- 3 months ago
Julio Cesar Chavez moves up to challenge Roger Mayweather in a rematch for the WBC Super Lightweight Title on HBO Boxing
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00:00:00Act 1. Julio Cesar Chavez steps up in weight to make his super lightweight debut.
00:00:05It was 1984 when the then 22-year-old Chavez captured the super featherweight crown in spectacular fashion.
00:00:12Three years later, he destroyed Edwin Rosario to become the world lightweight champion.
00:00:17Some consider Chavez the most effective fighter in the world, regardless of weight class.
00:00:23Tonight, he pursues his third world title.
00:00:24Act 2. WBC super lightweight champion Roger Mayweather is introduced as the so-called Mexican assassin.
00:00:32In Los Angeles alone, Mayweather has defeated his last six Mexican opponents.
00:00:37Tonight, he vows to make Chavez number 7.
00:00:40In the final act, their paths cross again.
00:00:42When first they met in 1985 as super featherweights, Chavez needed only two rounds to dispose of Mayweather.
00:00:48Tonight, both seek revenge.
00:00:50Mayweather for himself, Chavez for his Mexican countrymen.
00:00:54Stay tuned as the curtain rises on the rematch as HBO Sports presents the WBC super lightweight championship battle
00:01:03between Roger Mayweather and Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:01:06So tonight, world championship boxing comes to you live.
00:01:36from the forum in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, the city which is itself the ultimate forum for the presentation and recognition of star quality,
00:01:47where tonight you will see a legitimate star boxer, Julio Cesar Chavez, as he goes for his third world title,
00:01:54the WBC super lightweight championship, which presently belongs to Roger Mayweather.
00:01:59And we will have an enthusiastic fight crowd inside the forum for this bout.
00:02:06Hello again, I'm Jim Lampley, and I want to begin this telecast by saying that we will not be accompanied tonight by our regular HBO boxing expert, Ray Leonard.
00:02:15Ray is in Florida preparing for his upcoming date with Thomas Hearns.
00:02:18Ray, we know you're watching, we miss you, we're thinking about you.
00:02:22In the absence of Ray Leonard, I'm working, of course, as always, with HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant.
00:02:26And Larry, our opening referred to the fact that when these two men fought four years ago,
00:02:31it was a relatively easy two-round knockout for Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:02:35Realistically, does Mayweather have a better chance tonight?
00:02:37Realistically, when great fights good, great usually wins.
00:02:42And, of course, it's Chavez who has the look of greatness about him.
00:02:47The case for Mayweather is this.
00:02:49He has, in the past, had extreme difficulty making 130 to 135 pounds.
00:02:55So, probably, the added poundage tonight will benefit him more than Chavez.
00:03:00Even Chavez admits that.
00:03:01And beyond that, Mayweather also has bulked up his confidence by staying active.
00:03:08Fifteen fights since that knockout, winning six of them over Mexicans with similar styles as Chavez,
00:03:15and winning a championship.
00:03:17We have two champions tonight, and when champions meet, we often get real fights,
00:03:22and that's what we're here for.
00:03:23And, indeed, because of his great success against Mexican fighters,
00:03:26Roger Mayweather has been dubbed by some the Mexican assassin.
00:03:29It's a nickname he himself does not prefer.
00:03:32He likes to be called the Black Mamba,
00:03:35a reference to one of the deadliest snakes in the world of reptiles.
00:03:38But by whatever nickname,
00:03:41Roger Mayweather has proven himself over his career
00:03:43to be an extraordinarily resilient,
00:03:45and, indeed, a thoroughly professional, fighter.
00:03:48Springtime in Georgia, where nature sings a sweet, sincere melody.
00:04:03But Roger Mayweather, the WBC super-lightweight champion,
00:04:06has not come to Augusta for its serenity and peacefulness.
00:04:10He prepares for the biggest fight and biggest payday of his topsy-turvy career.
00:04:14Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
00:04:18Roger Mayweather has been fighting since the age of nine.
00:04:21After being forced out of amateur ranks for using professional tactics,
00:04:24the young man with high aspirations made his way toward the glitter and glamour of Las Vegas.
00:04:29But where many fighters go to seek fame and fortune,
00:04:32Mayweather went as a tourist.
00:04:33The only reason I really went to Las Vegas anyway was because I wanted to see Las Vegas.
00:04:39I wanted to see, wanted to see, could I meet Dan Tanner, Lola Falana, you know,
00:04:45and I wanted to tell my friends if I did one thing in my life that I wanted to do,
00:04:50and that was to go to Las Vegas to see these stars.
00:04:52And that was the only reason I lined up in Las Vegas anyway.
00:04:54He saw it, and then he stayed,
00:04:59and eventually met the transplanted Georgian, Billy Baxter,
00:05:02professional gambler extraordinaire, part-time fight manager.
00:05:06I went to the gym one day, and this young kid was in the gym.
00:05:11He was just boxing, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing,
00:05:15so I asked somebody who this new fighter around town was,
00:05:18and they said, well, that's Roger Mayweather.
00:05:20But we hit it off right from the beginning, really,
00:05:22and like I said, we both had the same goals in mind.
00:05:26I felt that he could become world champion from the very first moment that I saw him.
00:05:31And, of course, 15 fights after I got Roger,
00:05:35he fought for the world championship, and he won his first title.
00:05:39That first title shot was a thriller
00:05:42as the excitable fighter with the deadly right hand traveled to Puerto Rico
00:05:45and upset then-champion Sammy Serrano with a junior lightweight crown.
00:05:50One year later, Mayweather lost that title,
00:05:52and he was knocked out by an up-and-coming Rocky Lockridge.
00:05:55Sixteen months later, another title shot went astray
00:05:58when Mayweather was defeated by Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:06:02But Roger Mayweather moved up a weight class,
00:06:04captured the super lightweight title, and has defended it four times.
00:06:08This is the kind of fight all fighters dream of.
00:06:11So for the transplanted odd couple, it was back home to Georgia
00:06:15and to Billy Baxter's plush 30-acre estate.
00:06:18He's never really went to a real isolated camp to train for his fights,
00:06:23and probably some of the fights that Roger lost was really as a direct result of that.
00:06:29And we just felt that for him to get away from the bright lights in Vegas
00:06:33and really get away and isolate himself,
00:06:36we thought that this would be the place to do it.
00:06:39Anything that has to do with sports, I like.
00:06:41I'm really an athletic person.
00:06:42Even when I'm not boxing, I'm always doing something athletic.
00:06:46So that's why this was a perfect surrounding for me.
00:06:53President Woodrow Wilson said,
00:06:55the man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.
00:06:59Only Roger Mayweather knows the toll that 39 fights have taken on his body.
00:07:03He's quite aware that in the past, his chin has been regarded as suspect.
00:07:06He well knows the skills of Julio Cesar Chavez,
00:07:10but the Black Mamba persevered,
00:07:12trying to gain the respect that is accorded the champion.
00:07:18Inconsistent in the ring,
00:07:20Mayweather is constant in his dedication to young fans and younger fighters.
00:07:24His desire to give something back to those who have supported him.
00:07:28The reason Roger Mayweather gives back to the kids
00:07:33is because I was once a kid.
00:07:38I know what it is to be loved.
00:07:41I go back to Michigan, I look and I say,
00:07:42well, I made it out of here.
00:07:46I made it out of here.
00:07:46You can do it too.
00:07:48So it's an encouragement to them.
00:07:52No one knows for sure what's in the cards
00:07:54for the unheralded champion from the North,
00:07:56whose career is guided by the high-stakes gambler from the South.
00:08:00But you can bet the house
00:08:02that Roger Mayweather will give his best
00:08:04to uphold his identity as the assassin of Mexican fighters.
00:08:10And now we bring you back live
00:08:12as coming up on HBO Sports,
00:08:15from the Forum in Los Angeles, California,
00:08:18HBO's World Championship Boxing
00:08:20presents the WBC Super Lightweight Championship Bite
00:08:24between title holder Roger Mayweather
00:08:26and the man who holds two lightweight championship belts,
00:08:31Julio Cesar Chavez, Mexico.
