Mexican great Julio Cesar Chavez has outlined one attribute in particular that stood out from his two memorable battles with Oscar De La Hoya.
In a fight that was billed as ‘Ultimate Glory’, De La Hoya and Chavez locked horns for the first time back in June of 1996 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
‘The Golden Boy’ proved to be too much for Chavez on the night as he stopped him in the 4th round of their clash to capture the WBC super-lightweight title and become a three-weight world champion in the process.
Their rematch came just over two years later at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas and it was De La Hoya who prevailed once again, stopping the Mexican icon in the 8th round to defend his WBC welterweight crown for the 5th time.
In a round of ‘Best I Faced’ with The Ring Magazine, Chavez spoke fondly of his former rival as he claimed ‘The Golden Boy’ had the best jab that he ever seen during his glittering professional career.
“Oscar De La Hoya [jab was the best] because he was tall and used it to mark his range.”
De La Hoya suffered just a handful of defeats during his tenure, becoming a world champion in no less than six weight divisions along the way.
The Mexican-American great drew the curtain on his career back in 2009, just a short while after he was beaten by Manny Pacquiao in the 45th and final bout of his tenure.
