A decade has passed since Julio César Chávez‘s last fight. It was an unhappy ending to a successful career, as he lost to the far less talented Grover Wiley. The loss was so painful that his son, Julio César Chávez Jr., would have to get in the ring with Wiley less than two years after and avenge his father with a round 3 knockout.

El César del Boxeo ended his career with a record of 107 wins, six losses, and two draws. It is a spectacular record, tainted only by some preventable losses at the end of his career.

His retirement date coincides with a more recent one, that of Floyd Mayweather, Jr., who just retired with a record of 49-0-0. It is a cleaner record without a doubt; no ties and no losses, but far from being as impressive. At one time in his career, Chávez was 89-0-0, and there was much-less cherry picking involved.

Chávez became an idol, and the boxing world has been waiting for someone like him ever since.

Unlike most boxers, including Mayweather, Chávez became an idol, and the boxing world has been waiting for someone like him ever since.

Like many boxers, including Mayweather, Chávez had problems outside the ring, but substance abuse is something fans forgive more easily than domestic abuse, the charge which Mayweather declared himself guilty of a few years ago.

De La Hoya, Canelo Álvarez, and even Julio César Chávez, Jr. have at one point raised their hands as suitable candidates to take over the throne left by the Mexican boxer 10 years ago, but none have succeeded so far.

Chávez seems to be of the unique kind, and with boxers today becoming millionaires and hyped up public personalities before they truly prove themselves inside the ring, it seems unlikely that someone like Chávez will come. Mayweather is leaving behind a legacy after all, but unfortunately it will be one of cherry-picking fights he used to keep a clean record in order to make the most money possible.

It seems unlikely that someone like Chávez will come.

On November 21, 2015, the Puerto Rico-Mexico rivalry continues when Miguel Cotto faces off against Saúl Canelo Álvarez, and as hype as we might be for the fight, we can only cross our fingers and hope the excitement comes close to a fight that happened exactly 18 years ago, when Julio César Chávez defeated Puerto Rican Edwin Rosario with an 11-round TKO.

It has been 10 years since Julio last put on his boxing gloves, but he is still more than present in the world of boxing today.