00:08:35And once again, I'm Jim Lampley with Larry Merchant.
00:08:37Larry, what we're here to watch
00:08:38is another chance for Julio Cesar Chavez
00:08:40to underline the status that many accord to him
00:08:43as best fighter in the world outside of Mike Tyson,
00:08:45maybe even best fighter in the world pound for pound.
00:08:47What are the dangers which face Chavez here?
00:08:50Well, for one, there's Mayweather's right hand.
00:08:53He can't punch,
00:08:55and sometimes the lion does get gored by the buffalo.
00:09:00But there might be some other dangers,
00:09:01if they can be called that,
00:09:02in the atmospherics around the fight.
00:09:05Chavez normally is the most focused of athletes,
00:09:09and yet he admits that he's been a little distracted
00:09:11by some financial hassles he's had with promoters.
00:09:14In addition to that,
00:09:16he's winning recognition as the best fighter,
00:09:18at least south of Mike Tyson and Ray Leonard.
00:09:22And it's hard living up to the expectations of that
00:09:25in every fight.
00:09:27And finally,
00:09:28he has been busy outside the ring with his own agenda.
00:09:37Although he is a champion and a hero in his country,
00:09:41Julio Cesar Chavez wants something
00:09:43only one other Mexican athlete has achieved.
00:09:46Fernando Valenzuela,
00:09:47in a big league baseball uniform,
00:09:50has been a cross-cultural star
00:09:52and a major box office attraction.
00:09:55But it's very hard to make the leap
00:09:57from foreign champion to American star.
00:10:00In recent decades,
00:10:01only Roberto Duran and Alexis Arguello have done so.
00:10:05Besides that,
00:10:06despite all the many Mexican boxing fans in Los Angeles,
00:10:10there hasn't been a big fight here in years.
00:10:13L.A. has other things on its mind.
00:10:23Still, as Truman Capote said,
00:10:26a boy's got to hustle his book.
00:10:28Chavez is out here among his people
00:10:30selling the fight.
00:10:32Despite the obstacles that Los Angeles presents,
00:10:36the brilliant and personable Chavez
00:10:37feels that his magnetism
00:10:39will translate into American.
00:10:41That has become as important to him
00:10:43as the fight itself.
00:10:47I think that if there's one man
00:10:50in the light of the visions
00:10:52that could fill up the form,
00:10:53that's Julio Cesar Chavez,
00:10:54especially against Maywell.
00:10:57There are four million reasons
00:10:59for such expectations.
00:11:01That's the estimated Latin population
00:11:03in Southern California.
00:11:09People who know what it means
00:11:11to fight to make it.
00:11:19I've sold out fights in Las Vegas,
00:11:22and I've sold out fights everywhere I've fought.
00:11:25With my people requesting me to fight here,
00:11:27I feel the same thing will happen at the forum.
00:11:31Mexicans and Mexican-Americans
00:11:33are the principal supporters of boxing here,
00:11:36and Chavez is the kind of fighter
00:11:37who embodies their spirit and hopes
00:11:39with his aggressive style
00:11:41and his Ray Leonard-like public charm.
00:11:44Words out,
00:11:45the real boxing fans know about this fight,
00:11:48and the real boxing fans in Los Angeles
00:11:50are predominantly Hispanic.
00:11:51And I know they're excited,
00:11:54if for no other reason
00:11:55than to see Roger Mayweather lose.
00:11:59True fans are, in a sense,
00:12:01true innocents as well as true believers.
00:12:03So Mayweather's six straight wins
00:12:05over lesser Mexican fighters than Chavez
00:12:07still have Chavez's fans demanding vengeance.
00:12:17Mexicans are rooted in bravery.
00:12:20We are real men.
00:12:21Fighting and honor are in our blood, forever.
00:12:26For those who don't have it in their blood,
00:12:29Chavez has been doing whatever it takes
00:12:31to spread the news of the fight,
00:12:33trying to reach out to fans
00:12:34who are connected to him,
00:12:35not emotionally,
00:12:37but through his TV image
00:12:38as a dominant athlete.
00:12:43Whenever I go through the streets of L.A.,
00:12:46everyone stops me and says,
00:12:48attack him on all fronts,
00:12:50break his head open,
00:12:51knock him out.
00:12:53I will try to accommodate the entire public
00:12:56here in Los Angeles.
00:12:58Just in case Los Angeles
00:13:00couldn't get excited about Chavez Mayweather,
00:13:03Don King briefly toyed with the notion
00:13:05of a Mike Tyson exhibition on the undercard.
00:13:08It's not an insult,
00:13:11but I do not think I need Mike Tyson
00:13:13to fight my battles for me.
00:13:15I want nothing to do with exhibitions,
00:13:17so it will be seen who the people are
00:13:20that I bring in.
00:13:21And officials at the forum expected a crowd in excess of 15,000.
00:13:28This place would hold more than 18,000 for boxing.
00:13:3115,000-plus would be the biggest crowd here in 17 years.
00:13:35It does not look that full, Larry.
00:13:37It's a big crowd.
00:13:38It will be a passionate crowd,
00:13:40although it isn't what they expected or hoped for.
00:13:43Most of those in this crowd
00:13:47will feel either a national or cultural affiliation
00:13:51with the man who comes out right now,
00:13:54holder of both the WBA and WBC World Lightweight Championship belts,
00:13:59moving up now to a higher weight class,
00:14:01Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:14:07Last victory over his countryman,
00:14:10Jose Luis Ramirez,
00:14:11back in November.
00:14:13Here is his record in championship fights.
00:14:35That is but a subset of his overall record,
00:14:38which you might see as the most remarkable current record in the sport.
00:14:43Julio Cesar Chavez has had, by our official count, 60 fights.
00:14:49He has won 60 fights.
00:14:53You figure somewhere along the way,
00:14:55a fighter is going to run into a punch,
00:14:57but Chavez has never run into one he couldn't handle.
00:15:00So Julio Cesar Chavez prepares to match up four years and ten pounds later
00:15:10against a man he's already beaten once.
00:15:13And we go now to Larry Merchant's head-to-head tip of the night.
00:15:16So here's a preview of what we might see tonight.
00:15:20Roger Mayweather has to keep pumping that left hand,
00:15:24but he must not drop it because, as you saw there, Chavez will go right over the top.
00:15:29He must also throw more than those one-two combinations.
00:15:34He likes to throw the left followed by the right.
00:15:36He very seldom comes back with more.
00:15:38And finally, he must concede occasionally that you have to tie Chavez up
00:15:44rather than always punch at him when he comes at him.
00:15:47Chavez must get inside,
00:15:50and he must move his head
00:15:51to keep avoiding the counterpunches of Mayweather.
00:15:55He especially has to be aware of Mayweather's very good right hand.
00:16:00He was hurt by that right hand in the first fight.
00:16:05And finally, he must assume that this will be a different Mayweather,
00:16:09that he won't fall over as easily as he did in their first fight.
00:16:16And the boos you hear in the arena
00:16:18greet the entrance of the man whom Mexicans see as the Mexican assassin,
00:16:24a man who's built much of his career
00:16:26by knocking off Mexican fighters, Roger Mayweather.
00:16:31And wearing that Mexican costume is sort of a good-natured taunting,
00:16:37or some people may take it as a fellow sticking his head
00:16:40into his opponent's face.
00:16:44Well, it's a bit of a perverse relationship.
00:16:47They boo him, they root against him,
00:16:49but they don't dislike him.
00:16:50They know he's done a lot for the identity of Mexican fighters
00:16:54and for the boxing business in this town.
00:16:57They respect him.
00:17:00The record, 34-5, 23 KOs,
00:17:03mostly with solid shots off that great right hand.
00:17:06And there goes the sombrero into the crowd.
00:17:08And as Mayweather dances,
00:17:15we look at the tail of the tape.
00:17:17And you can see that Mayweather,
00:17:18regarded as the more comfortable at this weight,
00:17:20came in one and one quarter pounds under the limit.
