Why do people rank Chavez so high?

I rate him very highly due to his consistency, activity and ability to stay focused for a very long time and through many fights. While its true that his record has padding, most of it was designed to keep him busy and not because he was avoiding better challengers. Looking at 1992 as an example, Chavez fought 6 times within a 9 month period and defeated Hector Camacho, Frankie Mitchell and Angel Hernandez just months apart from one another. The average reigning champion was only averaging about two fights per year by that time in boxing... What Chavez did was unheard of for a modern champion. Even some of the so called "taxi drivers" or " tomato cans" that people accused him of fighting had good records and even a named opponent somewhere on their resume.. In that same year of 1992, he took on a club fighter named Marty Jakubowski. For the record, the man was nobody but was still 37-0. He fought men of all descriptions, boxers, punchers, counter punchers, boxer-punchers.. Pretty much everything. Hector Camacho, Greg Haugen, Roger Mayweather, Edwin Rosario, Jose Ramirez, Rocky Lockridge and several others accounted for more names than a lot of great champions. His record is definitely something to behold. Surviving to something like 89-0 and becoming one of the few men in the modern era to have over 100 professional wins is a great achievement regardless of what one thinks of his opposition. He also has the largest number of world title fight wins, which was a record previous held by Joe Louis for nearly half a century.

 

You aren't the sharpest tool in the shed, Chavez turned pro in 1980, and didn't lose until 1994, he took on all comers never ducked anybody and fought the best available competition..
Ant Taylor whipped himatsch sorry, Taylor swallowed his own blood, had a broken eye socket, pissed blood after the fight and spent 2 weeks in the hospital, and Chavez whipped his ass in the rematch too ..

 

What he wrote about Ramirez is hilarious, he doesn't know that he beat Rosario (twice in my opnion), an doesn't know how good Rosario (who beat Camacho imo) was. To think that Haugen is a top 3 Chavez win is just laughable.

 

Very well put. That was old school the way Chavez stayed active.

 

Richard Steele beat the **** out of Taylor. One of the worst beatings a referee has ever given a fighter.

 

Please tell me that your not mentioning Klitschko in the same breath as Chavez ???? Look at Chavez resume ... Who is on Vlad`s ?? Besides KO losses to Sanders, Brewster and getting bounced up and down by the legendary Peter !

 

Until Taylor, he was heads above everybody he fought. Moving up in weight and mowing down all in his path. As for the Taylor fight, I too had him behind. But,in hindsight, Steele did the right thing in stopping it as Taylor was a mess and look at him now... He suffered horrid damage in that fight. As Chavez got older and fought out of his weight class, he def. caught some breaks. But what he did for a long period of time makes him one of the true ATG`s. If you can`t see that, damn do you know your boxing at all ???

 

Exactly right Wayne. One of the best to ever lace them up. Obviously "I know everything" is just trying to make knowledgeable posters angry through conscious ignorance.

 

Yea i remember now it's been so long almost 25 years, but it was Rich Steele: fists that put Taylor on his ass in the 12 round, it was also Steele's fault that Taylor looked like the elephant man after the fight, and spent 2 weeks in the hospital after the fightatsch, jeez, Chavez i forgot was the ref that night, oh my bad:huh

 

Chavez did more physical damage to Taylor, but I still gave Meldrick the fight. He outlanded and out worked Julio from the time round one began to the second Richard Steele waved it off. Chavez was just the harder and more accurate hitter which caused the damage, but Taylor fought the better fight. One of the first things Julio said to Larry Merchant at the end was " I think the guy deserves another shot."

 

It was a great fight ! I completely agree MM, I had Taylor winning and I thought he fought a great fight. I think the loss did Taylor a lot mental damage as well because I think he felt cheated. It really burst his bubble the way he lost it. Chavez had those damn heavy hands, and it looked like all of a sudden, Taylor`s face just blew up !

 

Meldrick Taylor was a wasted talented. He had a decent career, ie. winning the gold medal, getting IBF title at Jr. Welter, the WBA title at welter and beat good opponents in Buddy McGirt, Aron Davis, Glenwood Brown, Harold Brazier, etc.. But I think the man could have gone further. The Chavez fight would have been a huge scalp. And fighting Terry Norris was a terrible mistake..

 

Nah, Meldrick didn't "waste" his talent: he simply got mugged by Chavez and it ruined him forever.

 

MM, do you think that the heartbreaking loss to Chavez, took some of his spirit away ? I never thought he fought up to his pre-Chavez level ,after the loss... And I agree the Norris fight should never have happened, he was way too small and chinny at that point as well. But, for 11 rds, damn he looked like the goods against Chavez !!

 

I think its certainly plausible. He took a lot of damage in that fight physically. As for what it did to him emotionally? I haven't a clue. I think one thing which hurt him though was moving up in weight. Honestly I don't think the man was made for fighting above 140 lbs. He had reasonable success at welter regardless though, beating Aron Davis in a fight that I remember like it were yesterday. My friends and I were checking it out on HBO, and were impressed at how he took Davis apart, when my brother came in the room to tell me that one of our relatives was killed in a plane crash.. Funny how circumstances make you remember these things.. But at any event, I just don't think he was built to last... Tremendous talent and physical gifts though.