Julio Cesar Chavez vs Mario Martinez

Julio Cesar Chavez captured the first world championship of his career by forcing Mario “Azabache” Martinez to retire at the end of the eighth round of their contest for the vacant WBC super-featherweight title at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. Both men weighed 130lb, and referee John Thomas ended the scheduled 12-round match after Martinez returned to his corner bleeding heavily from the nose and a cut over his right eye. There had been no knockdown, but the damage and accumulated punishment left the 19-year-old from Guadalajara in no condition to continue.

The championship had been relinquished by Hector Camacho, who was moving into the lightweight division. Chavez arrived from Culiacan with a record of 43 victories without defeat, although much of his work had been conducted away from American television and against opposition unfamiliar to the wider boxing public. Martinez, 33-1-2 with 20 stoppage wins, was the better-known attraction in Los Angeles and entered as the favourite. He had earned his opportunity by stopping former champion Rolando Navarrete in five rounds less than three months earlier.

Martinez began with confidence and immediately showed why he was expected to win. He was quick enough to meet Chavez’s advance with combinations and carried sufficient force to make the unbeaten challenger respect him. The opening rounds were fought at close and middle range, with neither Mexican interested in giving away ground for long. Martinez worked rapidly to the head, while Chavez kept his guard compact, moved steadily forward and sought openings for the left hook downstairs.

The contest was more competitive than later descriptions of a one-sided beating suggested. Martinez landed hard punches and occasionally beat Chavez to the attack, but he could not discourage him. Chavez accepted the incoming blows, remained balanced and returned with shorter, more accurate work. His method was already recognisable: pressure applied without haste, punches directed to the body before the attack was transferred upstairs, and very little wasted movement. Martinez was being required to fight during every minute of every round.

By the middle stages, Chavez’s greater economy was beginning to make the difference. Martinez continued to throw freely and was never reduced to passive defence, but his punches required more effort and his periods of success became shorter. Chavez increasingly beat him to the punch, driving hooks into the ribs and following with straight rights and left hooks to the head. When Martinez tried to stand and exchange, Chavez stayed close enough to prevent him from gaining full leverage, then answered through the gaps in his guard.

The official scoring reflected a harder and more evenly contested match than the eventual result alone might indicate. After eight rounds, judge Terry Smith had Chavez ahead 79–74, and Henry Elespuru favoured him 77–74, while Vince Delgado remarkably had Martinez leading 78–75. The wide disagreement was rendered academic by what occurred in the eighth. Chavez’s pressure and heavier punching had by then left increasingly visible marks upon Martinez, whose nose was bleeding and whose right eye had been opened.

Chavez found the decisive left hand during the final round. It shook Martinez and sent him retreating around the ring, where Chavez pursued with hooks and rights from both sides. Martinez remained upright and attempted to answer, but his legs were uncertain, and his defence had begun to come apart. Chavez continued striking as the bell sounded, leaving his opponent staggering and badly bloodied. Thomas moved between them and signalled that the contest was over. The official result was recorded as a retirement at three minutes of the eighth round.

Martinez had fought with considerable courage and landed often enough to test an opponent who had yet to meet a fighter of his standing. His mistake was not a lack of resistance but his inability to interrupt Chavez’s rhythm. Every exchange demanded more from Martinez than it did from Chavez, and the punishment to the body steadily removed the speed and movement upon which his early success had depended.

The victory advanced Chavez’s record to 44–0 and began a reign in which he made nine successful defences of the WBC championship before moving up in weight. Martinez later challenged for world titles against Azumah Nelson and Dingaan Thobela and remained a respected contender for many years. On this night, however, Chavez demonstrated the durability, precision and sustained pressure that would govern the finest period of his career. He had arrived in Los Angeles as the less familiar of two young Mexican contenders and departed as a world champion.

Looking back, Martinez surprisingly started as favourite because although Chavez was unbeaten in 43 fights, most had taken place in Mexico against opponents few outside the country knew. This was the evening everyone discovered the record was genuine.

Martinez was no passenger. He had stopped former champion Rolando Navarrete and only had an early career points loss to Rosendo Alonso in 36 fights. He stood his ground, punched hard and landed enough to test Chavez properly. The difference was what happened after. Most fighters would reset; Chavez stayed on his chest and made him work again. That constant pressure drains the legs quicker than one big punch.

Technically, Chavez was wonderfully economical. His guard remained compact, his feet kept him within punching distance, and his hooks travelled half the distance of Martinez’s wider shots. He attacked the body without admiring his work, then brought the left hook upstairs as Martinez’s elbows dropped.

By the eighth, Martinez was bleeding and fighting on courage. Chavez hurt him with a left hand and chased him down with both fists until the bell, after which the contest was stopped. It was the right decision. Martinez was a serious fighter who later pushed Azumah Nelson desperately close, but Chavez broke him through pressure, accuracy and a frightening engine. That night, a very good Mexican fighter introduced the world to a great one.