00:17:23It is Chavez, perhaps a bit surprisingly,
00:17:25who tipped the scales at an even 140 pounds.
00:17:28The reach advantage,
00:17:30to the degree that that figures it all,
00:17:31belongs to the classic boxer, Roger Mayweather.
00:17:33And I suppose what some people wonder
00:17:37is whether at that weight,
00:17:38Chavez will still have the quickness
00:17:40for which he is noted.
00:17:44And here is our punch stat,
00:17:45which is a statistical profile
00:17:48of how active fighters are.
00:17:51There you see Mayweather
00:17:52in his fight against Vinny Pazienza,
00:17:54throwing 40 punches around
00:17:56and landing about half of them.
00:17:59Chavez throws more punches
00:18:00and lands a still higher percentage.
00:18:02And in the jabs,
00:18:05you see where the styles differ.
00:18:08Mayweather throws a lot of jabs.
00:18:10Chavez just uses the jab
00:18:11as a way to get inside
00:18:12to throw heavier stuff.
00:18:15WBC rules are blended
00:18:16with California rules
00:18:18to govern this bout.
00:18:19Three judges scoring the fight
00:18:20on the 10-point must system.
00:18:22No standing eight count,
00:18:23no three-knockdown rule.
00:18:24And you can be saved by the bell
00:18:26in the last round only.
00:18:28And right now,
00:18:29let's go up to ring announcer
00:18:30Jemmy Lennon Jr.
00:18:31for a brief fight introduction.
00:18:33Ladies and gentlemen,
00:18:34a very good evening to you.
00:18:36Y a todos nuestros amigos Latinos,
00:18:39bienvenidos aficionados al box.
00:18:42A very good evening to you,
00:18:43ladies and gentlemen,
00:18:44and welcome
00:18:45to the Great Western Forum
00:18:46in Inglewood, California,
00:18:48as Don King Productions
00:18:50presents the main event
00:18:52of the evening,
00:18:53the fury at the forum,
00:18:54the WBC Super Lightweight Championship
00:18:58of the World.
00:19:00This bout is supervised
00:19:01and directed
00:19:02by the World Boxing Council
00:19:03in conjunction
00:19:04with the California State
00:19:06Athletic Commission.
00:19:07Representing the WBC,
00:19:09President Jose Suleiman,
00:19:11Supervisor Haig Collegian.
00:19:15Representing the California
00:19:16State Athletic Commission,
00:19:17we have the Chairman Raul Silva,
00:19:20the Vice Chairman Jerry Nathanson,
00:19:22and the Executive Officer,
00:19:24Ken Gray.
00:19:26Now presenting the officials
00:19:28as they are appointed.
00:19:30Judging at ringside,
00:19:31from Los Angeles, California,
00:19:32Chuck Hassett.
00:19:34From Switzerland,
00:19:35Franz Marti.
00:19:37And from Hawaii,
00:19:39Tamotsu Tomihara.
00:19:42Introducing the Timekeeper
00:19:43at the Bell,
00:19:44also keeping count
00:19:45of the knockdowns,
00:19:45we have Aaron Koslow
00:19:46and the ringside physicians,
00:19:49the legendary fight doctor
00:19:50from Los Angeles,
00:19:51Dr. Bernhard Schwartz.
00:19:53And from Beverly Hills, California,
00:19:55Dr. Robert Carnes.
00:19:57Presenting the referee
00:19:58in charge of this bout,
00:19:59Hank Ellis Pru.
00:20:01One up, two down.
00:20:03All right, fans,
00:20:03here we go.
00:20:05The bout you've all been waiting for,
00:20:0712 rounds of boxing
00:20:09for the WBC Super Lightweight
00:20:12Championship of the World.
00:20:15Introducing to you first,
00:20:17the challenger fighting
00:20:18out of the blue corner.
00:20:20wearing white trunks
00:20:22with red and green trim,
00:20:25hailing from Culiacan,
00:20:27Sinaloa, Mexico.
00:20:31Weighing in tonight,
00:20:33and even 140 pounds,
00:20:36his outstanding record,
00:20:3860 wins,
00:20:39no defeats,
00:20:4150 big wins
00:20:43by way of knockout.
00:20:44He's currently the WBC
00:20:46and WBA lightweight champion
00:20:49of the world,
00:20:51presentando
00:20:52El Gran Campeón Mexicano,
00:20:54El Gran Campeón Mexicano,
00:20:55Julio Cesar Chávez.
00:21:04And his opponent across the ring,
00:21:07introducing the defending champion
00:21:10fighting out of the red corner.
00:21:13Entering the ring tonight,
00:21:14wearing black trunks
00:21:16and gold trim,
00:21:17and gold trim.
00:21:18Hailing from Las Vegas,
00:21:20Nevada,
00:21:21he weighs in tonight,
00:21:22a trim and ready,
00:21:24138 and three quarter pounds.
00:21:28His fine record,
00:21:2934 wins,
00:21:31five losses,
00:21:3223 wins
00:21:34by way of knockout.
00:21:35He's the defending WBC
00:21:37super lightweight champion
00:21:39known as
00:21:40the Mexican Assassin,
00:21:42Roger Blackmamba Mayweather.
00:21:58Ready to go?
00:21:59We're ready?
00:22:00I know one thing for sure, Jim.
00:22:01We won't get a Mexican hat dance
00:22:03here tonight.
00:22:04It will be more like
00:22:06what Sylvester Stallone,
00:22:07who I understand is here,
00:22:09once called an Apache war dance.
00:22:11And as we wait
00:22:11for referees' instructions,
00:22:13Jimmy Lennon Jr.'s dad,
00:22:14Jimmy Lennon,
00:22:14is one of the great
00:22:15ring announcers of all time.
00:22:17He's watching tonight,
00:22:18and I'm sure he's very proud
00:22:19of his son.
00:22:20And if you close your eyes,
00:22:21you couldn't tell
00:22:22the difference between them.
00:22:23That's a neutral corner,
00:22:23and this is a neutral corner.
00:22:25Case of a knockdown,
00:22:27the man go there
00:22:28and stay there
00:22:28until I tell you to come out.
00:22:30Okay?
00:22:31Good luck.
00:22:34Referee Hank Ellis-Buro
00:22:36with the final instructions.
00:22:37The crowd jacks itself
00:22:39up another level
00:22:40in support of Julio Cesar Chavez,
00:22:43and Roger Mayweather
00:22:44is used to this.
00:22:46He has fought
00:22:47in these circumstances
00:22:48before similar crowds
00:22:50many times.
00:22:51Three matches
00:22:52have a noble tradition
00:22:53in boxing
00:22:54and sometimes
00:22:55an ignoble tradition.
00:22:57Let's see what we get here.
00:22:58In their first bout,
00:23:07Chavez was able
00:23:08to get inside
00:23:09Mayweather's jab
00:23:10easily.
00:23:11Mayweather has vowed
00:23:12that it won't be
00:23:13so simple
00:23:14this time around.
00:23:15Already you see
00:23:16the Black Mamba
00:23:17working behind the jab.
00:23:19Chavez misses
00:23:24with a wide left.
00:23:30Mayweather is a
00:23:31textbook fighter.
00:23:33Straight left,
00:23:34straight right.
00:23:37He'll try to keep
00:23:38Chavez away
00:23:39with that jab.
00:23:40If he wants to land it,
00:23:42he has to step up
00:23:42a little closer.
00:23:43Good right hand
00:23:51by Mayweather,
00:23:52but Julio Cesar Chavez
00:23:53has one of the best
00:23:54chins in boxing.
00:23:55He is willing
00:23:56to take punishment
00:23:57to dish out more of it.
00:24:11And just as an early
00:24:12estimation, Larry,
00:24:14Chavez does not look
00:24:15super quick at this weight.
00:24:17I think it's a little
00:24:18early to tell
00:24:19because Mayweather
00:24:20is moving more
00:24:22than we've seen him before.
00:24:24He absolutely cannot move
00:24:25at this pace
00:24:26for 12 rounds.
