Featured Articles
Being Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.’s Son is a Blessing, But also a Burden

Being the son of a famous father can be both a blessing and a burden, but maybe more of the latter for second-generation fighters who follow in their daddies’ very large footsteps. Case in point: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who, in his 13½ years of plying the family trade, has been given the benefit of every doubt because of his regal bloodline, yet continues to be widely viewed with skepticism because of the long, inescapable shadow cast by his Hall of Fame pop, whose accomplishments were such that he was adoringly nicknamed “JC Superstar” and El Gran Campeon (“The Great Champion”) by his many fans.
Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., now 54, is the most celebrated fighter ever to come out of his boxing-crazed country of Mexico. From 1980 to 2005 he compiled a 107-6-2 record with 86 victories inside the distance, winning six world titles in three weight divisions and setting records by participating in 31 championship bouts with 27 successful defenses. He went 89-0-1 in his first 90 pro bouts, and set another record, for largest attendance for a boxing match, when 132,274 spectators filled Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on Feb. 20, 1993, to see him batter Greg Haugen into submission in five rounds.
Even should the 31-year-old Chavez Jr. (50-2-1, 32 KOs) get lucky– he’s an opening-line 7-to-1 underdog — and land a big shot to take out Canelo Alvarez (48-1-1, 34 KOs) on May 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the non-title victory (set for a catch weight of 164½ pounds) might not endear him as much as he might wish to the rabid Mexican fan base that so worshipped JCC Sr. Alvarez is the current darling of most Mexican fight fans, more a successor to the elder Chavez than his kid could ever hope to be, and an upset win by Junior would only serve to torpedo the much-anticipated matchup of Canelo and Gennady Golovkin in September, which Alvarez’s promoter, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya, said is “100 percent guaranteed,” provided his fighter gets past the celebrity son and Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs), the WBC/IBF/IBO middleweight champion, survives his March 18 unification showdown with WBA titlist Daniel Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) at Madison Square Garden.
Chavez Jr. is a former world champion, having claimed the WBC middleweight title on June 4, 2011, when he dethroned Germany’s Sebastian Zbik, who was handed the belt when Sergio Martinez was stripped by the Mexico City-based organization for reasons that still remain somewhat unclear. Junior – who has a history of problems making weight as well as dealing with banned substances – made successful defenses against Peter Manfredo Jr., Marco Antonio Rubio and Andy Lee, but he was on the wrong end of a serious beatdown against Martinez on Sept. 15, 2012, when he scored a late knockdown in the 12th and final round. A buzzed Martinez survived until the final bell and won going away on the scorecards by margins of 118-109 (twice) and 117-110.
Can Junior do unto Alvarez what he nearly was able to do in the closing moments against Martinez? It isn’t out of the question; Junior of late has been campaigning as a light heavyweight, and Canelo never has weighed in at more than 155 pounds, although he held (and relinquished) the WBC middleweight championship. Junior could come in as high as 180 against Alvarez, and his size advantage should not be discounted, nor should his desire to gain respect on his own terms.
“This fight is to show that I’m better than Canelo,” Junior said. “Canelo thinks he’s one of the greatest, but, no, I am.”
If there is a hint as to the confidence level Senior has in his son, it’s that JC Superstar got Junior to back off on his heat-of-the-moment pledge to make the Alvarez fight a winner-take-all affair. “I do not agree with the bet,” Senior said. “This fight is about pride and honor. Betting (your entire purse) is not a good idea.”
We shall see if Junior’s faith in himself is justified. But history would seem to be working against him. In boxing – in most sports, really – fathers (and sometimes brothers) who bear the stamp of greatness raise the bar so high that their kinfolk seldom come close to clearing it. Take baseball, for instance: brothers Hank and Tommie Aaron hold the major league record for most home runs hit by siblings. Hank had 755, Tommie 13. And so it is in the ring. Consider this list of fighting fathers/brothers who climbed higher and faster than relatives who discovered that shared DNA doesn’t guarantee similar levels of success:
Joe Frazier and Marvis Frazier
Smokin’ Joe (32-4-1, 27 KOs) won the “Fight of the Century,” scoring a unanimous decision over Muhammad Ali on March 8, 1971, in the first of their three classic matchups, and the lethal left hooker from Philadelphia is on many experts’ top 10 list of all-time heavyweight champions. The gentlemanly Marvis (19-2, 8 KOs) was good enough to be considered a heavyweight contender for a time, but he was trained by his dad to fight in the same bombs-away Frazier style, which proved disastrous in first-round stoppages against Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes.
Muhammad Ali and Rahman Ali
He called himself the “Greatest of All Time,” and Muhammad Ali (56-5, 32 KOs) just might have been worthy of such a designation. He was, at the very least, the Hank Aaron of boxing. Younger brother Rahman (14-3-1, 7 KOs) was a closer parallel to Tommie Aaron.
