36 years ago

Date: 16th April 1988

Venue: Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

Title: WBA World Lightweight Title

Promoter: Main Events, Don King Productions & Cedric Kushner Productions

Tv: HBO World Championship Boxing

Julio Cesar Chavez
( 58 - 0 - 0 )
Weight: 135 lbs

Rodolfo Aguilar
( 20 - 0 - 1 )
Weight: 134½ lbs

Julio Cesar Chavez, from Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, defended his WBA World Lightweight Title against Rodolfo Aguilar of Panama City, Panama, who was currently residing in Florida. This match took place at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the 16th of April 1988, and was refereed by Richard Steele. This bout was Chavez's first title defense since he'd won the title from Edwin Rosario in November 1987. Chavez, weighing in at 135 lbs, boasted an impressive undefeated record of 58-0-0, while Aguilar, slightly lighter at 134½ lbs, held a similarly formidable record of 20-0-1.

Chavez was already a revered two-weight world champion when he stepped into the ring. His boxing career had taken off after claiming the vacant WBC World Super-featherweight Title from Mario Martinez in Los Angeles on September 13th, 1984. He had successfully defended that title nine times before moving up to the lightweight division, where he seized the WBA world lightweight title from Edwin Rosario.

On the other hand, Aguilar had never fought outside Panama except for one occasion, when he traveled to Turmero, Venezuela, to face local fighter Idelmar Jose Paisan, which ended in a draw, the only non-win in his 21-bout career prior to this match.

The event was televised on HBO World Championship Boxing. The promotion was handled by Main Events, Don King Productions, and Cedric Kushner Productions.

Chavez's experience and technical prowess eventually won out. At 1:13 in the sixth round, the referee, Richard Steele, declared a TKO in favor of Chavez, making this his first successful defense of his WBA World Lightweight Title.

After this fight, Aguilar would continue his boxing career, even challenging Crisanto Espana for the WBA world welterweight title in May 1993 at the Ulster Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.