00:24:34And let's remember
00:24:35that Mayweather
00:24:36probably won
00:24:37the first round
00:24:38in their first fight.
00:24:40The boxer usually
00:24:41has an advantage
00:24:42over the slugger
00:24:44or brawler
00:24:44early in the fight.
00:24:46All other things
00:24:47being equal,
00:24:48which they never are.
00:24:52Kind of an interesting
00:24:53contrast early.
00:24:54Mayweather has thrown
00:24:55by far more punches,
00:24:57but it is Chavez
00:24:58who is the psychological
00:24:59aggressive
00:24:59chasing Mayweather
00:25:01around the ring.
00:25:19Mayweather showing
00:25:20more respect
00:25:21for Chavez's
00:25:22punching ability
00:25:23than he did
00:25:24in the first fight
00:25:24with good reason.
00:25:28With good reason.
00:25:30With good reason.
00:25:41Julio Cesar Chavez
00:25:42has not landed
00:25:43an effective blow
00:25:44in round one.
00:25:46Roger Mayweather
00:25:46has scored some
00:25:47with the jab.
00:25:48But it is Chavez who has been the aggressor, and he shortens the distance between himself and the Black Mamba with each passing sequence.
00:25:59Didn't hear the bell.
00:26:01Tito Alba, who has been our Spanish interpreter for many fights over the years, recently was killed tragically in an automobile crash. Our condolences to his family.
00:26:21Tonight, Ruben Castillo, who himself once fought Chavez, will be our interpreter.
00:26:31Keep your punches up, throw. Everything is good.
00:26:49A lot of money at stake here, Jim. Not only the $750,000 plus that each one will get tonight, but the winner has some big, big money fights ahead of him.
00:27:05And not to mention the amount of money that manager Billy Baxter has put on his fighter, Roger Mayweather, with the Vegas books.
00:27:12Billy Baxter is a known gambler, and he reported to us today that he won $137,000 in two poker tournaments early this week in Las Vegas.
00:27:23And then he put $25,000 of it on 6-1 odds on his fighter.
00:27:30It was a very quiet minute between rounds in Chavez's corner, and Chavez has begun to connect now.
00:27:43You mentioned at the end of round one, he was shortening the distance between himself and Mayweather.
00:27:50That pattern continues now.
00:27:53As you watch Chavez, if you haven't seen him before, note his remarkable ability for ducking and slipping punches inside,
00:28:00and then countering to the body and sometimes to the head.
00:28:03There's a left.
00:28:06That left landed.
00:28:08And this is what Chavez did to Mayweather in their first fight.
00:28:12He stood him up, and he's got him standing still on the ropes.
00:28:16Mayweather has weathered that storm. He's just playing possum here.
00:28:21I guess one of the issues in this fight, Jim, is whether Mayweather has added weight to his heart.
00:28:28He comes in with a good right-hand counter.
00:28:34Keep in mind that Chavez has never felt the punches of a 140-pound fighter before.
00:28:50Will his chin be as good at this weight as it was at 130 and 135?
00:28:57That's one of the many questions that surrounds this exercise.
00:29:09Mayweather missed twice with the left, and Chavez missed as he stepped inside.
00:29:13Now Mayweather is standing his ground as he did in the first fight and looking to counterpunch.
00:29:27Both fighters landed there. Chavez with the left, Mayweather with an uppercut.
00:29:33One thing we've noticed Mayweather doing, as we suggested in the tips of the night, Jim, is he has tied up Chavez a couple of times on the inside.
00:29:44That was a very good right hand high on Chavez's head.
00:29:49And a right to the jaw. Chavez keeps coming forward.
00:29:53And second round comes to a close.
00:29:56We go to the corner of Roger Mayweather with trainer Jesse Reed.
00:30:03You've got to exchange with him in there, but you've got to stay in the low angle.
00:30:06You know when you're in there doing this, you're a lot quicker.
00:30:09All right? Get that body whipping on both sides.
00:30:12Get that body whipping. When he gets close to you, he's trying to come over the top.
00:30:15That's all you've got to remember. Roll it. Hit him with the right hand every time you roll it, okay?
00:30:20You understand me, Raj? Make him pay when he throws them right hands.
00:30:24They don't have to be hard. Just keep touching them.
00:30:26More water. More water. More water.
00:30:30Okay, here is Chavez throwing that long left that he slowed Mayweather down but didn't seriously damage.
00:30:39This is the same punch from another angle.
00:30:42You heard in the corner what they're trying to do.
00:30:44Learning from the first fight, they are trying to counter Chavez's counter.
00:30:51Chavez throwing over the left jab with his right.
00:30:54And now they're trying to counter over that right hand.
00:30:58And of course, Mayweather has already lasted longer with Julio Cesar Chavez this time around
00:31:03than was the case four years ago.
00:31:05I'm going to call you for holding. Put your holding.
00:31:09A leaping left landed by Chavez.
00:31:21Those look good but Chavez is ducking the blunt impact of a lot of those punches inside.
00:31:34He's starting to get into Mayweather's chest a little bit. Like that.
00:31:39Chavez blocking and slipping again.
00:31:46All right, break it, step back.
00:31:51And while Mayweather has been chopping away with the left with the jab and has scored with an uppercut or two,
00:32:00he has not yet had a chance to throw a right cross on balance. That's his best punch.
00:32:04Right hand landed flush on the jaw.
00:32:11But Chavez had trouble knocking out good fighters at 135 pounds.
00:32:17So there's little reason to suspect that he'll be a knockout artist at 140.
00:32:24Low blow.
00:32:37And Julio grimaced at that one.
00:32:39Chavez is a textbook fighter, but that was not in the textbook.
00:32:43Both fighters landing in this exchange.
00:32:47But again, Mayweather doing almost all of his damage with the left hand, not the right.
00:33:08Just as Mayweather is trying to counter Chavez's right, Chavez is throwing more lefts.
00:33:17No dummy heat.
00:33:22And the sheer aggression of Julio Cesar Chavez begins to take its toll.
00:33:26And now Mayweather rallies again with the left hand over Chavez's right.
00:33:51Round three counting down.
00:33:55You can win the exchanges, Roger.
00:34:04Don't wait to see what he's going to throw.
00:34:06Beat him to the exchanges.
00:34:08Okay?
00:34:09Beat him to the exchanges.
00:34:15Inside.
00:34:16Now you can beat this guy.
00:34:17All right, Harold Letterman.
00:34:18How have you seen the fight?
00:34:19Well, Larry, I've got a three rounds to nothing for Roger Mayweather.
00:34:2230 to 27.
00:34:23And I think he's fighting a very, very pretty fight.
00:34:25He's using a left jab constantly.
00:34:27He's keeping that left jab in Chavez's face.
00:34:29And using nice ring generalship, moving side to side.
00:34:32All right, Harold.
00:34:33You and I disagree on this one.
00:34:35I've given Chavez the last two rounds.
00:34:39And gentlemen, I'm sure you both heard referee Hank Gillespiero calling for the deduction of one point from Roger Mayweather for the low blow.
00:34:47So deduct a point on your scorecard from Mayweather in round three.
00:34:54Mayweather is not only fighting a better fight than he did the first time, but clearly he is in better condition.
00:35:22And much of that has to be attributed apparently to the fact that he is more comfortable at this weight.
00:35:31Before their first fight, he says, he had to take off 13 pounds in the last few weeks of the fight.
00:35:37This looks to have the makings of a long evening.
00:35:50He's going to need that conditioning.
00:35:57And there's the right cross.
00:35:59And an uppercut landed flush on Chavez's chin.
00:36:03But Chavez does not back up.
00:36:05Right hand from Chavez.
00:36:07Mayweather clowning just a little bit.
00:36:12We're midway through the fourth round.
00:36:14We're midway through the fourth round.
00:36:28But you're holding.
00:36:44The left hand missed.
00:36:46Mayweather working behind the jab still.
00:36:48And Chavez just stalking.
00:36:50Relentlessly.
00:36:51Trying to leap in with lefts and rights like that.
