When it comes to ranking fighters across boxing’s many categories, Bob Arum is uniquely spoiled for choice.
The former lawyer celebrated his 94th birthday in December and has spent more than half a century working alongside many of the sport’s greatest names.
From Muhammad Ali to Manny Pacquiao, the Top Rank supremo could populate any list — greatest fighter, toughest competitor, most underrated — with ease. But when asked to name the most exciting of them all by Sky Sports, Arum did not hesitate.
“Julio Cesar Chavez.”
After a decade as a professional and 73 fights without defeat, Chavez left Don King to sign a six-fight deal with Arum in December 1990, a contract reportedly worth $15 million. At the time, the Mexican icon was the reigning super lightweight champion and already the owner of victories over the likes of Meldrick Taylor, Edwin Rosario and Rocky Lockridge.
Chavez’s blend of relentless pressure, savage body punching, extraordinary stamina and indomitable will made him not only a national hero in Mexico, but a figure revered by boxing fans worldwide.
His dramatic, last-second stoppage of Taylor in 1990 remains one of the most debated and unforgettable endings in championship history. Wars with Roger Mayweather, particularly their punishing rematch, and his iconic knockout of Greg Haugen in front of 130,000 fans at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca further cemented Chavez’s reputation as must-see television — and a fighter who inspired an unparalleled following.
He won world titles in three divisions, but for Arum, and for millions who watched him fight, Chavez’s greatest achievement was making every bout feel unmissable.
