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A wild crowd of 17,692 made their presence known at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Saturday night. Most came to see their hero from another time. The great Julio Cesar Chavez was back to say thank you and hopefully goodbye to his loyal and rabid fans. Although Chavez is 42 years old, going into the ring he looked to be in good shape. His opponent, Ivan Robinson on the other hand looked to have a spare tire around the midsection. Both guys fought hard and did the best they could, but it was obvious this was not the great Chavez of the past or the Robinson that beat Arturo Gatti in two wars back in 1998. Chavez showed flashes of the old body attack that broke down the likes of Edwin Rosario and Roger Mayweather, but in the end this was not fun for this Boxing fan to watch. As the fight progressed, the thoughts of watching Sugar Ray Leonard getting knocked out by Hector Camacho kept flooding my thought process. It was apparent that Chavez was winning every round and was in very little danger against Robinson. I just couldn’t help but think why is he in there. Because Julio Cesar Chavez was such a great Champion and brought so much to the sport, I suppose he deserved this opportunity to thank his fans. Throughout the fight, I couldn’t wait for it to end. Finally the final bell rang and I was relieved. Judge David Mendoza and Lou Filippo scored the bout 99-89. David Denkin scored it 100-88, all for Chavez. As negative as I was watching the fight, I was amazed how my emotions changed as soon as they announced the winner. The Staples center became a zoo. The Chavez fans gave an ovation to Chavez that is usually only given to Royalty. It was actually quite an emotional scene to see Chavez being carried around the ring while his sons watched. A great moment for a great Champion. Hopefully this will be the final farewell for Chavez. I have no desire to see the “Adios” tour continue. I would rather remember Chavez for what he was. Thank you for the memories Julio Cesar Chavez. [details]