00:36:54Going to the body.
00:36:56The ability to take a punch largely is mental.
00:37:21So it is obvious here again that Mayweather is in much better condition physically as well as mentally for this fight.
00:37:34El Espuru again warned Mayweather this time for holding behind the head.
00:37:38Low blow again.
00:37:39Low blow again, El Espuru says.
00:37:42Mayweather flirting with another point deduction.
00:37:45Both fighters landing good punches.
00:37:50Mayweather landed a right hand.
00:37:52And they're yelling at each other.
00:37:54Mayweather just missed with what would have been a sensational right cross.
00:38:02And a rousing round four comes to a close.
00:38:05As I said earlier, Jim, when two champions meet, we get real fights.
00:38:12He says don't yell.
00:38:19Don't get upset.
00:38:21Just keep fighting your fight.
00:38:23You are hit on all cards.
00:38:25You are hit on all cards.
00:38:27Relax your arms.
00:38:29You don't have to win by knockout.
00:38:31You just got to win.
00:38:33Don't force the fight so you don't get tired.
00:38:37Don't force the fight.
00:38:38Don't force the fight.
00:38:39Don't force the fight.
00:38:40Don't force the fight.
00:38:41He hit in low.
00:38:42Yeah, he hit even that round low.
00:38:44That doesn't make any difference.
00:38:47Put your hold in, all right?
00:38:48Watch the low blow.
00:38:50All right, roger.
00:38:52When you make your pivots, here, here, here, I get it.
00:38:56When you make your pivots, pop to the body.
00:38:59Now step to the side.
00:39:00All right.
00:39:01That last voice you heard was the train of the body,
00:39:05The last voice you heard was the trainer, Will Reed,
00:39:10who once left Mayweather because he felt
00:39:13he was playing around too much and not training hard enough.
00:39:18And he's back with him and he says that Mayweather
00:39:20is in the best shape of his life.
00:39:22Now you're watching another one of Chavez's
00:39:23extraordinary skills.
00:39:25See how he will lean up on Mayweather,
00:39:27body him off inside, and do so in such a way
00:39:30with the shoulders and the arms
00:39:31as to create a punching angle.
00:39:33He's done it twice early in this round.
00:39:35All right, break it, break.
00:39:37And when you heard Julio Cesar Chavez's manager trainer,
00:39:41Cristobal Rosas, telling him you're ahead on all three cards.
00:39:44If you're new to boxing, it's important to recognize
00:39:47he can't know that for sure.
00:39:48The cards are concealed until the end of the box.
00:39:50Watch it low, watch it low.
00:39:54Chavez stepping in now and landing with much more consistency
00:39:58than was the case in the earlier round.
00:40:03All right, break it, break.
00:40:07Short, direct punches.
00:40:22Mayweather going back to work behind the jab.
00:40:25Chavez blocking most of them.
00:40:27All right, break it.
00:40:31Break it.
00:40:32Break.
00:40:34Break it.
00:40:34Break it.
00:40:35Break it.
00:40:36Break it.
00:40:40Break it.
00:40:40Break it.
00:40:42Break it.
00:40:45Break it.
00:40:45Break it.
00:40:46Break it.
00:40:47What's that?
00:40:48Well, Cesar Chavez has designs on bigger things,
00:40:51big money, and an even bigger weight class than this,
00:40:53perhaps, down the road, the welterweight division.
00:40:55He would like to score an eye-catching knockout here.
00:41:02But he'll sacrifice nothing, I think, in his effort to win the fight.
00:41:07He's in with the best possible Roger Mayweather,
00:41:10and that means he may not get a knockout.
00:41:14He may not even get a win.
00:41:17Right now, that's what he has to think about.
00:41:19Well, this is a close fight.
00:41:25All right, break it.
00:41:29Step back.
00:41:30But in this round particularly,
00:41:32Mayweather seems to be receding into a little bit more of a shell.
00:41:51Mayweather's punches have not had sting in this round.
00:41:54Chavez is by far the busier fighter now.
00:41:58Whether he'll be able to sustain this pace remains to be seen.
00:42:06What's happening, what makes it look good, bad for the judges,
00:42:10is like you'll come up.
00:42:11All right, what makes it bad?
00:42:12Listen to me now.
00:42:12I'm trying to give you some good advice, and I'm on your side.
00:42:15This is the man we want to whip.
00:42:16Now look at me.
00:42:17All right, you're breathing.
00:42:18When you're in the clinches with him,
00:42:19and you're holding and not throwing,
00:42:21he's winning points.
00:42:22Even if he's missing you, he's trying to come over the top.
00:42:25You've got to start flurrying your punches in there.
00:42:27A little bit like you did at the end there.
00:42:29Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.
00:42:30Don't have to be hard.
00:42:30Let's get about the corners.
00:42:31We're late getting out, all right?
00:42:33All right?
00:42:34All right.
00:42:35You've got to start moving them hands inside.
00:42:39All right.
00:42:40Throw popinations.
00:42:43Popinations.
00:42:45Work inside.
00:42:46Yeah, yeah.
00:42:47Okay, drink it.
00:42:51Your hands are too low.
00:42:52Keep your hands up.
00:42:56And if you know boxing,
00:42:57you know that Ruben Castillo
00:42:58has thrown some pretty good combinations himself.
00:43:04Some of them against Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:43:07Like all of Chavez's opponents,
00:43:08he left the ring a loser.
00:43:10No disgrace in that.
00:43:12We're in the sixth round.
00:43:20It's scheduled for 12.
00:43:22Chavez continues to stalk.
00:43:25Mayweather continues to fling the jab.
00:43:27A little more energy now
00:43:41from the Black Mamba again.
00:43:47Good right cross.
00:43:49And now Chavez does a little clowning of his arm.
00:43:55Uncharacteristic for Chavez.
00:43:56Because he usually wears that implacable mask.
00:44:03Leads you to believe maybe he felt it a bit.
00:44:06Exactly.
00:44:09Well, he admitted to us yesterday
00:44:11that Mayweather hurt him seriously
00:44:13with the right in the early part of round two
00:44:16of their first bout.
00:44:17Didn't stop them from knocking Mayweather out
00:44:19about a minute and a half later.
00:44:20Break it.
00:44:39Break it.
00:44:43Three.
00:44:53Chavez not as busy in this round as in the last.
00:44:56Some of that directly related to the fact that Mayweather has been more sprightly.
00:45:02Now Chavez lands a left and a right.
00:45:05And tries to back Mayweather up again against the ropes.
00:45:07But Julio looks a little tired to me at this moment.
00:45:10This has been a very fast pace.
00:45:16And Chavez is the type of fighter who expends a lot of energy because he's always moving forward and making the fight.
00:45:23And he's carrying five pounds more than he's ever carried in his boxing life.
00:45:29Doesn't sound like a lot.
00:45:30Can make a big difference.
00:45:34Crowd picks up again as Chavez continues to step inside.
00:45:40Very close to hitting on the break.
00:45:45But he got away with it.
00:45:59Mayweather landed a right.
00:46:00But not as stinging as the one early in the round.
00:46:03Another very active, exciting round of boxing.
00:46:07Championship stuff from both men.
00:46:10Let's see Chavez at work early in the round in which he maintained the pace.
00:46:33But later in the round, Mayweather came back and landed a couple of good right hands.
00:46:43And then we saw that exchange, that brisk, effective exchange from both fighters at the end of the round.
00:46:50Harold, quickly your score.
00:46:52Larry, I have it 58-55, 4-1-1, Roger Mayweather.
00:46:56I think he's doing a paid price job on Julio Cesar Chavez with that left jab.
00:47:00And every time Chavez gets inside, Mayweather seems to tie him up effectively or catch him with a nice uppercut.
00:47:06I have the fight three rounds apiece.
00:47:08But remember that one point was taken away from Mayweather.
00:47:13And our punch stat operators, Logan Hobson and Bob Canobio, pass along to me that in terms of number of punches landed, the bout is just about dead even.
00:47:23They have landed an almost equal number of punches in the fight.
