The Best Mexican Boxers of All Time and Their Greatest Fights

#1: Julio Cesar Chavez

Julio César Chávez is, hands downs, the best Mexican boxer of all time. He dominated the scene for over two decades, with 6 world champions titles across 3 weight classes, and even went undefeated for 90 fights at one point. It’s an insane figure that most experts thought we wouldn’t see in modern boxing, but Julio Cesar somehow pulled it off in spectacular fashion.

115 wins in 126 fights, with 107 of those wins coming before he even had a loss is absolutely staggering, and it’s what turned this warrior into a national icon. He was smart, had an incredible defense and an iron chin to boot, so even if you managed to hit him, you’d need tremendous strength to knock him down or stagger him. Now, try doing that with a few broken ribs thanks to his relentless body shots.

His charisma and skills inspired many young fighters in Mexico and boxers all over the world. But we’re here to rank him as a boxer, so let’s go over some of his fights.

Chávez vs. Edwin Rosario (1987)

Julio faced Rosario for the WBA lightweight title, and it’s the fight that put him on the map as an elite boxer. Julio Cesar systematically broke down Rosario with the relentless pressure and vicious body shots that would define his boxing style, and dominated from start to finish. His ability to dismantle a dangerous puncher, tremendous strength and defensive boxing immediately set him apart from the rest, and confirmed that we were witnessing something special.

Chávez vs. Meldrick Taylor (1990)

This fight, dubbed “Thunder Meets Lightning,” is one of the most dramatic in boxing history, one that’s worth seeing if you’re a newer boxing fan. Chavez brought the thunder in all its might, and Taylor brought the lightning, with his tremendous speed and skill.

Taylor initially outboxed Chávez during the first rounds, and had accumulated a pretty large points lead with the judges, but a few hits did land, and the damage started to accumulate. By the later rounds, Taylor had a bloodied mouth, a considerably swollen face and a broken eye socket. He actually dodged Chavez remarkably well, but the strength behind his punches was enough to cause this amount of damage. He had, understandably, slowed down and was forced to trade blows which only narrowed the gap he initially had.

In the final round, with just seconds left, Chávez landed a devastating right hand that pushed Taylor back, and then another right dropped him to the canvas. He got up, but when the referee asked him (twice) if he was ok, he got no response: Taylor was on autopilot mode, moved only by his instincts as a warrior.

The referee gave Julio Cesar the win by TKO, a decision that remains controversial to this day, given that there were only a couple of seconds left in the fight.

Either way, the fight remains a part of legendary boxing lore, and it proved just how strong and determined Julio Cesar was in the ring, even against slippery, highly technical boxers.

Chávez vs. Héctor “Macho” Camacho (1992)

This was a title defense for the WBC light welterweight title, with Julio Cesar fighting the Macho Camacho for all the glory. “Macho” Camacho was known for his trash talking and fighting talent, so the tension before the fight was palpable, especially since Camacho had beaten two Mexican boxers before this title fight.

Julio Cesar, however, would deliver a boxing clinic, and completely outboxed Camacho through and through. The relentless pressure, pinpoint punches and devastating damage would’ve overpowered any boxer, and it was Camacho’s tremendous speed and defensive skill that allowed him to go the distance and avoid the knockout. Unsurprisingly, the judges gave Julio Cesar a unanimous decision victory and proved that the Mexican star was still as relentless and powerful as ever.

Chávez vs. Greg Haugen (1993)

This fight took place in front of over 132,000 fans at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the largest crowd ever for a boxing match. The atmosphere itself was legendary, second to none even today and even Haugen contributed to it by trash-talking Julio Cesar for weeks before they met in the ring. Haugen had already insulted Julio years before a fight was scheduled, when he accused him of sparring “little girls dressed as men” back in Vegas.

Chávez dominated Haugen, knocking him down in the first round, and the chants started. Haugen got back up, visibly shaken by the devastating hit while the crowd continued chanting “Mexico!” and “Julio!”. Fueled by the crowd and superior boxing skills, he outboxed and outclassed Haugen until the referee had to step in to protect a defenseless Haugen in the 5th round. It was a memorable end to a legendary boxing fight that connected Julio Cesar to his country and fans.

#2: Salvador Sanchez

Salvador Sánchez was taken from us way too soon, and it’s something that all boxing fans lament to this day. Despite his short career, he takes the second spot on this list due to how incredibly skilled and dominant he was during his reign as a WBC champion and his 9 successful defenses, keep in mind he, against all odds, beat 5 world champions before he was 23 too.

