Alexis Arguello vs Bobby Chacon

The Forum in Inglewood, California, was the setting on the evening of November 16, 1979, for the scheduled fifteen-round contest for the World Boxing Council’s Super Featherweight championship. The reigning titleholder, Alexis Argüello, weighed in at 129 pounds, while the Challenger, Bobby Chacon, registered 130 pounds. Argüello, the taller man at five feet nine inches compared to Chacon’s five feet seven inches, came into the ring with aspirations of cementing his status among the sport’s elite, openly desiring a third divisional world title. Chacon, a California native, was a tremendous draw who had once set a gate record at this very venue. Despite Argüello being the heavy favourite in the betting lines, the local crowd was intensely partisan toward Chacon. The Challenger, who had previously been hampered by injuries, including a back ailment that had postponed this match from an earlier date, was determined to make a return to glory. John Thomas served as the third man in the ring.

The opening bell saw Chacon, wearing white trunks, immediately taking the initiative against Argüello, who was wearing green. The champion displayed an early stiffness in his movements. Chacon, showing both technical skill and punching power, boxed with authority, forcing Argüello to miss frequently while connecting with sharp counter right hands. In the first round, the Challenger managed to surprise the champion with a clean right hand that landed directly on Argüello’s nose, scoring the most significant blow of the frame. Argüello began to find his timing in the second, utilising his left hand well, though Chacon continued to press the action. The champion, who was being attended to by trainers El Cuyo Hernández and Phil Silver between rounds, was slow to unleash his full offensive power in the early going.

Chacon’s aggressive approach continued to pay dividends through the fourth and fifth rounds, where he frequently lunged and scored with combinations of lefts and rights. The Challenger was practical in avoiding a toe-to-toe exchange, slipping the champion’s shots and landing his own, reminding ringside observers of his dominant victory over Danny Lopez years prior. In the fourth frame, Chacon appeared to hurt Argüello with a pair of looping right hands, although Argüello managed to backpedal and avoid further damage. By the fifth, Chacon was accumulating points. The champion’s building frustration became evident in the sixth round when he committed a blatant foul, deliberately striking Chacon after the bell, which drew significant boos from the pro-Chacon faithful. However, in that same sixth round, the momentum began to shift: Argüello started hammering the Challenger and managed to open a two-inch gash near the corner of Chacon’s right eye. The Challenger also started showing signs of fatigue, opening his mouth to draw in air, a sign of exhaustion.

The contest found its decisive conclusion in the seventh round. Argüello landed a blistering left hand, immediately followed by a powerful left hook that badly dazed the Challenger. Chacon, momentarily stunned, retreated intelligently toward a neutral corner, where he knelt down and took a mandatory eight-count from Referee Thomas. Upon resumption, Argüello immediately moved in, pinning Chacon to the ropes and unleashing a furious barrage of punches. Chacon was now bleeding profusely from the cut above his right eye. Referee Thomas called for a temporary halt to the action so that the ringside physician could examine the wound. Though the doctor initially allowed the bout to continue, Argüello pressed the attack, widening the gash. At the end of the seventh round, with blood obscuring Chacon’s vision, the doctor stepped back and signalled the termination of the fight. The result was recorded as a Referee Technical Decision (RTD) for Alexis Argüello at the three-minute mark of the seventh round.

Despite the clear margin of victory in the stoppage, the official scorecards at the time of the conclusion reflected how closely the fight had been contested, mainly due to Chacon’s early efforts. Referee John Thomas had the Challenger ahead 67-66, as did Judge Henry Elespuru, 67-66, while Judge Larry Rozadilla scored the bout 67-66 in favour of Argüello. The champion, who earned a $100,000 purse for the defence compared to Chacon’s $35,000, gave the defeated Challenger due credit, noting that Chacon was an intelligent opponent against whom he had been forced to take his time. Following the victory, Argüello confirmed his immediate plan to advance to the lightweight division, where he hoped to challenge for a world title and achieve the rare feat of winning championships in three separate weight classes. Chacon confirmed the injury proved to be his undoing, stating, “It was the cut that did me in”.