00:47:27By that count.
00:47:29Unofficial.
00:47:32Remember earlier, Jim, I said that the boxer usually has the advantage in the first half of the fight.
00:47:39Let's see now if Chavez does wear down Mayweather.
00:47:48Chavez has to some degree blunted the left jab as a weapon.
00:47:52He has for the most part stayed away from the right.
00:47:55And he has scored increasingly inside.
00:47:58I mentioned that I thought Chavez looked a little tired at the end of the last round.
00:48:10His corner men were said to say the same thing to him between rounds.
00:48:16Warning him against dropping his hands.
00:48:18He did get hit twice with the right in the last round.
00:48:25Chavez now vintage Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:48:28Making Mayweather miss inside and countering.
00:48:31But Mayweather is countering effectively.
00:48:42They are trading in there.
00:48:44This is man-sized stuff.
00:48:46Again, if you're new to boxing, this is what is called infighting.
00:49:10Chavez is regarded as one of the very best in the sport at it.
00:49:14Mayweather is holding his own.
00:49:15But he lost his balance there.
00:49:18And I think it may be Roger who's run into a tired spot here.
00:49:23All right.
00:49:24This kind of fighting takes a lot out of you.
00:49:32All right.
00:49:32One hole.
00:49:37The rest of this fight will be determined on guts, ambition, and will.
00:49:48And conditioning.
00:49:50And the track record shows you that Roger Mayweather is a very good professional fighter.
00:49:59Julio Cesar Chavez has never lost.
00:50:06Jesse Reed carries Chavez halfway across the ring.
00:50:10And the crowd begins to erupt.
00:50:13Now, this is going to be a break for Mayweather if it takes a while to clean up the rim.
00:50:33Deep breath.
00:50:34Deep breath.
00:50:34I think that this outburst represents a certain nervousness and a part of Chavez's fans.
00:50:42He's getting a much tougher fight than they expected.
00:50:47We're in the eighth round.
00:50:48Eighth round.
00:50:49He's a head by two points.
00:50:50You're out of the corner.
00:50:51I just moved in out of the corner.
00:50:54There is a left hook and a right cross early in that round.
00:50:59What do these two men have inside them?
00:51:06There's a lot of debris in the ring.
00:51:08There is ice.
00:51:09There are cups.
00:51:10There are hazards.
00:51:12We might see some slipping now.
00:51:13All right.
00:51:13Break it.
00:51:14Break it.
00:51:15All right.
00:51:17All right.
00:51:22And you're looking at Chavez going to work.
00:51:25All right.
00:51:29If someone goes down here, they will literally be on ice.
00:51:52Mayweather's eye is cut.
00:51:53All of a sudden, Roger Mayweather has blood coming from a mouse underneath the left eye.
00:51:59And he begins to try to measure the right cross in hopes of scoring a knockout.
00:52:03And he's landed it twice in a row.
00:52:05Make it three times.
00:52:06Chavez stares at him and says, come on, try again.
00:52:10And Mayweather seems to say, damn, you take a punch.
00:52:14Mayweather getting a little wild, perhaps nervous about that left eye.
00:52:18But I believe the cut is under the eye, Jim.
00:52:21I don't think it's in a dangerous place.
00:52:24And Julio has a mouse on the bridge of his nose as well.
00:52:27But perhaps a little trickle of blood just inside it.
00:52:35This is Predator versus Predator.
00:52:40Good left hand by Mayweather.
00:52:44Chavez keeps coming.
00:52:45Time out now, and the ring doctor will be called upon to look at Mayweather's left eye.
00:53:06Now I see that the cut is, is, apparently on the eyelid.
00:53:13I think he has an abrasion below the eye.
00:53:17And a cut on the eyelid.
00:53:19And remember, the doctor can stop the fight here in California.
00:53:23Eyelid cuts tear like paper.
00:53:25Huge chunk of ice just hit the ring doctor in the back.
00:53:28He's looking at one of the best cut men in the sport now, Eddie Aliano, just out of frame, going to work.
00:53:37Even though it's a bad cut, they have to allow Mayweather to go on.
00:53:41He's fighting too well.
00:53:44He has earned this.
00:53:49But let's see if he gets desperate here.
00:53:51Mutual fury.
00:54:04Great right cross by Mayweather.
00:54:06Chavez walked right through it.
00:54:07Don't hold.
00:54:26Don't hold.
00:54:33All right, hold, hold, hold.
00:54:35All right, hold.
00:54:36In barbell at the sheer resolution of Julio Cesar Chavez.
00:54:41He won't be stopped from moving forward.
00:54:44They flurry again after the bell, third time in the fight.
00:55:00Put down, stay still, stay still.
00:55:02Stay still, stay still.
00:55:04Breathe deep.
00:55:05Breathe deep.
00:55:06No, stay still.
00:55:07Stay still, stay still.
00:55:08It's nothing.
00:55:09The guy is nothing.
00:55:10The guy is nothing.
00:55:10The guy is nothing.
00:55:10Stay still, John.
00:55:12I'm going to give you some more, okay?
00:55:13He's got a bad shot.
00:55:16You can knock his guy out, man.
00:55:18Just suck it up.
00:55:22Get your hands inside.
00:55:25Work inside.
00:55:28Work the hands.
00:55:30Throw the right hand.
00:55:32You heard the voice of Billy Baxter, Mayweather's manager saying you can knock him out.
00:55:44It suggests the concern they have because of the cut over his left right eye.
00:55:51Round nine of a war at the Forum.
00:55:54Excuse me, left side.
00:55:54It doesn't get too much better than this, Jim.
00:55:58It's a city that cries out for more interest in boxing, a bigger boxing audience and boxing
00:56:06public.
00:56:06You have the presence here now of middleweight champion Michael Nunn, who will create a lot
00:56:11of interest in the next few years and may ultimately fight here in Los Angeles.
00:56:14Chavez is a natural for the Mexican audience, and this has been great stuff.
00:56:20Julio Cesar Chavez's first journey at 140 pounds.
00:56:47The stamina appears intact.
00:56:53Maybe no more punching power than he had at 135, but no apparent loss of power either.
00:57:04And Mayweather suddenly is not fighting back anymore.
00:57:12Chavez trying to target the cut over Mayweather's left eye.
00:57:15Chavez is now trying to stay on top of Mayweather the way he did with Edwin Rosario to reduce
00:57:22his punching room and power, which is exactly the right strategy.
00:57:27He's great at it, too.
00:57:34His great chin, his ability to slip punches, his constant aggression allow him to fight this
00:57:39way.
00:57:40Other fighters would place themselves in much more danger by doing so.
00:57:44All right, don't hold.
00:57:45Hold, hold.
00:57:54And it begins to look a little like the Rosario fight did in the late stages.
00:57:59And now Mayweather is resurging again.
00:58:01Ten seconds.
00:58:22And now Mayweather.
00:58:23Ten seconds left in round nine.
00:58:37Every round of memory.
00:58:59Look in the legs. Look in the legs, Roger, and when you got them on the legs, just come out in the middle, okay?
00:59:05Larry, you're going to have to stop this guy now. You know that.
00:59:10They ain't going to give you this fight. You can stop him, but you got to back him up.
00:59:14Merrill, your scorecard.
00:59:16Larry, I've got it 4-4-1 even, 85-85.
00:59:19I think Julio Cesar Chavez has taken the fight away from Roger Mayweather in round seven, eight, and nine by staying on top of him and taking away Roger Mayweather's left jab.
00:59:28He just doesn't give Mayweather to room the jab that Mayweather needs.
00:59:32And you heard Billy Baxter, the manager, telling Mayweather, you got to knock him out.
00:59:37So he knows that in a close fight, he's going to have a very difficult time getting the decision because of Chavez's activity.
00:59:46Because he's always moving forward and making the fight in a close fight.
00:59:51That kind of fighter will get the benefit of the doubt.
00:59:54As Chavez tries to join a growing list of fighters to have won world titles in three separate weight classes.
