Remembered: Julio Cesar Chavez stopped Edwin Rosario in 11th round
The 1987 meeting is remembered for Julio Cesar Chavez’s breakdown of Edwin Rosario, ending with an 11th-round stoppage in Las Vegas.
On November 21, 1987, Julio Cesar Chavez stopped Edwin Rosario at 2:38 of the 11th round at the Las Vegas Hilton Outdoor Arena. The victory made Chavez a two-division champion and settled doubts about whether his power would carry into the lightweight division.
Chavez had moved up from super featherweight after making nine successful defences of his WBC title. Rosario was the WBA lightweight champion and had already shown his punching power by stopping Livingstone Bramble in two rounds the previous year. The Puerto Rican had also questioned the quality of Chavez’s earlier opposition before the fight.
The Mexican challenger attacked from the opening stages instead of taking time to adjust. His hooks to the body began to limit Rosario’s movement, while short combinations kept the champion under pressure at close range. Rosario found success in the third and fourth rounds, landing hard punches and briefly putting Chavez on the ropes, but Chavez absorbed the attacks and regained control.
Chavez’s defence helped him maintain that pressure. He slipped Rosario’s right hand, used his elbows and gloves to block incoming punches, then responded before the champion could recover his position. The body work was combined with uppercuts and straight rights to the head, creating a steady accumulation of damage rather than relying on one decisive punch.
HBO’s PunchStat figures recorded Chavez landing 450 of 743 punches, a 61 percent success rate. Rosario landed 263 of 731. By the later rounds, Rosario’s left eye had swollen shut, cuts had opened on his face, and blood covered his nose and mouth, although he remained on his feet.
Chavez drove Rosario into a corner in the 11th round and continued the sustained assault until Rosario’s corner intervened. Referee Richard Steele stopped the contest, with the judges’ cards reading 98-92, 99-91 and 100-92 for Chavez. The result confirmed Chavez as a champion at a second weight and marked the end of the questions surrounding his move to lightweight.
Source: Boxing News 24