I don’t know whether he could’ve overtaken Julio Cesar as the greatest Mexican boxer of all time, but given how many boxing years he still had left, it’s reasonable to think he could’ve. There were rumors he would retire to pursue a career as a doctor, but who knows, maybe he would’ve stayed boxing for a few more years.

Salvador had the perfect blend of skill, speed and power and had a stunning record of 44 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, with 32 of those wins coming by knockout. His ability to adapt to his opponent’s boxing style, and consistently outmaneuver them was the stuff of legends, but it was his stamina and heart what his fans loved the most. He never dropped his intensity throughout the fight, and could go 15 rounds without slowing down, often finishing fights stronger than he started.

Let’s look at some of his most iconic fights.

Sánchez vs. Danny “Little Red” López (1980)

Danny was known for his power and was, by all accounts, a highly respected WBC featherweight champion that boxing experts closely followed. Sánchez burst onto the world stage with this fight, and his superior skills were evident the moment the bell rang. Sanchez completely outclassed Danny, delivering a one-sided beatdown on a proud champion that refused to give up until the very end. The referee had to step in on the 13th round to save the champion from his own courage and gave the victory to Sanchez, who became the new WBC featherweight champion at just 21 years old.

Sánchez vs. Wilfredo Gómez (1981)

All artists have a magnum opus, and this fight was Sanchez’ career defining bout. Wilfredo Gómez was a fearsome puncher, unbeaten in 32 fights with 32 knockouts, a monster that decided to move up in weight specifically to challenge Sanchez. Many boxing experts thought this would be a milestone in Wilfredo’s path to greatness, but Sanchez had other plans.

Sanchez dropped Gomez in the beginning of the first round, to everyone’s surprise. The rest of the round wasn’t much better for the contender either, he nearly went down again as Sanchez viciously pummeled him until the ring was heard. Sanchez had tremendous accuracy, and continued to hit Gomez’ swollen eyes who had limited vision and even more limited chances of coming back from this beating. At the end of the 8th round, the fight had to be stopped: Sanchez had completely shattered Gomez perfect record with a grace and power few boxers have ever matched.

Sánchez vs. Azumah Nelson (1982)

This was an absolutely brutal, back-and-forth battle between Sanchez and future Hall of Famer Azumah. At the time, Azumah was relatively unknown, but those who understood about boxing saw that the Ghanian had incredible talent and strength behind the gloves. Nobody expected the fight to be so close, but it went all the way to the 15th round, with each fighter generating momentum of their own.

Sanchez was up in the cards, but his unnatural stamina and strength allowed him to wear down and convincingly beat Azumah right at the end. This would also be Sanchez last fight, as he tragically died in a car accident at the age of 23 just a few weeks later.

Despite his short career, he defeated numerous Hall of Famers and defended his title 9 times during his reign in a very convincing and dominating fashion, earning him the second spot in our list.

#3: Ricardo “El Finito” López

Ricardo is considered by many as one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) in the lower weight classes. He held the WBC Strawweight title for an incredible 10 years, a title he also defended 21 times before moving up to light flyweight and winning the IBF title in that division.

Notice that he’s also one of those rare boxers that retired undefeated. He retired with a record of 51 wins, 1 draw, and 0 losses (which is mind-blowing in itself), while fighting some of the best boxers in his weight category. This is why he’s considered one of the best Mexican boxers of all time.

Lopez stood out because of his intelligence in the ring, as he understood timing, range and distance like no one else. Unlike many Mexican fighters known for their aggressive, come-forward style, López was more of a counterpuncher. He had phenomenal footwork, which allowed him to patiently wait for an opening to deliver a devastating counter that could knock any rival down. Let’s go over some of his best fights.

Ricardo López vs Hideyuki Ohashi

This fight took place on 1990 in Tokyo, Japan, with Ricardo challenging the talented Japanese champion for the Strawweight title. Ricardo was already famous in his home country, but this was his presentation card to the world of boxing, and it proved memorable.

Ricardo controlled the fight from the start: he established the tempo and surgically placed his punches to cause as much damage as possible. Ohashi was a tough and proud warrior, but Ricardo’s jabs, counters and combinations systematically broke down the champion until a devastating right hand dropped him in the 5th round. Ohashi got up, only to get brutally knocked out again, giving Ricardo his fight title.

As a fun fact, this fight inspired the creators of Hajime No Ippo, the most popular boxing anime and manga in the world, to create “Ricardo Martinez”. This character’s style, demeanor and fighting ability is based on Ricardo López.

Ricardo López vs. Kermin Guardia

This fight showed Ricardo in his purest form: tremendous speed and technical excellence. The media had bet on Guardia to break Ricardo’s perfect record, but to their dismay, Ricardo was about to have one of his best fights in his career. He dominated Guardia since the start of the fight, as many believed Ricardo was just one step above his contender in every aspect. He barely took any damage and won by unanimous decision.

