From The Archives: Julio Cesar Chavez UD 12 Hector Camacho

Hector Camacho did his best to keep Julio Cesar Chavez at bay, such as land this right uppercut, but the Lion of Culiacan would not be denied on Sept. 12, 1992. (Photo from The Ring's Getty Image collection)

Sep

by The Ring |

Future hall of famers, both torchbearers for their boxing-proud cultures, clashed on September 12, 1992, when Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez defended his WBC 140-pound title against fellow three-division titleholder Hector Camacho of Puerto Rico.

The showdown, a Don King/Showtime extravaganza that was one of the early pay-per-view blockbusters, represented the highest level of the legendary rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico — in part because of the impressive accomplishments of the fighters but also because of their contrasting styles and personalities.

Chavez, who entered the bout with an astounding 88-0 record, was the no-nonsense, technically precise bull, who steamrolled his competition — including respected Puerto Ricans Juan LaPorte, Edwin Rosario, Sammy Fuentes and Angel Hernandez — with suffocating pressure, high-volume combination punching and a brutal body attack.

Camacho, who entered the bout with a 40-1 record, was the flashy, flamboyant matador, who had brilliantly outclassed and sometime overwhelmed his opposition, which included notable Mexicans Refugio Rojas, Rafael “Bazooka” Limon and Jose Luis Ramirez, as well as Mexican-American standouts John Montes and Tony Baltazar.

Some insiders thought Camacho’s jab, speed, mobility and southpaw stance could trouble or even upset Chavez, but the bout was no contest. Chavez had begun to show signs of slowing down (as evidenced by his Hail Mary last second stoppage of Meldrick Taylor in 1990), but he still had more in his tank than Camacho, a notorious partier who had left his prime years in the 1980s.

Chavez dominated from start to finish, punishing the brave and inhumanly resilient Camacho to lopsided scores of 120-107, 119-110, 117-111.

The Ring magazine was there, 31 years ago, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Camacho’s jab landed but couldn’t keep Chavez from cutting off the ring and reaching him with both heavy hands. (Photo: The Ring Magazine/Getty Images)