Chávez beats his friend Ramírez to unify the lightweight titles

Julio César Chávez and José Luis Ramírez were friends before they were opponents. They had been sparring partners, and Ramírez was godfather to one of Chávez's sons. By 1988 each held half of the lightweight championship.

Chávez had taken the WBA title from Edwin Rosario in November 1987, stopping him in the 11th round. Ramírez held the WBC belt, and in March 1988 he had beaten Pernell Whitaker in France on a split decision that most American observers thought Whitaker had won. On 29 October they met at the Las Vegas Hilton to unify the titles. Chávez was 26 and Ramírez 29. Chávez was paid $350,000.

A slow start

Chávez, Sports Illustrated reported, "sleepwalked through the first two rounds". From the third to the seventh he took over, throwing combinations and leading with his right, switching between orthodox and southpaw with ease.

In the fourth a short right to the chin left Ramírez sagging on his feet, and Chávez stepped back. "I thought he was going to fall down," he said, "but he didn't."

The cut

With 2:06 left in the 11th both men lunged in and their heads met. Ramírez came away with a cut at the hairline. "It was a wide laceration at the hairline, and it was not going to close," said the ringside doctor, Flip Homansky. "It was a very deep cut." The fight was stopped and went to the scorecards. Chávez was ahead on all three: 95–93, 96–94 and 98–91.

Ramírez did not accept it. He said the butt was intentional. "It's a shame you guys put up Julio Chávez as the best fighter pound for pound, because he didn't show it tonight."

Chávez said he had been carrying a rib injury since sparring in September. "I wasn't tired," he said. "Everybody knew I was winning. I think a fight should be won intelligently. Not by force."

What came next

The win took Chávez to 60 fights without defeat, 50 of them by knockout. For Ramírez it was only the seventh loss in 108 fights. In May 1989 Chávez moved up and took the WBC light-welterweight title from Roger Mayweather. That August Ramírez fought Whitaker again, for Whitaker's IBF title and the vacant WBC belt, and this time lost widely on all three cards.