Ricardo López vs. Alex Sánchez

Puerto Rico is known for their vast roster of baseball stars, but they’ve exported some of the most underrated and talented boxers too. Alex was one of these rising stars, and there was significant hype around this match with many believing that he could take the Strawweight title away from Ricardo. The fight, however was incredibly one-sided, with Ricardo controlling the match from the opening bell until he delivered a brutal knockout in the fifth round. It was another instance of Ricardo clearly dominating his opponents, who all seemed one step below him as boxers.

Ricardo López vs. Rosendo Álvarez in 1998

This was an incredibly special fight for Ricardo, as he had already faced Rosendo earlier in the year. Their fight during march was Ricardo’s only “blemish” (if you can even call it that) on his record, as it ended in a draw. Ricardo was eager to avenge this fight, which had pushed him to his limits as a fighter. This time, he would leave no doubt about his superiority over the tough Nicaraguan challenger.

Ricardo used all of his technical knowledge, speed and power to adapt and overcome to the only fighter that ever troubled him. He comfortably won by majority decision and avenged the only draw in his career.

#4: Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez

Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez is easily one of the best Mexican boxers of all time. This living legend is still active and stacking even more accomplishments to an already incredible career too, so we might have to bump him up once he retires.

As of 2024, he has a nearly spotless record of 64 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws with a KO ratio of 60%. He’s managed to build such an impressive career record thanks to his ability to adapt to his opponents nearly flawlessly. He can box from the outside and punish his opponents with sharp jabs and quick footwork, or fight on the inside with devastating body blows to wear their opponents down. His defense is no joke either, he has great head and upper body movement that masterfully setup counterpunches as well, so you’re never really safe in the ring with this guy.

Let’s look at some of his most iconic fights.

Golovkin Saga

We can’t go over Canelo’s career without discussing Gennady Golovkin. We’re talking about two of the best middleweights of this era going against each other in a fantastic boxing saga that is part of the sport’s lore.

First Fight (2017)

This first fight ended in a draw, with both boxers trading punches and convincingly taking rounds. Canelo would generate momentum at the beginning of the rounds but then Golovkin would rally and even outland Canelo in punches. To everyone’s eyes, the decision to call the fight as a draw seemed fair, but one of the judges actually ruled in favor of Canelo which was controversial at best. They’d need to set up a rematch to put all the doubts to rest.

Second Fight (2018)

The second fight was just as intense as the first one, with both boxers giving their all to finally prove their worth. Golovkin’s camp made fun of Canelo, calling him a “runner” for his slippery fighting style during the first match, and Canelo took that personally. He came out swinging and overwhelming the iron Kazakhstani. This first stage of the fight would net Canelo points he’d later need to win this fight.
The rest of the fight was evenly matched, with Golovkin rallying to close the score gap significantly. The fight could’ve easily been a second draw, but Canelo took the match by decision and gave the talented Gennadiy his first career loss.

Third Fight (2022)

The trilogy ends with a tremendous display of superiority by the Mexican star, as he took the fight by unanimous decision. The fight itself wasn’t as eventful as the first two, but it proved that he had bested the fearsome Kazakhstani and his punching power in a best of three series, further cementing this World Champion as one of the best Mexican boxers to grace the sport.

Canelo vs. Sergey Kovalev (2019)

Canelo moved up two weight classes to challenge Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light heavyweight title, and as you already know, fighters that move up classes tend to be underdogs. Kovalev’s power and size was massive and he had already dominated this class weight comfortably, so many in the media expected him to connivingly defend the title.

Canelo understood how to adapt to Kovalev, rolled with the fight’s tempo and wore his opponent down with sharp body shots that slowed him down and weakened his defense. In the 11th round, Canelo landed a crushing right hand that knocked Kovalev out cold, making Canelo a four-division world champion.

Kovalev would blame the loss on physical conditioning problems and contract clauses, which sadly made him look like less of a champion.
Saying you were forced to take a fight you “cannot win” already means there’s someone that surpasses your own skills. It’s a very unsportsmanlike thing to say and devalued him as a boxer in the eyes of many, but that’s for another day.

Canelo vs. Callum Smith (2020)

Smith was the WBA (super) and WBC super-middleweight champion, so we’re talking about a proven fighter here. Keep in mind, the defending champion was undefeated at this point and many boxing experts believed he was on the rise to greatness, but Canelo shocked the world again.

Canelo dominated him from start to finish with superior body work and head movement, which nullified Smith’s height advantage over the Mexican. Adding the super middleweight championship to his long record of achievements furthered his legacy as a warrior.

