Bobby Chacon Vs. Bazooka Limon IV: One For the Ages
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By Gary Friedman
One of the most tired (and overused) clichés in boxing, after many an action packed brawl, is that “People will be talking about this fight forever!” At the time one cannot fault fans or the press for this hyperbole and in a perfect world, they would be correct. Sadly, many spectacular fights have faded from the memories of all, but the most hardcore boxing fans. As quite a few who are reading this article likely fall into the “hardcore” category, they may well recall the incredible fight that was Bobby Chacon – Bazooka Limon IV, but for about 99% of the population this fight is not even a faded memory. So hopefully this article can serve as both a reminder to some and a revelation to others of a fight that beyond any doubt qualifies as one of the all time greatest plus also a refresher on the unique career of Bobby Chacon.
Now I am not one who enjoys reading an article that is basically a round by round recap of a fight, especially when anyone can now often see the actual fight on YouTube. Instead I will try to highlight the many Bobby Chacon sub plots leading up to this fight and also limit the recap to a few details and hopefully those reading will then take the time to view the entire fight and experience what for those of us who watched it live, was all the proof we ever needed that boxing, at its most exciting, is beyond description to non fans.
Bobby Chacon’s career really was a story of two separate and distinct careers. While many recall him as a grizzled veteran, he actually began his career as one of the original wonder boys of the 1970s. At the risk of being accused of using my own hyperbole, a young Chacon could really be compared on some levels with Oscar De La Hoya as far as being a fresh good looking face exploding onto the LA boxing scene. Chacon turned pro at the age of 20 and reeled off 19 consecutive wins including a victory over former champ Chucho Castillo. By the age of 21, Chacon was already fighting future Hall of Famer Ruben Olivares who at the time had a record of 71-3-1. Chacon ended up losing that fight, but was far from overwhelmed and served notice that he was not just another coddled pretty boy. Five fights later he took on a crushing puncher by the name of Danny “Little Red” Lopez who came in the bout without a loss in his first 23 fights. The still 22 year old Chacon was too much for Lopez and stopped the future champ and also hall of famer in the 9th round. A TKO over Alfredo Marcano 3 ½ months later saw Chacon crowned as the WBC Featherweight Champion at a time when that title actually meant a great deal (unlike today when winning such a title is of the same significance as pulling a Shawn Abner rookie card (There’s a nice 80’s reference for you). After one easy title defense it all came crashing down for Chacon as he was stopped in two by Olivares and lost his crown.
Now we get to the beginning of act two of “Career Chacon”. While on the rebound, Chacon took what looked like a tune-up in 1977 versus a 20-8 unpolished fighter out of Mexico named Rafael Limon who had lost two of his last four fights. As you can probably guess, this turned out to be not such a tune up as Limon scored the upset over Chacon. This began the cycle of ups and downs that would define the rest of the career of Bobby Chacon, where he battled his internal turmoil almost as much as his opponents. One huge early highlight of this next stage was Chacon taking a decision over nemesis Olivares. In 1979 Chacon had a second go at Limon and this time the fight ended in a no contest.
Perhaps in what was seen as Chacon’s last shot at reaching elite status, Bobby challenged Alexis Arguello in November of 1979 for Arguello’s WBC Jr. Lightweight Title. Not surprisingly Chacon was KO’d by the unparalleled Arguello and essentially relegated to a gatekeeper role. In his only fight in 1980 Chacon ended up evening his series with Limon with a decision victory. Yet, any momentum from that victory was halted in 1981 when Chacon was stopped in another title fight by Cornelius Boza-Edwards. At this point Chacon was thought to be a shell of his former self and his days as even a contender were seen as over.
If you ever attend a fight live and sit near the family members of a boxer as he is in the heat of a fight you know the enormous emotional toll this takes on those relatives. Now imagine family members, and especially a spouse, of someone like a Bobby Chacon who went from a champ at 22 to a brutalized ex champ with little direction by the time he was 30. Bobby’s wife Valerie, it appears, had suffered more than Bobby himself and often begged him to retire. Bobby refused and Valerie ended up committing suicide, with the reported reason being her frustration as Bobby refusing to retire. Now I must admit, while I felt profound compassion for Bobby, I always wondered if there were other factors that caused Valerie to commit suicide, but that is something we will never know and I would not want to speculate on any other causes. The pain for Bobby had to be indescribable regardless. Still this profound tragedy brought a huge spotlight onto Chacon, especially since he fought the very night of the day Valerie committed suicide and his victory became national news. Chacon ended up winning a few more fights versus limited competition and all of a sudden on December 11, 1982 found himself in a 4th fight with Rafael Limon, once again for the WBC Jr. Lightweight Title which Limon had won in spectacular fashion over Rolando Navaratte (who had beaten Boza-Edwards for the title).
Prior to the bell for the first round of Chacon-Limon IV, many, including yours truly, assumed this was a fight to capitalize on the tragedy that had befell Chacon and gave him little chance against a resurgent Limon. It’s often against a background of such doubt or skepticism that truly magic moments become that much more magical. The initial skepticism seemed to be right on target as Limón dominated the first three rounds and even scored a knockdown in the 3rd round. Incredibly the plodding Limon even appeared quicker than Chacon though that may have been a mirage due to his decisive start. I recall thinking after 3 rounds that this was going to end very badly for Chacon and simply hoped he would not be too badly hurt. I was premature in my obituary for Chacon as he somehow began to comeback and what you had for the next several rounds was a furious back and forth battle. Again, only viewing the actual fight could do it justice it deserves. The dramatic Chacon comeback seemed to be for naught though as he went down again in the tenth. A “So close but no cigar” feeling had started wafting over the proceedings at this point. Yet Chacon was not done and launched another furious comeback. Now came the true Rocky moment, with literally ten seconds to go in the final round, Chacon miraculously sent the iron chinned Limon down in as dramatic a fashion as possible. Limon rose and the bell ended the fight, but the utter euphoria I felt at that moment of the knockdown has only been replicated maybe two or three times since (with Corrales-Castillo I being an example). The knockdown made all the difference as Chacon won the fight by a single point on two of the scorecards.
It’s hard to qualify what makes a fight become a fight for the ages. If it is just exchanging multiple knockdowns then Hagler-Hearns would not qualify so that can’t be the answer. If it is non-stop punching for the entire fight then Leonard-Hearns I would not qualify. I think ultimately any fight that qualifies as a fight for the ages must have one critical ingredient and this is pure unfiltered drama. Chacon-Limon IV had, in addition to furious exchanges, a raw drama due to the background story that culminated with an almost unprecedented moment of personal redemption.
While, Chacon followed this win with an almost equally incredible last round knockdown to defend against Boza-Edwards, he never really reached such heights again. The rest of his story is more about sadness and how boxing can be cruel to its former stars. Still, no matter how harsh life became again for Chacon, this fight with Limon has etched them both into the permanent memories of all who value boxing history. And that is something that can never be taken away from either of them.