Julio Cesar Chavez Jr: The Epilogue

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (54-6-1, 34 KOs) sloshed his way to a six-round unanimous decision over former UFC star Uriah Hall (1-1) on the Jake Paul-Mike Perry undercard Saturday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

The uninspired and uninspiring performance in the opening bout of the DAZN pay-per-view broadcast was equal parts sad and tedious to watch. It further showcased the fact that the second generation fighter has nothing to offer anymore, beyond a cautionary tale.

A lot of excuses could be made for the weak showing against someone just having his second pro boxing match. He’s 38, fighting 30 lbs above his optimal weight, coming off a 2-and-a-half year layoff. But, even given all of this, Chavez Jr. should’ve blown away the very boxing-basic Hall.

At this point, the one-time world champ’s career options come down to a fight with Jake Paul and a rematch with Anderson Silva, who beat him via split decision back in June of 2021. From the booing at Amalie Arena, it’s clear that the fans would prefer not to see him again.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr calls out Jake Paul in his post-fight interview after beating Uriah Hall in an underwhelming fight on his undercard. Ariel Helwani asks the crowd if they want to see it and is met with boos and groans.

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 21, 2024

Born into Mexican boxing royalty as the son of La Gran Leyenda Mexicano, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., Jr. had his career path set up for him before he could even decide he wanted a boxing career.

Going through the motions at first, cruising to easy wins off raw talent and careful matchmaking, Jr. actually started hitting somewhat of a career stride at one point. Good instincts and natural ability started to show themselves and the one-time punchline for real boxing fans rattled off solid wins over guys like Sebastian Zbik, Peter Manfredo, Marco Antonio Rubio, and Andy Lee in 2011-2012. He also managed to win the WBC middleweight title, although it was more of gift-wrapped title from the deferential Mexico City-based WBC.

But then losses came…along with personal issues, addiction issues, legal issues, and apparent mental health issues. As the bad piled up, the good that was once there faded way into the background.

The loss to retired UFC star and boxing novice Anderson Silva– on a night in Guadalajara Mexico where his father fought an exhibition bout and was celebrated for his legendary accomplishments– seemed like the last of Jr.’s last chances.

As Chavez Sr. left the ring that night, bathed in adulation, he was asked about his sons (Sr.’s other son, Omar, had also lost that night). His mood immediately changed.

“I prefer that they just f**king retire already…if they’re not going to prepare,” Chavez replied tersely, with more than a touch of frustration in his voice.

But Jr. fights on, now admittedly grasping at boxing as a way to keep himself focused and out of trouble, more than a decade removed from his last meaningful victory.

It’s a sad ending that was not all that hard to see coming, even back 21 years ago when he began his professional career as a gangly teenager. He was the poor rich kid, full of empty pride, raging entitlement, and a taste for hard partying– half into boxing and half seemingly resentful of having to fight. He was destined to come off the rails at some point and he did, several times.

And now he’s here, as something– Fighting, but not all that hard; Training, but not all that seriously; Still cashing in on his name.

On a related side note, I’ve been on the Chavez Jr. beat from almost day one, chronicling the story of El Hijo de la Leyanda, for better and worse. Here’s an excerpt from a piece written back in 2012 for The Boxing Tribune that pretty much paints a complete portrait of the man:

“It may seem as though Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was born a made man, but back in 2008, when fans in Hermosillo, Sonora pelted the ring with garbage and cups of beer in protest of his controversial split decision win over Minnesota’s Matt Vanda, he certainly didn’t seem to be living a charmed in-ring life.

Jr. sat in his corner, dejected and deflated, protected from the debris with towels by his corner men while his father battled with angry fans at ringside. On that night he gave a heartfelt post-fight interview in the beer-soaked ring about not ever wanting to fight again.

It was one thing to be marginalized by the press, but quite another to be rejected by the very fans who had elevated his father to near god-like status as the face of Mexican boxing. It was Jr.’s first ever public sign of self-awareness.

But Jr.’s arrogance and more than a pinch of ignorance pushed him forward. Days after the Hermosillo fiasco, he would talk to the press and blast his “jealous” critics in the media. In Jr.’s world, the near-riot wasn’t about the controversial decision (One judge had Chavez winning all ten rounds of the closely-contested bout) or the frustration of the fans who felt that they weren’t getting an honest deal with the kid. No, this was about him being picked on by those who were jealous of his wealth and fame. And he was going to keep fighting and keep winning, just to shut them up. He spoke with the bravado of someone used to getting what he wanted and one who knew that it would just be a matter of time before his enemies would be humbled.

After all, this was the kid who sneered at the camera after stopping Jose Celaya earlier in 2008, lifted up his WBC Continental Americas light middleweight title, and angrily declared that he had shut the critics’ mouths and now had to be regarded as the best. A year prior, he was calling out names like Mayweather and Cotto while battling guys like Grover Wiley and Louis Brown.”