The boos were heard throughout the fight, loudly when the decision was announced, and continued throughout the ring interview. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was not well received upon his return to the ring on Saturday night in Tampa, Florida.
But considering the son of the legend hadn’t fought in 31 months and was in a Los Angeles courtroom just five and a half weeks ago, the mere presence of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a major boxing event was commendable.
Chavez Jr., 38, defeated Uriah Hall, 39, in a six-round bout that featured no real excitement on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry undercard. All three judges scored the fight in favor of the Mexican (58-56, 59-55, 59-55), whose career seemed over after years of inactivity, serious depression problems, and a weapons possession charge earlier this year.
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A day after weighing 197.8 pounds to meet the cruiserweight limit, Chavez Jr. looked physically strong despite such a long period of inactivity. The Sinaloa native had been working on his body – and his mind – during the previous months in which he was in a rehabilitation program for addictions in Los Angeles.
However, once the fight got underway, there was little to show for Chavez Jr., whose last fight was in December 2021. His opponent on Saturday had no boxing credentials. Hall is a Jamaican-born mixed martial artist who had only had one boxing fight, which he won in 2022 against Le’Veon Bell, a former NFL player with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He’s tough, but once I got my distance, I boxed every round because I was out for three years… He’s a great competitor, but I won easily,” Chavez Jr. said in the ring when interviewed amid boos. “I know people expected a war, but against a guy who is not a boxer, who was out for three years, I used my jab, my distance, without many punches…”
After a lackluster victory, Chavez Jr. asked for a chance with Jake Paul
The “Junior,” now with a record of 54-6-1, explained that he focused on throwing at Hall’s body in the first rounds and that was key.
When the DAZN broadcast reporter asked Chavez Jr. who he wanted to fight next, the veteran replied: Jake Paul, who a short while later knocked out Mike Perry in six rounds, a seasoned man who has no boxing background.
But when the reporter asked him if he thought he could beat Paul, the Mexican was reserved: “I am a better fighter than his opponents. That is for sure.”
Later, speaking to an ESPN sports reporter on his walk to the locker room, Chavez Jr. said he took a cautious approach against a mixed martial arts fighter.
Chavez Jr. said he fought at 60 or 70 percent
“I did not risk getting hit, I felt good, my legs worked nice, and my movements were quite right. I didn’t put on the show for the public that I wanted,” Chavez admitted, stressing that he performed at “60 or 70 percent. Imagine being at 100 percent, I can still compete, I think that’s what I showed, right?”
In the co-main event of the evening, legendary Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano easily defeated Stevie Morgan by knockout in the second round and set the table for the long-awaited rematch against Irishwoman Katie Taylor in November, a clash that has yet to be scheduled.
