The Mexican fighter had to have elite performances on a regular basis to maintain his status at the top of the sport.
Considered to be one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all time, if not the very best, Julio Cesar Chavez was a sight to behold.
His incredible career would span 25 years. During this time, Chavez would have 115 fights, winning 107 of them.
As a former three-weight world champion, Chavez faced some of the very best. However, there was one opponent who gave him a much tougher fight than the others.
Julio Cesar Chavez says Meldrick Taylor was his toughest-ever fight
In March 1990, Chavez would take on Meldrick Taylor in an incredibly dramatic fight.
The pair met for a title unification bout at super lightweight. Chavez’s WBC title was on the line, while Taylor was the IBF champion.
Despite being behind on the scorecards after 11 rounds, Chavez would snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. A final-second knockout would make Chavez the winner, and the unified champion.
Considering the dramatics of the fight, it is no surprise that Chavez names Taylor as his toughest opponent when asked by One on One. “If I had to choose one fight, everyone knows, right?”
“The first fight with Meldrick Taylor was ridiculous. An incredibly tough fight where I left everything in the ring. It’s the only fight where I’ve felt death.”
Chavez would rematch Taylor in 1994, however, this time he would win via 8th-round TKO.
Julio Cesar Chavez says he would have defeated Floyd Mayweather
Speaking to One on One, Chavez was asked if there was any fighter he could have faced in his career who would it be.
Although a name did not immediately spring to mind for the Mexican, he did acknowledge that many people have debated a fantasy fight between him and Floyd Mayweather.
“There’s a lot of talk about Mayweather and Chavez in their prime… At 140lbs, I’m sure I would have won.”
However, he did say that he would not have fought at any higher of a weight than 140lbs.