Rate Julio Cesar Chavez as a fighter :

Rate Chavez as a fighter...based on the following categories:

I won't give him numbers or rankings, but will say the following:

Jab- Solid but not particularly great. Not his main weapon.
Hook- Very good, educated, fluid and quick, could work it up and down.
Cross-Excellent. Very powerful. Heavy. Underrated.
Uppercut-solid, worked it beautifully well on the inside when flowing it with other punches.
Defensive skills-Solid, Underrated subtle elusive head movement right in range to be hit, that ensured that he rarely got hit solidly. His defense was good enough that he could pressure guys and stay in their faces for entire fights without getting hurt. He also knew how to step back for brief moments and make guys' punches fall short. His guard was good too.
Offensive skills-Excellent. Relentless pressure, solid two fisted attack to body and head, could find openings very well, excellent accuracy, and could break just about anyone.
Footwork- Solid. Not much of a mover, but could track down most guys. He had very good balance.
Counter-Punches- Not a blazing counter puncher, but very good. Could elude or get hit and come right back with punches. Perhaps he is underrated in this regard.
Power- Nota one-punch killer, but just below it. Underrated heavy hands. Solid enough to hurt you with any one punch, but could also work consistently with crisp shots that break you down over time.
Speed-Not the fastest, but I wouldn't call him slow either. But to be honest, a great many of his opponents were faster than him.
Ring Generalship- Excellent given that he usually broke guys down, finished fights strong, rarely got hurt, never seemed too phased by anything his foes did.
Combinations-Beautiful things to watch when he really got going and sensed that he had something. He didn't throw as many if he thought he would not be as efficient in terms of his accuracy.
Feints- He did a few here and there, but not a big part of his arsenal.
Accuracy-Excellent. Superior. One of the most accurate fighters I have ever seen.
Timing- You would have to say very good given that he was able to solidly and accurately land on many fighters who were faster than him.
Killer Instinct- Excellent. If he hurt you, you were pretty much going to be finished.
Body Punches-Exellent. All time great body puncher. He broke so many fighters with his body attack.
Upper Body movement- Beautiful. More elusive than many realize.
Chin-Superior. One of the greatest chins in history.
Heart-Very good. Rarely got discouraged, could take a beating in tough fights and keep coming on strong. You can criticize him for a couple fights towards the end of his career, but then who doesn't have a few bad ones when they are past their peak?
Stamina- Wonderful. Amongst the best all time. Not a guy you want to fight in a fight to the finish.
In-Fighting- Excellent. Superior. If you fight this guy on the inside at his best. you are going to get knocked out.
Range Fighting- Not anywhere near as good as his inside game. Decent enough though.
Opposition level-Excellent. Willing to fight anyone and fought a lot.

 

Excellent analysis, Apollack

 

what is this ****ing top trumps

 

Really great post apollack.

Chavez is one of the most well rounded fighters of all time.

 

I am late in fully appreciating Chavez, though I followed his fights in his time. He was a primal force in boxing..and impressively, an idol to the Mexicans..I got aggravated by the Whitaker and Randall fights, and thought he was the luckiest fighter of all time in the Taylor fight, yet, he's kind of grown on me since those times, and in the perspective of time, I realize that he was a fighting machine's fighting machine...a truly great fighter. I wouldn't hold those two De La Hoya losses against him though, as he was a spent force by then, to be honest. He was a sadistic master mechanic vs Camacho and Rosario...two fights that I appreciate very much.

 

Excellent Post Appollack .. i agree in pretty mucho 100% of your words

 

Great, great post.