Julio Cesar Chavez cultivated an astonishing 115-fight career, becoming a three-division world champion, but only one fighter stands out as the best he ever faced.
His 90-fight remarkable unbeaten run came to an end in 1994, when he lost a split decision to Frankie Randall, though the Mexican immediately avenged his defeat the same year.
Before that, though, many felt that Chavez was fortunate to come away with a draw against Pernell Whitaker, the then-WBC world welterweight champion, in 1993.
Back then, Whitaker dominated large spells of their encounter with his slippery southpaw skills, only to discover that his opponent’s relentless aggression had contributed to a closer-than-expected set of scorecards.
But Chavez, in fairness, had enjoyed most of his success down at 140lbs, where he eventually faced the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Kostya Tszyu towards the end of his career.
Yet while Whitaker, De La Hoya and Tszyu were certainly among his toughest opponents, Chavez ultimately feels that Meldrick Taylor was the best he ever locked horns with.
The pair’s first encounter took place in 1990, when Taylor, the then-IBF world super-lightweight champion, was bidding to capture his rival’s WBC strap.
Ultimately, the American was stopped with just two seconds remaining of their thrilling 12-round contest, but nevertheless, Chavez has since told the Ring Magazine that Taylor was the best overall fighter he shared a ring with.
“I faced everybody. If you look at my record, all the fights I had, I had 37 world championship fights and I didn’t hand-pick any opponents.
“But if I was to look at the best overall fighter, it would have to be Meldrick Taylor.”
The pair later collided for a second time in 1994, with Taylor suffering an eighth-round stoppage defeat after moving back down to 140lbs.
