Julio Cesar Chavez won 107 fights in his incredible career, but his most spectacular knockdown came against the uncle of an all-time great.
As one of the greatest Mexican boxers in history, Julio Cesar Chavez changed the sport by becoming a three-weight champion in his incredible career.
He battled numerous all-time greats in his 115 fights, but no knockdown was ever as impressive as his jumping punch that flattened the uncle of Floyd Mayweather in an all-time great finish.
- READ MORE – Julio Cesar Chavez escaped world title loss with two seconds to spare in ‘Fight of the Year’
Julio Cesar Chavez hit an incredible Superman punch on Roger Mayweather in their first fight
In his first fight against Roger Mayweather in 1985, Chavez pulled out a punch that many people thought would be illegal in the boxing ring.
Chavez was 46-0 going into his first fight with Mayweather, having won the WBC Super Featherweight title from Mario Martinez a year earlier.
With the belt on the line in Winchester, Nevada, the Mexican fighter was the clear favorite to win the bout. However, nobody quite expected how the bout would go down.
The first round was a comfortable one for Chavez, using his left jab to control the fight and avoid the power of the champion.
The second round was much of the same, so Chavez knew he had to do something big to tip the scales back in his favor.
He did this midway through the round after ducking a number of big hits from Mayweather. As he forced Mayweather to retreat towards the corner, he jumped towards his opponent and hit a flying right hand, which almost knocked him out of the ring.
The move was reminiscent of the move commonly used in mixed martial arts called the Superman punch, which usually requires a fighter to feign a kick before throwing a cross.
It is not commonly used in boxing due to how easy it is to telegraph, but Mayweather certainly didn’t see it coming before he was smacked in the face by the Mexican’s flying fist.
This turned the tide of the fight, giving Chavez confidence to knock his opponent out later that round and pick up his 47th consecutive victory.
Julio Cesar Chavez thinks he would beat Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match
With his incredible career proving how good he was, Chavez thinks he could have beaten Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match.
In an interview with PremierLiveTV, Chavez was asked who would win in a fight between him and the undefeated former world champion, “Money” Mayweather.
Chavez admitted that at 140 lbs, he thinks he “definitely” would have beaten Mayweather, because he beat his uncle who taught Mayweather everything he knows.
Chavez said: “In our prime, I think it would have been a fight. Difficult, complicated. I believe that in 140 lbs, I would definitely have beaten him.
“I would have beaten him. Why? Because that was my weight. I could never dial 147lbs. I fought for the championship, but no, it was not my weight. At 140 lbs, I would have beaten Mayweather.
“Remember that I fought with his uncle? And his uncle was the one who taught [him to box], so it is that. I think I would have beaten him.”