by Jason Collins
Julio Cesar Chavez delivered a successful swansong performance to Los Angeles' Staples Center, beating a competitive Ivan Robinson in front of a near capacity crowd. The scene was reminiscent of fights from Chavez' heyday. The Staples Center crowd,
with a large Mexican contingent,
roared during Chavez' ringwalk. And once inside the ring, all members of Chavez' entourage belted out the
Mexican national anthem exhuberantly just as they did during the 80's and early 90's. Perhaps the Chavez
camp's enthusiasm stemmed from knowing its man had a solid shot at notching a victory. Other late career
fights for Chavez, such as the loss against Kostya Tzyu and the ill-fated rematch against De La Hoya had taken
on a different hue, as though every one on hand knew the inevitable outcome for the aging champ. But Saturday night
turned out to be one of those nights where everything fell into place for the Mexican legend.
On this night, Chavez had a hand-picked, beatable opponent in 143 pound Ivan Robinson. In his prime, Robinson staged upsets against Israel "Pito" Cardona and Arturo Gatti. However, boxing in the new millenium hasn't been as rewarding for Robinson as the 1990's were. Seven losses in his previous nine fights were not indicitave of the Robinson who fought his way to only 2 losses in the previous decade. Intent on outboxing Chavez in Larry Holmes fashion, Robinson entered the ring to Holmes' signature song, "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now."
Robinson remained true to his prefight claim that he would box like Larry Holmes as he scored consistenly with his lead jab. Unfortunately, the past-his-prime Robinson showed the movement of an older Larry Holmes, as he was unable to elude Chavez' incessant pressure via foot movement. Robinson also appeared shaky in the legs, losing his equilibrium frequently during the fight.
While the Mexican legend has clearly slowed since his heyday, he proved that his arsenal was still effective and intact. Chavez hit Robinson continually with left uppercuts and hooks from both directions. He constantly scored with an impressive mixture
of high and low punches. Still, this fight was not
a one-sided affair as Robinson demonstrated when he batted away at Chavez in the closing moments of the second
round. Chavez came back fiercely by buckling Robinson in the opening seconds of the third round.
Robinson succumbed to Chavez' attack in the fourth round when the Mexican hero connected with a perfect right hook to the chin. Robinson employed his veteran experience to survive the rest of the fourth round. The Philly fighter walked back to his corner with a bloody nose at the end of the round.
Chavez won most, if not all of the remaining rounds by landing the harder punches. Robinson still scored often with his jab, which was sometimes followed by a solid overhand right. But Chavez punches clearly inflicted more damage that Robinson's. Late in the fight, chavez injured his right hand. This inconvenience did not prevent Chavez from cruising to a decision by landing many fierce left hooks while his right hand was out of commission.
A light-hearted subplot began during the prefight instructions when Robinson kissed Chavez on the cheek. All night, Robinson showed a penchant for friendliness and admiration toward Chavez. Not surprisingly, Chavez did not seem to appreciate Robinson's chuminess until after the fight. Robinson often touched gloves and tapped Chavez in a show of camaraderie throughout the bout. At the end of round eight, Robinson managed to annoy Chavez by patting him on the behind. The strictly professional Chavez responded by shaking his head and throwing up his gloves in disbelief. Robinson's friendly displays did not appear to be a psychological tactic. Rather, he seemed to enjoy being part of what might have been the Mexican legend's final fight. Even after finding himself on the losing the decision, Robinson continued his toward the victorious Chavez.
Chavez left his fans satisfied and cheering but not with a complete sense of closure. In a postfight interview, he announced to the fans and media that this "was his last fight - in Los Angeles."
Julio Cesar Jr., son of the headlining boxing legend blew out Adam Wynant in the first round. Proclaimed by Mexican fans as "The Second Coming," the 19 year old starched Wynant with an early all-out assault. The bout was halted after only 42 seconds.
In a much more competitive undercard fight, Jesus Chavez, put on a performance true to the title of the documentary movie that he starred in: "Split Decision." Chavez and Hernandez seemed to neutralize each other with similar styles that featured combinations of skill and will. But Jesus Chavez appeared to win more of the fight's exchanges, earning himself a split decision victory over the game Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez in the super featherweight title eliminator bout.