What were your thoughts on the first fight with Oscar against Chavez snr? Even tho Chavez at that point had being fighting years, he'd only lost to Randall and drawn with Whitaker. So did anyone give JCC a Good chance here? Or were you confident that the Golden Boy gets the win??
I was confident Oscar would win. I didn't expect Chavez to rip the public off the way he did. Julio was past it. A ton of miles.
He was. Do you remember how cut up he was and the way he responded to his loss? Let himself down everytime he lost did chavez, he was a legend but couldn't handle losing. The rematch actually saw him doing better but he was absolutely done.
I was a huge Chavez fan. But, even I knew he had almost no chance in that bout. He was flying on vapors at that point of his career. And coming into the bout with an injury like that ( you can see the cut basically covered up with makeup on his walk into the ring) didn't do him any favors. But, it was surely a huge payday that he didn't want to lose (see Pacquiao vs Mayweather)
Just a guess but I reckon that apart from the money he went ahead with it because Don King told him that it wouldn't hurt his legacy too much when he lost on cuts & that he'd get an immediate rematch.
Obvious he was slowing down but still a good fighter. ODLH looked much fresher leading into that fight. Should of been postponed though because of that cut.
I attended the fight outdoors at Caesar's Palace. It was no contest. De La Hoya busted Chavez up in short order, and it wasn't a surprise to the experts despite Chavez being the more experienced fighter. He was physically outmanned by Oscar. The day before the fight I happened to be in an elevator with Jim Lampley and asked for his prediction. "Easy fight for De La Hoya,"'he said. If Oscar could have remained in the lightweight division, I think he would have stayed unbeaten for a long time. He was too tall and punched too hard for the other lightweights. But when he moved up in weight he lost that clear advantage.
Nice post. Interesting. Yes he was definitely out manned was chavez. Something we didn't really see happen to him till at least the Randall fight really imo.
He was always a sook at best....he actually got used to being gifted decisions and preferential treatment due to the Don King - Jose Sulaiman - WBC corrupt nexus. I'm in two minds about just how bad a person he was....at worst, it could be said he really didn't have any shame or honour in the way he would take undeserving draws or other close decisions that he knew he didn't earn fairly...or on the other hand, maybe that's how an old lion should go out....tenaciously fighting until there's nothing left, as he did, and why should he be dignified about losing. I think he even had a winge about losing to Tszyu also...said he was fouled or something? Maybe its just a cultural (Latin American) thing...like how they play soccer?
As I recall, Oscar started out as a feather and was a BEAST. Sandy Saddler might've had his hands full with Oscar at 126. That would've been a war!