pacquiao vs Marquez 3 | November 12, 2011 | 1.4 million |
| GGG vs Canelo | September 15, 2017 | 1.3 million |
| Pacquiao vs. Mosley | May 7, 2011 | 1.3 million |
| Mayweather vs Ortiz | September 17, 2011 | 1.25 million |
| De la Hoya vs Pacquiao | December 6, 2008 | 1.25 million |
| Pacquiao vs Cotto | November 14, 2009 | 1.25 million |
| Canelo vs Chavez Jr | May 6, 2017 | 1.2 million |
That didn’t happen, but the pair still put themselves in an elite category of fighters. Chavez Jr vs Canelo was the first fight since 2002 that attained over a million buys that didn’t include Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao or Oscar De la Hoya.
While other bouts have since surpassed their number, it was still a historic moment in time for the Mexican fighters.
Jake Paul was supposed to fight Canelo Alvarez before the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr bout
While Paul is set to battle Chavez Jr on June 28, he was all set to face Canelo in Las Vegas instead if the planned fight had gone ahead.
The bout was all but agreed between the two before Canelo signed the most lucrative contract in boxing with Riyadh Season.
This five-fight deal, reportedly earning the Mexican a $400 million payday, was one of the largest in boxing and scheduled 4 of his next 5 fights to take place in Saudi Arabia.
Canelo vs Terence Crawford will take place on September 13, while Paul has found a new opponent in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr instead.