Julio César Chávez vs. Héctor Camacho
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| Date | September 12, 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC super lightweight title | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chávez wins by unanimous decision (120–107, 119–110, 117–111) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julio César Chávez vs. Héctor Camacho, billed as Ultimate Glory: The Fight for it All, was a professional boxing match contested on September 12, 1992, for the WBC super lightweight title.[1]
Background
[edit]A fight between Julio César Chávez and Héctor Camacho, two of the top fighters in the super lightweight division, had been discussed as early as 1989, though problems within Camacho's management team prevented HBO, who then held Chávez's television rights, from making the fight with then-HBO sports head Seth Abraham stating "While I'd love to do the fight, I'm not sure who to make the deal with."[2] After years of rumors and failed negotiations, the Chávez–Camacho fight finally came to fruition in April 1992. After Chávez made a successful mandatory defense against Angel Hernandez, he would challenge Camacho, who was sitting ringside, by yelling "you're next!" at him.[3] The two fighters would then each take tune-up fights on August 1, 1992, in preparation for their showdown scheduled in September that year. Camacho would defeat Eddie Van Kirk followed by Chávez making another successful title defense against Frankie Mitchell, officially putting their fight on.[4] There were concerns that Camacho, who had fought Van Kirk in the light middleweight division at 148 pounds, would have difficulty getting down to the 140-pound super lightweight division and thus make the long-anticipated bout a non-title fight. Promoter Don King would downplay Camacho's rumored troubles, stating they were "not true" and that there was "no question" that Camacho would make weight come the day of the fight.[5] Chávez, then undefeated in 81 professional fights, entered the fight as a heavy 5–1 favorite.[6]
Richard Steele was named the referee of the fight three days prior to it taking place. This was the first time Steele had refereed a Chávez fight since controversially awarding Chávez the victory by technical knockout against Meldrick Taylor after stopping the fight with only two seconds remaining over two years prior.[7]
The fights
[edit]Undercard
[edit]The undercard saw wins for Frankie Randall and former heavyweight champion Tony Tucker. Also former WBO heavyweight titleholder Francesco Damiani edged out former heavyweight champion Greg Page by two points on all three cards, where Page lost two points for repeatedly losing his mouthpiece. Without the point deductions the bout would have scored a draw.
Córdoba vs. Nunn
[edit]| Title(s) on the line | WBA super middleweight title | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nunn defeats Córdoba by split decision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In the first of the two world title bouts on the card, WBA and lineal super middleweight champion Víctor Córdoba made the third defence of his title against former middleweight champion and No. 1 contender Michael Nunn.
Nunn was a 9-1 favorite to win.[8]
The fight
[edit]The champion would start strong stinging Nunn repeatedly in the early rounds and nearly knocking down Nunn with a right-left combination in the 2nd round. Nunn would grow into the bout but Córdoba seemed to be landing the harder blows. As the bout passed the halfway mark Córdoba appeared to be slowing down, allowing Nunn more into the fight. Referee Mills Lane would deducted a point from Córdoba for a low blow in the 8th round. However in the following round Córdoba dropped Nunn with a straight left hand while batting in the corner of the ring. Nunn beat the count and would finish the bout strong.
The bout would last the full 12 round distance, judge Patricia Jarman scored it 114–112 for Córdoba while Fernando Viso and Ove Ovesen had it for Nunn, 114–113 and 114–112 respectively.
With the victory Nunn became a two division champion, however the decision was booed by the crowd.[9][10]
Main Event
[edit]Chávez would earn the victory with an extremely lopsided unanimous decision. Chávez served as the aggressor for nearly the entire 12 rounds as the constantly retreating Camacho offered little offense throughout. There were no knockdowns, though Chávez came close to scoring a knockout in the third after hitting Camacho with a left-right-left combination while Camacho was stuck in his corner though Camacho survived the round. By the eighth round, Camacho's left eye was badly swollen after absorbing considerable punishment and Chávez would open a cut alongside Camacho's right eye though Camacho would nevertheless hold on and take Chávez the distance. All three judges had Chávez the clear winner with scores of 120–107 (12 rounds to none), 119–110 (10 rounds to one, one round even) and 117–111 (nine rounds to three)[11][12]
Aftermath
[edit]The bout made between 740,000 and 800,000 PPV buys.[13]
Fight card
[edit]Confirmed bouts:[14]
| Weight Class | Weight | vs. | Method | Round | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Lightweight | 140 lbs. | Julio César Chávez (c) | def. | Héctor Camacho | TKO | 8/12 | Note 1 |
| Super Middleweight | 168 lbs. | Michael Nunn | def. | Víctor Córdoba (c) | SD | 12/12 | Note 2 |
| Heavyweight | 200+ lbs. | Francesco Damiani | def. | Greg Page | UD | 10/10 | |
| Heavyweight | 200+ lbs. | Tony Tucker | def. | Everett Martin | UD | 10/10 | |
| Welterweight | 147 lbs. | Frankie Randall | def. | Juan Carlos Nunez | TKO | 2/10 | |
| Cruiserweight | 190 lbs. | Richard Mason | def. | Martin Lopez | TKO | 3/10 | |
| Heavyweight | 200+ lbs. | King Ipitan | def. | Barry Forbes | UD | 4/4 |
^Note 1 For WBC Super Lightweight title
^Note 2 For WBA Super Middleweight title
Broadcasting
[edit]| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 United States |
Showtime |
References
[edit]- ^ "Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Hector Camacho". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Chavez-Camacho Bout Will Not Happen Soon, NY Times article, 1989-05-19 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ Chavez tells Camacho 'You're next', UPI article, 1992-04-11 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ Camacho Not Macho to Chavez, Washington Post article, 1989-08-03 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ On 61st Birthday, King Is Own Noisemaker, NY Times article, 1992-08-21 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ Chavez–Camacho Countdown Begins, Chicago Tribune article, 1992-08-03 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ Steele named referee for Chavez-Camacho, UPI article, 1992-09-10 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ "Nunn Wins Wba Title". The Victoria Advocate. Associated Press. 13 September 1992. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ Jeff Hasen (12 September 1992). "Nunn takes WBA 168-pound crown". upi.com. Las Vegas. United Press International. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "Unbeaten Chavez batters Camacho". Tampa Bay Times. 13 September 1992. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ It Wasn't Close: Chavez Stops Camacho in Decision, NY Times article, 1992-09-13 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ Chavez wins easily, pounds Camacho, UPI article, 1992-09-13 Retrieved on 2024-09-18
- ^ "View From Pay-Per-View". New York Times. 10 September 1993. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
- ^ "BoxRec - event".