The Mexican champion is considered by many to be one of the best to ever lace up the gloves thanks to an explosive, gritty and skilful style that produced some thrilling contests. 

"I can't believe it's already 60 years, I'm an old man. Time flies by. But I want to keep going and leave a legacy for the youngsters," said Chavez who amassed a total of 115 fights with 107 wins during a 25 year career.

Chavez was born in Obregon, Sonora in 1962, but because of his father's work on the railway they had to move to Culiacan, Sinaloa, and that's where he got his first taste of boxing.

Julio was one of four boys in the Chavez Gonzalez family, but as soon as his older brothers saw him fight, they discovered he had the ability to make a name for himself in the sport of boxing and so the legend was born.

At the age of 18, Chavez made his boxing debut with the intention of making just enough money to buy a house for his mother; however, life had another path in store for him.

Four years after his debut, he fought his first world title, facing Mario "Azabache" Martinez, who he beat in eight rounds.

After winning his first world title, Chavez accumulated 89 wins and one draw before he lost his unbeaten record to American Frankie Randall in 1994.

The Mexican soon returned to winning ways and went on to rule the super featherweight, lightweight and super lightweight divisions, and set two world records that no one has yet been able to match. The first was in 1993 when he managed to gather 132,274 fans at the Azteca Stadium, the largest attendance for a boxing event, and the second record was the largest number of victories in championship fights with 31.

In the twilight of his career he suffered defeats to Oscar de la Hoya and Kostya Tszyu before closing his professional career against the unknown American Grover Wiley in 2005 and leaving his record at 107 wins, six losses and two draws, with 85 knockouts.