On Friday, June 7th, 1996, the highly anticipated match between Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Promoted by Top Rank and aired only on Closed Circuit, this fight saw De La Hoya challenge Chavez for the WBC World Super-lightweight Title, which Chavez was defending for the 7th time. Both fighters weighed in at 139 lbs, and the referee for the bout was Joe Cortez.
The fight garnered widespread attention, dividing people along generational lines. De La Hoya, a rising star in the boxing world, entered the ring as a 2-1 favorite. A crowd of 15,283 spectators gathered at Caesars Palace to witness the event, which was shown exclusively on closed-circuit television due to promoter Bob Arum's concerns about pay-per-view piracy.
The contest began with De La Hoya establishing dominance early on. In the first round, he managed to open a cut over Chavez's left eye, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. Despite the expectations of a high-earning match, the fight ultimately grossed only around $14 million, significantly less than the $60 to $90 million projected by Arum.
The fight came to an abrupt end in the fourth round when Chavez's condition worsened. Referee Joe Cortez called time and had Chavez examined by ringside physician Flip Homansky, who determined that the fight should be stopped. As a result, De La Hoya emerged victorious, defeating Chavez by TKO at 2:37 in the fourth round.
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