Julio César Chávez vs. Greg Haugen
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| Date | February 20, 1993 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Estadio Azteca, Coyoacán, Mexico | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | WBC super lightweight title | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chávez wins by 5th-round technical knockout | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julio César Chávez vs. Greg Haugen was a professional boxing match contested on February 20, 1993, for the WBC super lightweight title.[1] The fight was the featured bout on a boxing card promoted by Don King dubbed the The Grand Slam of Boxing.
Background
[edit]A Chávez–Haugen super lightweight title fight was originally announced in October 1992 to take place on December 5 that same year at Caesars Palace in the Las Vegas Valley. Organized by promoter Don King, the Showtime pay-per-view event was also set to include a WBC super welterweight title fight between Terry Norris and Simon Brown and a WBA super middleweight title rematch between Michael Nunn and Víctor Córdoba.[2] However, only two weeks later, the entire card was cancelled due to rival network HBO airing an episode of HBO World Championship Boxing featuring James Toney and Iran Barkley on the same day.[3] On December 1, 1992, King announced a new event billed as The Grand Slam of Boxing scheduled to take place on February 20, 1993, in Estadio Azteca in Chávez's native Mexico. Headlined by Chávez and Haugen, the card was originally announced to once again include the Norris–Brown super welterweight title bout, as well as Julian Jackson defending his WBC middleweight title against Gerald McClellan and a WBC super featherweight title bout between Azumah Nelson and Gabriel Ruelas. However, Jackson was forced to pull out of his fight with McClellan due to an injury to his right hand and that fight was replaced with a WBA super middleweight fight between Nunn and Danny Morgan, while Brown required surgery for a detached retina and was replaced by Maurice Blocker.[4][5]
Leading up to the event, Haugen, a 25–1 underdog, engaged in frequent trash talk, insulting both Chávez and his home country of Mexico. When asked about his safety should he defeat Chávez before a reported 130,000 of his countrymen Haugen responded "First of all, I don’t think there’s 130,000 Mexicans who can afford to go."[6] Haugen would also ridicule Chávez's 84–0 record, claiming that Chávez's undefeated record was a result of him facing "Nothing but stiffs" during the first 50 fights of his career also remarking "Every one of them was a cab driver from Tijuana."[7]
Attendance
[edit]132,274 spectators attended the event, setting the world record for the largest paid attendance at a boxing event, surpassing the first fight between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney at Sesquicentennial Stadium in 1926 which drew 120,557. Only the 1941 Tony Zale–Billy Pryor fight in Milwaukee's Juneau Park, which drew 135,132 was better attended, though that fight was free to the public.[8]
The Fight
[edit]Chávez got off to a quick start, sending Haugen down to the canvas 25 seconds into the first round, and then proceeded to dominate the remainder of the fight. In the fifth round, Chávez would score a second knockdown after landing a combination to Haugen's body just past the midway point of the round. Haugen answered referee Joe Cortez's 10-count and was allowed to continue, but Chávez quickly attacked a clearly hurt and exhausted Haugen when the fight resumed. With Haugen nearly defenseless, Cortez stepped in and ended the fight at 2:02 of the round, giving Chávez the victory by technical knockout.[9]
Fight card
[edit]Confirmed bouts:[10]
| Weight Class | Weight | vs. | Method | Round | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Lightweight | 140 lbs. | Julio César Chávez (c) | def. | Greg Haugen | TKO | 5/12 | Note 1 |
| Super Welterweight | 154 lbs. | Terry Norris (c) | def. | Maurice Blocker | TKO | 2/12 | Note 2 |
| Super Featherweight | 130 lbs. | Azumah Nelson (c) | def. | Gabriel Ruelas | MD | 12/12 | Note 3 |
| Super Middleweight | 168 lbs. | Michael Nunn (c) | def. | Danny Morgan | KO | 1/12 | Note 4 |
| Middleweight | 160 lbs. | Gerald McClellan | def. | Tyrone Moore | TKO | 2/10 | |
| Welterweight | 147 lbs. | Félix Trinidad | def. | Pedro Aguirre | TKO | 4/10 | |
| Featherweight | 126 lbs. | Jose Badillo | def. | Adan Vargas | KO | 2/6 |
^Note 1 For WBC Super Lightweight title
^Note 2 For WBC Super Welterweight title
^Note 3 For WBC Super Featherweight title
^Note 4 For WBA Super Middleweight title
Broadcasting
[edit]| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom |
Sky Sports |
 United States |
Showtime |
References
[edit]- ^ "Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Greg Haugen". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ Chavez to fight Haugen, challenges Whitaker, Norris, UPI article, 1992-10-15 Retrieved on 2024-09-28
- ^ Title Fight Card Canceled, NY Times article, 1992-10-29 Retrieved on 2024-09-28
- ^ Nunn Knocks keeps belt with first-round KO of Morgan, UPI article, 1993-02-20 Retrieved on 2024-09-28
- ^ Even at the Top, Anger Often Has Bigger Punch Than Money, LA Times article, 1992-12-05 Retrieved on 2024-09-28
- ^ It’s Time to Hail Cesar : Boxing: Up to 130,000 will be on hand to watch Julio Cesar Chavez, the pride of Mexico, fight Greg Haugen in one of four bouts tonight., LA Times article, 1993-02-20 Retrieved on 2024-09-28
- ^ Down and Out In Mexico City, Sports Illustrated article, 1993-03-01 Retrieved on 2024-09-28
- ^ [1], Guinness World Records, Retrieved on 2024-09-29
- ^ Chavez Knocks Out Haugen In Fifth, NY Times article, 1993-02-21 Retrieved on 2024-09-29
- ^ "BoxRec - event".