01:00:01It's no longer a stunning accomplishment in the alphabet world of boxing, but it's still a very significant one.
01:00:08What it means basically is that he ran out of competition at 130, he ran out of competition at 135, and now he's trying the 140 pounders.
01:00:26And as you watch him at 140, you wonder how he will fare if he elects to try to go to 147 against a Marlon Starling or a Mark Breeland.
01:00:42If he succeeds here, there will be at least one more 140 pound fight.
01:00:46In the last round, Mayweather threw only 44 punches. So his business is shutting down gradually.
01:01:00He's been a little bit more aggressive in this stanza.
01:01:05He's been a little bit more aggressive in this stanza.
01:01:10But Jóvese has 50 knockouts in his career. Only one of them came past the eighth round.
01:01:30The book is, when he gets this far, he's headed for a decision. The judges have never failed.
01:01:36have never failed
01:01:41mayweather isn't going to win this fight playing this way perhaps he's just trying to get a
01:01:48breather in this round for one last heroic effort in the last rounds but he can't win the fight
01:01:54fighting this way now he needs to bring back some of what he had in rounds one two and three
01:02:00when he was so impressive with the jab and chavez is such a master at cutting off the ring
01:02:05he really doesn't let you fight that way
01:02:11well to a large degree what we're watching here is the sheer imposition of will chavez has made
01:02:16mayweather fight his fight in the last few rounds he has awesome will it's it's very rare the kind
01:02:23of willpower you see in chavez combined with his skills
01:02:35and break it break break roger mayweather is fighting valiantly but at this moment
01:02:44as larry merchant points out he's losing
01:02:55he's losing his blood
01:02:58and he's losing his blood
01:03:00and he's losing his blood
01:03:05keep pressing
01:03:06keep pressing
01:03:08keep pressing
01:03:09You got him this round. You got to go right after him.
01:03:13Drink some water. Drink some water.
01:03:25They have stopped the fight.
01:03:29Crowd response came earlier than ours because we were looking at
01:03:33Chavez. Referee Hank El Espiro talked to Mayweather's
01:03:37corner and it's over. And Jim,
01:03:41I'm not 100% sure of why they stopped the fight.
01:03:45Obviously he has a cut, but the cut wasn't giving him a problem.
01:03:49I hate to say it, but I just think
01:03:53he didn't want any more of Chavez. I think you're absolutely right.
01:03:57The position that Mayweather has assumed on his bench,
01:04:01the relationship he has with his manager and trainer would lead you to believe that Roger
01:04:05Mayweather said. That'll do.
01:04:13And now Larry Merchant goes into the ring
01:04:15as the celebration swirls
01:04:17around Julio Cesar Chavez.
01:04:19WBC
01:04:21world super lightweight
01:04:23champion. Champion now
01:04:25in a third weight class.
01:04:27Joining among active
01:04:29fighters such as Sugar Ray Leonard
01:04:31and Jeff Fennec
01:04:33and a few others
01:04:35who've been able to accomplish this.
01:04:37Thomas Hearns,
01:04:39Roberto Duran,
01:04:41and some of the other greats in the history of the sport who've done it
01:04:45included Bob Fitzsimmons and Tony Canzaneri
01:04:47and Barney Ross and the immortal Henry Armstrong,
01:04:49Wilfred Bernides,
01:04:51Alexis Arguello,
01:04:53Wilfredo Gomez.
01:04:55Add to that list now,
01:04:57Julio Cesar Chavez.
01:04:59We take a look at the final punch stat count.
01:05:03You can see that they threw an almost equal number of punches.
01:05:07Chavez was able to land more particularly in the last few rounds.
01:05:11And ultimately,
01:05:15it was his imposition of will on Mayweather.
01:05:19His ability to force Mayweather
01:05:21to fight his fight
01:05:23and to accept the idea that he would do so
01:05:25that made Chavez the victor once again.
01:05:31And now let's go live to Larry Merchant in the ring.
01:05:35Alright, we're here in the ring.
01:05:37A bit of chaos here.
01:05:39Roger Mayweather just coming over
01:05:41to congratulate Chavez.
01:05:45Chavez has a little bit of a cut
01:05:47on the inside of the bridge of his nose.
01:05:49A much tougher fight than you expected.
01:05:53Si esta pelea era mucho mas difícil
01:05:55que lo que pensabas.
01:05:57La verdad si, la verdad que no salí en mi noche.
01:05:59To tell you the truth,
01:06:01it was a tough fight because this one's not my night.
01:06:03Iba a apertar en el onceavo y décimo round.
01:06:05Mayweather es un gran peleador.
01:06:07Mayweather's a great champion,
01:06:09great fighter.
01:06:11And the fight was pretty even until now.
01:06:13When did you know that it was going to be
01:06:15a lot more difficult than the first fight?
01:06:17Cuando supises que esta pelea iba a ser diferente
01:06:19que la primera?
01:06:21I don't know, la verdad.
01:06:23Estuve psicológicamente aislado de esta pelea.
01:06:25He was psychologically defeated
01:06:27and was down for this fight.
01:06:31And all of his training he was not concentrated
01:06:33in this fight.
01:06:35He had too many problems.
01:06:37So you don't feel you gave your best effort?
01:06:39Si no crees que tu dices lo mejor?
01:06:41No, no, never.
01:06:43No dices 50%.
01:06:45He didn't even give 50%.
01:06:47Did the extra weight bother you?
01:06:49Si el peso es ex...
01:06:51No, no, no, no, no.
01:06:53Les prometo que para la próxima pelea
01:06:55van a haber un Julio Chávez diferente.
01:06:57I promise for the next fight
01:06:59you'll see the Julio Chávez from before.
01:07:01Este fue un reto para mi, la verdad.
01:07:03What were the problems that you're referring to?
01:07:05Que son los problemas que dices?
01:07:07I don't know, tuve muchos problemas psicológicos
01:07:09para esta pelea.
01:07:10Pero cuáles problemas?
01:07:11Pensaba mucho, mucho pensaba.
01:07:13He was thinking too much.
01:07:15It was psychologically bad.
01:07:17Did he ever hurt you
01:07:19because he landed some very big punches on you?
01:07:21Nunca te lastimó porque si...
01:07:23Oh, yes, yes.
01:07:25Pega fuerte con la derecha.
01:07:27Roger hits really hard with the right hand.
01:07:29He hurt him a couple of times.
01:07:31When did you feel that he was weakening?
01:07:34Cuando pensaste?
01:07:35Cuando supiste que estaba debilitando?
01:07:37No sé, yo fui de menos a más.
01:07:39En el décimo round me sentía mucho más fuerte.
01:07:41No, pero él, él.
01:07:43No sé, él estuvo payaseando toda la pelea
01:07:45y no hizo una gran pelea.
01:07:47No peleó como debe ser.
01:07:49He couldn't tell if he was weakening
01:07:51because he was showing off too much.
01:07:53And he's not that type of fighter.
01:07:55He didn't come to fight him.
01:07:56What are your plans now?
01:07:58Who are the fighters
01:07:59that you would like to meet next?
01:08:00¿Qué son los planes de ustedes?
01:08:02No sé.
01:08:03Don King, Don King.
01:08:04Quiero Camacho.
01:08:05Quiero a Taylor.
01:08:06Uno o los dos.
01:08:07He wants Camacho
01:08:08or Meltzer Taylor.
01:08:10So that you feel comfortable at 140
01:08:12and you want to keep fighting at this weight.
01:08:14¿Te sientes bien el 140?
01:08:15Yes.
01:08:16Yo creo que con esta pelea que hice
01:08:18que no me vi muy bien,
01:08:19Camacho va a querer pelear conmigo
01:08:20y lo estoy esperando.
01:08:21He says he does want to continue this weight division.
01:08:23He knows that Camacho is watching this fight
01:08:25and he didn't feel good.
01:08:26So Camacho will want to fight him.
01:08:28Espero que Camacho ya no corra más.
01:08:30Ya que pelee conmigo.
01:08:31Camacho, I don't want to run no more.
01:08:32Come on Camacho, come on.
