Julio Cesar Chavez took an almighty beating in one of the most exciting rounds of his career when he battled an all-time great in an unwinnable rematch.
By 1998, the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez was on his last legs after 105 fights at the top level.
The Mexican hero had planned to retire after his first fight with Oscar De La Hoya in 1996, but an issue with the Mexican tax man saw him handed a hefty $1.4 million bill, forcing him to keep going.
After a series of impressive wins, Chavez booked a big-money rematch against De La Hoya, which would push him past the edge of his capabilities as a fighter.
Julio Cesar Chavez was forced to give up after taking a beating from Oscar De La Hoya
Chavez quit on his stool in the rematch against De La Hoya after giving it his all in a brutal eighth round.
The Mexican legend looked better than the first fight and managed to keep up with the younger, faster, #1-ranked Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world in his 105th professional fight.
While he was more competitive, De La Hoya was clearly in control of the fight and would have won via judges’ decision had the fight not ended after the eighth round.
That was Chavez’s final chance to take down De La Hoya, resulting in a fantastic three minutes of boxing. Both men threw wild punches, taking it in turns to take some huge hits to the head before firing back with some of their own.
The round finished as the crowd rose to their feet, as the two fighters traded blows like the end of a Rocky movie, leaving it all on the canvas in a final flurry.
However, that was Chavez’s last stand. The former world champion had nothing left to give, and the punishment he had taken over those three minutes proved too much.
His corner threw in the towel between the rounds, handing De La Hoya a second win over Chavez in what was a legendary fight in boxing history.
Oscar De La Hoya was warned off fighting Julio Cesar Chavez by the Mexican cartel
If Chavez’s stature as a hero in his native land was ever in doubt, then De La Hoya’s story about the cartel just proves it even more.
In the build-up to their first fight, De La Hoya told Yahoo Sports (H/T BoxingScene) that the cartels came to his camp in 1996, threatening him with some unspecified threat not to beat Chavez, or else.
“The cartels went to my camp for Julio Cesar Chavez, due to his importance. They went to Big Bear (California) and threatened me that if I won, who knows what would have happened.
“Imagine the pressure, it was just crazy.”
Luckily, De La Hoya was not whacked by the mob and lived to beat Chavez again in the rematch.