Aaron Pryor and Aaron Pryor Jr.
“The Hawk” (39-1, 35 KOs), who was 60 when he died on Oct. 9 of last year, is widely considered the greatest 140-pound fighter of all time. His son and namesake, 38, is a super middleweight who is 0-3-1 in his last four ring appearances to drop his record to 19-10-2 with eight wins inside the distance.
Hector “Macho” Camacho and Hector Camacho Jr.
A slick southpaw who was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall in 2016, the elder Camacho (79-6-3, 38 KOs) was a three-division world champion with dazzling hand speed, nimble footwork and a flamboyant style. Hector Jr. (58-6-1, 32 KOs), also a lefty, is a 38-year-old veteran who bears his father’s name but doesn’t come close to having the same elite game, never having fought for a world title.
Salvador Sanchez and Salvador Sanchez II
Were it not for the 1982 car crash that ended his life and career at 23 years of age, Salvador Sanchez (44-1-1, 32 KOs), the reigning WBC featherweight champion, might have become the greatest 126-pound fighter of all time. Some would argue he is still in that conversation. Salvador II (30-7-3, 18 KOs) is still active, but is on a three-bout losing streak.
Thomas Hearns and Ronald Hearns
Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns (61-5-1, 48 KOs), a 2012 inductee into the IBHOF, had a devastating overhand right and reigned in five weight classes. His son, Ronald (28-6, 22 KOs) wasn’t exactly a chip off the old block, but he did manage a shot at WBA super middleweight champ Felix Sturm in 2011, losing on a fifth-round stoppage.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Robbie Sims
With his shaved head and menacing scowl, Hagler (62-3-2, 52 KOs) was one of the most-feared middleweights ever to step inside the ropes, and with good reason, appearing in 15 world title bouts and going 13-1-1, the only smudges being a controversial draw in his first bout with Vito Antuofermo and the similarly disputed split-decision loss to Sugar Ray Leonard. Half-brother Robbie Sims (38-10-2, 26 KOs) was no slouch, but lost both of his bids at a version of the 160-pound crown.
Wilfredo Vasquez and Wilfredo Vasquez Jr.
One of Puerto Rico’s most honored fighters, Wilfredo Sr. (56-9-2, 41 KOs) was a three-division world champion whose son, Wilfredo Jr. (24-7-1, 19 KOs), also made some noise, if not quite as much as his father, in winning the WBO super bantamweight title.
Chris Eubank and Chris Eubank Jr.
Chris Sr. (45-5-2, 23 KOs) – whose nickname was “Simply the Best” — was 16-0-2 in super middleweight title bouts until the Englishman was outpointed by Steve Collins in 1995. Chris Jr. (25-3-1, 13 KOs) has yet to fight for a world championship, but he is still only 27 and rated No. 7 by the WBC in his dad’s former weight class, so the window of opportunity presumably is still open.
George Foreman and George “Monk” Foreman III
In both phases of his Hall of Fame career, Big George (76-5, 68 KOs) was a devastating force of nature, twice winning the heavyweight title – the second time at 45 years of age. George III (16-0, 15 KOs) had a good thing going against second- and third-tier opponents, but, at 35 and not having fought since 2012, it would seem he’s thrown his last punch as a pro.
Check out more boxing news on video at The Boxing Channel.
Featured Articles
‘Krusher’ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.
Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.
Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.
The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.
Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.
Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.
That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.
Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.
In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.
Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.
Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.
The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welterweight Week in SoCal

Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.
One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.
Take your pick.
The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.
Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.
Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.
If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.
He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.
During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.
Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.
Fundora
Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.
Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.
Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.
Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.
Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?
When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.
This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.
Commerce Casino
Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.
Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.
It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.
Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?
That’s a question for another day.
Fights to Watch
Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).
Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
Featured Articles
TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.
Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.
Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)
Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.
The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).
Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”
A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.
Other winners:
Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon
Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney
Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire
Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix
The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.
The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.
To comment on this story in the Fight Forum CLICK HERE
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Bernard Fernandez Reflects on His Special Bond with George Foreman
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
A Paean to George Foreman (1949-2025), Architect of an Amazing Second Act
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Sebastian Fundora TKOs Chordale Booker in Las Vegas
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Boxing Odds and Ends: The Wacky and Sad World of Livingstone Bramble and More
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 318: Aussie Action, Vegas and More
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Avila Perspective, Chap. 319: Rematches in Las Vegas, Cancun and More
-
Featured Articles3 weeks ago
Ringside at the Fontainebleau where Mikaela Mayer Won her Rematch with Sandy Ryan
-
Featured Articles4 weeks ago
Results and Recaps from Sydney where George Kambosos Upended Late Sub Jake Wyllie