Julio Cesar Chavez once named the ‘hardest hitter’ he faced during his remarkable 115-fight career, admitting that even a jab would shake him down to his boots.
The Mexican, of course, was no feather-fisted customer himself, ending 85 of his 107 professional victories inside the distance prior to his retirement in 2005.
Before suffering his first defeat to Frankie Randall, another heavy-handed operator, in 1994, Chavez had cultivated an astonishing 90-fight unbeaten run while also becoming a three-division world champion.
With Randall amassing 42 stoppages in 58 victories, many would suspect that he was the most potent puncher that Chavez ever encountered.
Even the likes of Meldrick Taylor and Hector Camacho, two of Chavez’s most notable opponents, could generate considerable power with their blistering fists.
According to the man himself, though, it was actually Puerto Rican banger Edwin Rosario who made him feel as if he was getting hit with a bat.
The pair squared off in 1987, back when Rosario was the defending WBA world lightweight champion and Chavez had just moved up from 130lbs.
Rosario had previously claimed the WBC title at 135lbs and, despite having suffered defeats to Camacho and Jose Luis Ramirez, he had also secured significant victories over the likes of Randall and Livingstone Bramble ahead of his clash with Chavez.
Speaking at a press conference in 2016, Chavez, who won their fight via an 11th-round stoppage, named Rosario as the most powerful fighter he ever came up against.
“He was the hardest hitter, I swear to God, out of all 115 of my fights. He would hit me with a jab and it felt like he was hitting me in the head with a bat.”
Rosario ended his career with a formidable record of 47-6 (40 KOs) in 1997, before tragically losing his life at the age of just 34.
