Jesús Chávez
Encyclopedia
Jesús Auerelio Chávez is a Mexican
professional boxer
in the Lightweight
division. He is the former NABF, WBC
Super Featherweight
and IBF
Lightweight
Champion.
and became a legal U.S. resident as a child, but at age sixteen he was convicted of being an accessory to armed robbery, spent four years in prison, and was subsequently deported back to Mexico
. His struggle to attain legal U.S. residence and work his way up the boxing ranks was documented in the film "Split Decision". His life story was also documented in the book "Standing Eight: The Inspiring Story of Jesus El Matador Chavez". In 2004, Chavez married US National Guard intelligence officer Anuisa Stroklund before she was deployed to the war in Iraq. The couple now resides in Austin, Texas
.
, meaning The Killer. He was given the nickname not because of anything he did in the ring, but in honor of the gym he fought out of, "the Matador". He is trained by Richard Lord.
Super Featherweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
where he was knocked out in the 9th round after an entertaining bout. He rebounded to win Mayweather's vacated WBC title, but lost it to then two-time champion Erik Morales
. In another exciting fight, Chávez rocked Morales early in the first round. Morales recovered and knocked Chávez down twice in the 2nd round, but Chávez came back and fought hard for the rest of the fight, despite having an injured hand. Morales won a close decision, but Chávez gained further respect for his effort. In his next fight, he took on former IBF
Champion Carlos Hernández, who in turn had also lost his own title to Morales. In an exciting 12-round war, Chávez pulled out a close decision.
. In an unfortunate bout, Chávez outhustled Johnson throughout the entire fight, beating him severely for the entire fight until the referee finally stepped in and ended it. Johnson died several days later when he went into a coma
. Johnson's family have encouraged Chavez to keep fighting. In 2007, Chavez lost his IBF title to Julio Díaz
.
On September 6, 2008, Jesus "El Matador" Chavez, (44-4 with 31 Win by TKO) knocked out visiting Andres Ledesma,of Colombia
42 seconds into the 9th round of their lightweight bout, at the Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas
. Chavez, of Austin
, also floored Ledesma in the 7th round.
On April 4, 2009, Chavez was defeated by Michael Katsidis
via 8th round TKO.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
in the Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
division. He is the former NABF, WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Super Featherweight
Super Featherweight
Super featherweight is a weight division in professional boxing. The maximum weight for this division is 130 pounds or 59 kilograms....
and IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
Lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
Champion.
Personal life
Chavez was raised in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and became a legal U.S. resident as a child, but at age sixteen he was convicted of being an accessory to armed robbery, spent four years in prison, and was subsequently deported back to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. His struggle to attain legal U.S. residence and work his way up the boxing ranks was documented in the film "Split Decision". His life story was also documented in the book "Standing Eight: The Inspiring Story of Jesus El Matador Chavez". In 2004, Chavez married US National Guard intelligence officer Anuisa Stroklund before she was deployed to the war in Iraq. The couple now resides in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Nickname
His nickname is El MatadorMatador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
, meaning The Killer. He was given the nickname not because of anything he did in the ring, but in honor of the gym he fought out of, "the Matador". He is trained by Richard Lord.
Pro Career
Chávez's first title opportunity came against WBCWorld Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Super Featherweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Joy Mayweather, Jr. is an American professional boxer. He is a five-division world champion, where he has won seven world titles, as well as the lineal championship in three different weight classes...
where he was knocked out in the 9th round after an entertaining bout. He rebounded to win Mayweather's vacated WBC title, but lost it to then two-time champion Erik Morales
Erik Morales
Érik Isaac Morales Elvira is a Mexican professional boxer. He is the first Mexican born boxer in history to win a world title in four weight classes and is the current WBC Light Welterweight Champion...
. In another exciting fight, Chávez rocked Morales early in the first round. Morales recovered and knocked Chávez down twice in the 2nd round, but Chávez came back and fought hard for the rest of the fight, despite having an injured hand. Morales won a close decision, but Chávez gained further respect for his effort. In his next fight, he took on former IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
Champion Carlos Hernández, who in turn had also lost his own title to Morales. In an exciting 12-round war, Chávez pulled out a close decision.
Leavander Johnson's death
He then moved up to the Lightweight division to take on IBF champion Leavander JohnsonLeavander Johnson
Leavander Johnson was an American lightweight boxer from Atlantic City, New Jersey, who once held the International Boxing Federation version of the world title...
. In an unfortunate bout, Chávez outhustled Johnson throughout the entire fight, beating him severely for the entire fight until the referee finally stepped in and ended it. Johnson died several days later when he went into a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Johnson's family have encouraged Chavez to keep fighting. In 2007, Chavez lost his IBF title to Julio Díaz
Julio Díaz
Julio Díaz is a Mexican professional boxer in the Light Welterweight division. A former IBF lightweight champion, he is also the brother of boxing trainer Joel Díaz and former World Champion Antonio Díaz.-Professional career:Diaz captured the IBF lightweight interim title with a win over Ricky...
.
On September 6, 2008, Jesus "El Matador" Chavez, (44-4 with 31 Win by TKO) knocked out visiting Andres Ledesma,of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
42 seconds into the 9th round of their lightweight bout, at the Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Chavez, of Austin
Austin
Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
, also floored Ledesma in the 7th round.
On April 4, 2009, Chavez was defeated by Michael Katsidis
Michael Katsidis
Michael Alan Katsidis is an Australian professional boxer of Greek descent. He is a former two-time WBO interim lightweight titleholder whose crowd-pleasing, all-action fighting style has often drawn comparisons with the late Arturo Gatti.-Amateur career:In an amateur career which began at the...
via 8th round TKO.
See also
- List of lightweight boxing champions
- List of WBC world champions
- Reigning boxing champions