Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez who cracked the famous Philly shell defence
The legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez was able to break through Roger Mayweather's Philly shell.
Julio Cesar Chavez vs Roger Mayweather (image credit- X)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is arguably the most popular boxer to utilize the Philly Shell, which made him a defensive master. However, long before Mayweather popularized the technique, his uncle Roger Mayweather applied it. Although Mayweather and his family members mastered the technique, it was created by George Benton. It is an aesthetically pleasing technique, allowing a boxer to be more efficient in defense. While it is considered to be the greatest defensive technique, the legendary boxer Julio Cesar Chavez broke through it.
This happened when Chavez met Mayweather Jr.’s uncle Roger inside the ring in 1985. Mayweather’s uncle was responsible for training him. He was also a great boxer in his own right. ‘The Black Mamba’ did not just have Mayweather’s defensive abilities but also had impressive punching power. As such, Roger Mayweather had a record of 59-13, with 35 victories via KO and 6 losses via KO. Similarly, his opponent is considered to be one of the greatest Mexican boxers, with a record of 107-6-2 and 85 victories via KO.
During their fight, ‘The Black Mamba’ had the reach advantage and utilized it to keep Chavez at bay with his jabs. However, Chavez understood the Philly shell broke through it with counterpunching. In addition, Chavez was able to maneuver across the ring better than Roger, owing to his swift footwork. This helped him set up punches from different angles, and he managed to overwhelm ‘The Black Mamba’.
Subsequently, the Mexican boxing legend lived up to the reputation of Mexicans using the brawler fighting style. However, it should be noted that Chavez was not just a brawler because he had great defensive abilities himself.
Two times that Roger Mayweather fought Julio Cesar Chavez
During their first encounter, both fighters were quite well-known for being great fighters. However, at the time, many people believed that Floyd Mayweather Jr.‘s uncle, Roger had a better chance of winning compared to Chavez. However, Chavez was able to break all expectations and win the fight via a second-round TKO in 1985.
The next time the two of them met inside the ring was in 1989, and ‘The Black Mamba’ sought redemption. Furthermore, Roger learned from his mistake and approached this fight differently by maintaining a certain distance. This continued for most of the fight, but Chavez kept relentlessly attacking him.
The fight carried on till the tenth round, and Mayweather was fatigued and appeared slower because of it. Subsequently, this resulted in him telling his corner that he was done and did not wish to continue as the referee stopped the fight. Hence, both of their fights ended differently, but Chavez emerged as the dominant in both bouts.
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Abhijay Roy
(551 Articles Published)