01:08:33Fight me.
01:08:34Fight me.
01:08:35Finally, this question.
01:08:36Were you surprised that he retired in his corner
01:08:41because it didn't appear that the cut was bothering him that much?
01:08:45¿Estás sorprendido porque dejó de pelear en la esquina?
01:08:48Que pararon la pelea en la esquina.
01:08:49Yo quería pelear.
01:08:50Yo quería pelear.
01:08:51Me sentía mucho fuerte.
01:08:52Muy fuerte.
01:08:53Me sentía.
01:08:54He said that he was surprised.
01:08:55He wanted to continue fighting
01:08:56because he's getting stronger and stronger.
01:08:58He said that he had stomach cramps.
01:09:00Do you think he just had too much of Julio Cesar Chavez?
01:09:04Dice que tuvo calambres en el estómago.
01:09:06Si tú crees que tuvo muchos problemas con Julio Cesar Chavez.
01:09:09Yes, very good.
01:09:10Thank you very much.
01:09:11I love you all.
01:09:12Estados Unidos.
01:09:13Yeah.
01:09:14Thank you very much.
01:09:15And now back to Jim at Rinkside.
01:09:18All right.
01:09:19Thank you very much, Larry.
01:09:20So we came to see another step in the genesis of the man,
01:09:24many regard as the best fighter in the world, Julio Cesar Chavez.
01:09:28It was, for the 61st consecutive time, a successful step.
01:09:32Right now we go back to Jimmy Lennon Jr. in the ring for the official particulars.
01:09:36Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of round number 10,
01:09:40the fighter unable to continue, the winner by way of knockout,
01:09:45the new WBC super lightweight champion of the world, Julio Cesar Chavez.
01:09:54It was an anticlimactic finish to what had been a dramatic and exciting bout.
01:10:07The two fighters were on their stools between the 10th and 11th rounds.
01:10:11As you were watching here on HBO, you saw the cut men in Julio Cesar Chavez's corner
01:10:16working on the cut on the bridge of his nose.
01:10:18And there is Roger Mayweather at the moment at which he slumped forward on the stool
01:10:22as referee Lou El Espiro took a look, or Hank El Espiro took a look at his eye.
01:10:28And at that point, El Espiro turned around, waved his arms, and the crowd here,
01:10:33so much in support of Chavez, immediately burst into celebration
01:10:38as they knew that their man had won his third different world championship
01:10:43in a different weight class.
01:10:44Right now, Larry Merchant is standing by with the valiant but beaten Roger Mayweather.
01:10:48Larry?
01:10:49Roger, you fought a brilliant fight. What happened? Why did you stop in your corner?
01:10:56I got a bad cramp about the sixth round, seventh round. I started feeling it coming on.
01:11:04So I knew I was fighting. They kept telling me to keep fighting inside,
01:11:09but I wanted to get out and use my leg a little bit because I know I could beat him from there.
01:11:14I could point him from the outside. It was really easy. It was really easy to hit.
01:11:18But he got a tremendous chin. We already said that.
01:11:21Where is the cramp? The trainer is putting ice on you.
01:11:24Right in the pit of the stomach.
01:11:26Well, yeah, right down by my little more.
01:11:28Was it from punches that you took, or was it just from the activity and the heat of the fight?
01:11:35Well, where do you know?
01:11:37Well, really, I think it was because I probably had too much liquors today.
01:11:40And it took toll on me to lick it.
01:11:43But I came in rather light for the fight. I came in 138.
01:11:46But you fought so well compared to the first time. Aren't you satisfied with that?
01:11:51No, I'm not satisfied because I ain't a quitter.
01:11:54But I hit him with some tremendous shots.
01:11:56The average 140 pound would have went down.
01:11:59Is that just discouraging after a while because he just takes such a great punch?
01:12:05No, he wasn't really discouraging me. But he took a hell of a shot.
01:12:09I hit him with some of my best punches. And as you see, he took it and shook it off.
01:12:14He's not that great a puncher. He's just a boy will weigh you down. He's not a great puncher.
01:12:18A guy like a young fighter like Miller Taylor would give him a lot of trouble.
01:12:23Because he's not that big of a puncher than 140 pounds. He's just a weight down.
01:12:29But he's going to take a whole lot of beating to beat.
01:12:32Well, he's going to take a lot of punches to get in.
01:12:34I hit him with some of my best punches. He stood up.
01:12:37So, it ain't too many 140 pounds larger that can punch harder than me.
01:12:40And he took it and he won victoriously. And he stopped the reign of the Mexican assassin.
01:12:45But I'll be back.
01:12:46Thank you very much, Roger.
01:12:48Again, back to you, Jim.
01:12:50Thank you very much, Larry. It goes without saying that there may not be any other sports event,
01:12:55perhaps no other human endeavor which is so naked and graphic a demonstration of will,
01:13:00as is the sport of boxing.
01:13:02Tonight you watch two men of almost equal talent in the ring.
01:13:06One of whom simply has shown throughout his career that he will not lose.
01:13:11And given any chance whatsoever to impose his will on the opponent,
01:13:15to make the opponent fight his fight, he's going to be able to do it.
01:13:19Julio Cesar Chavez had trouble with Roger Mayweather for seven or eight rounds of this fight.
01:13:24But in the final few rounds, it had become clear that Roger Mayweather was going to fight the way Julio Cesar Chavez wanted to fight.
01:13:31And ultimately, that could redound to the advantage of only one man.
01:13:35So Mayweather drops to 34 wins, six losses, and Chavez's remarkable record goes to 61-0.
01:13:44Larry Merchant, if you can step down real fast.
01:13:46We've got about 30 or 45 seconds.
01:13:48Your final comment on what you saw in Chavez's future.
01:13:52Well, I don't think there's any doubt that Chavez joins Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard as the premier fighter of our time right now.
01:14:03And that we're going to hear a lot more from him.
01:14:05It was a wonderful fight.
01:14:07And if that's only 50% of himself by his own estimation, I don't know if anybody wants to get in with 100% of Julio Cesar Chavez.
01:14:18Some very flashy and talented fighters in the 140-pound weight class, most notably Hector Camacho.
01:14:23You heard the discussion of him.
01:14:25Meldrick Taylor, regarded by some as having the fastest hands in all of boxing.
01:14:29Either of them would have a monumental test against Chavez.
01:14:33That's right.
01:14:34And a fighter named Hector.
01:14:36And a fighter named Meldrick.
01:14:38And also there's a fighter named Pernell out there.
01:14:40Pernell Whitaker.
01:14:41A lightweight champion.
01:14:43So no Joes and Billys and Pugs.
01:14:46But some real good fighters.
01:14:48All of them undefeated.
01:14:49And this is the king of the lighter divisions.
01:14:52A lot of people have called this guy pound for pound.
01:14:56I don't know if I want to go that far yet.
01:14:58But he's enough fighter for me.
01:15:00You can love watching him every time you watch him.
01:15:03And we hope to have more of him here on HBO.
01:15:07It's been a terrific reintroduction of the Los Angeles audience to big time boxing.
01:15:13Stay tuned immediately following this HBO World Championship boxing coverage
01:15:19for Trading Places on the East Coast and Shakedown on the West Coast.
01:15:24And now for Larry Merchant and Harold Letterman, I'm Jim Lampley saying so long from the Forum in Los Angeles.
01:15:29The executive producer of HBO Sports is Ross Greenberg.
01:15:34Tonight's fight was produced by Rick Bernstein and directed by Mark Payton.
01:15:38The feature producers were David Harmon and Brian McDonald.
01:15:41The replay producers, Michael J. Whalen and Steve Salvador.
01:15:45The assistant to the producer, Kendall Reid.
01:15:47The production manager, Russell Gabay.
01:15:50And the technical manager, George Wensel.
01:15:59The director of The University of Missouri,
01:16:01Paul and Anthony Co., who were asked for the Diveroo.
01:16:04The director, T 되지-in-pour-south.
01:16:05And he's like, yes, there's a chance.
01:16:06The director, T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T.
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