Canelo vs. Caleb Plant (2021)

This was a war of attrition, and Canelo understood how to fight Caleb if he wanted to become the first undisputed super middleweight champion in boxing history. The fight’s first conference was already heated and there was a bit of a scuffle that created even more hype before the fighters took the ring.

The fight was incredibly even during the first round, with the American keeping up with Canelo and showing why he had a right to fight for the title. However, Canelo’s pressure and power wore Caleb down, and in the 11th round, Canelo sent Caleb to the ground twice to secure a TKO victory. The win pretty much cemented Canelo’s status as the king of the super middleweight division.

Canelo has conquered multiple weight classes and defeated numerous Hall of Fame-caliber opponents along the way. Holding world titles across four weight classes is no joke, and Canelo has shown he’s still sharp and can achieve more before retiring.

#5 Ruben Olivares

Rubén “El Púas” Olivares is one of the best Mexican boxers of all time: a knockout artist that dominated the bantamweight division with intensity, excitement and tremendous hitting power. Ruben had raw power, technical skill and went into each fight with a level of intensity that terrified his opponents in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions.

Olivares fought in the 1960s and 1970s, and his record is impressive—88 wins, 13 losses, 3 draws, with a staggering 79 knockouts. That’s a knockout rate of almost 80%, which is insane to even consider in lower weight divisions. Usually, fights are more technical since there’s literally not enough weight behind each punch to knock an opponent cold like that. Olivares was a rarity in that sense too.

Let’s go over some of his most impressive fights!

Olivares vs. Lionel Rose (1969)

Ruben was challenging Lionel Rose for the WBA and WBC bantamweight titles, a boxer with a good record, strong fundamentals and the first indigenous Australian to hold such a title. Rose was a worthy fighter considering that Ruben was a relatively unknown in the boxing world, but he was about to prove that he was built differently.

Olivares dominated the fight, knocking Rose down multiple times until the fight had to be stopped in the fifth round. This win made Olivares the undisputed bantamweight champion and showed the world just how dangerous he was, as he basically knocked the previous champion round the ring with unnatural strength.

Olivares vs. Kazuyoshi Kanazawa (1971)

This was another title defense for the talented Mexican boxer, this time against Kazuyoshi Kanazawa. The fight itself was brutal and surprisingly even, with the Japanese contender absorbing Ruben’s devastating left hooks and dishing damage of his own.

Kanazawa launched a desperate attack in the 13th round, using all the energy had had left to end the fight. He had Ruben against the ropes and a corner and unloaded a terrifying combination of punches on the bewildered Mexican, who couldn’t understand where all this energy came from. Once the rang bell, it was painfully obvious that the Japanese fighter could barely stand, and that the worst was over. Ruben sent Kanazawa three times in the 14th round and ended one of the most brutal fights in his career.

Olivares vs. Bobby Chacon (1973)

Ruben moved up to the featherweight division specifically to take Bobby Chacon’s featherweight title. Chacon was a rising star and Ruben’s career was definitively in its final stage, so many boxing experts believed that the promising youth would convince Ruben to finally retire from the sport. This was a very disrespectful way to address a proven champion, and Ruben would make them pay dearly for this.

Despite moving up in weight at a later stage of his career, Olivares fought fantastically. Olivares knocked Chacon down in the ninth round and eventually stopped him in the same round to win the WBC featherweight title. The fight is considered a classic and became part of the sport’s greatest highlights, as Ruben had become a two-division world champion against a fierce competitor.

Rubén Olivares is considered one of the best Mexican boxers of all time because of his multiple world titles in two weight classes. He had one of the most ridiculous knockout ratios in boxing history and fought the toughest of his era too. He’s an instant lock for the fifth spot in our list.

Olivares vs. Chucho Castillo Trilogy (1970-1971)

This was one of the most famous rivalries in Mexican boxing history, and Castillo was one of the few fighters that actually pushed Ruben to his limits at every turn. The trilogy didn’t favor Ruben at first, he actually got knocked down twice but managed to score a decision win, which unfairly put him in a bad light, with crazy allegations flying from the media at the time.

The rematch was just as brutal, but Castillo forced the fight to be stopped in the 14th round. Castillo had arguably fought the best fight of his life and managed to upset the champion, stripping him of his titles with tremendous authority.

Ruben was no pushover and came back in the third fight, determined to avenge this loss and all the poison that sports journalists had spewed since the last fight. Ruben reclaimed his WBC bantamweight title over a hard-fought decision that the large majority of boxing fans believed was fair. These fights were brutal, action-packed and had tremendous hype behind each installment, making them a part of bantamweight history and the sport’s lore.

Final Words & a Special Mention