Castillo-Corrales was thought by many to be the fight of the year for 2005, but the rematch didn’t look to be shaping up too well when Castillo was unable to come in at weight. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. got a bit more of test than he had expected also, when he was extended to the fifth round against Jeremy “The Storm” Stiers (9-4) who had held the IBC Americas & IBC Continental welterweight titles.

The start of the fight was delayed a few seconds as Stiers forgot to put his mouthpiece in. Junior easily won the first round and in the second started landing numerous pounding blows to both the head and body. Stiers hadn’t gone down yet, but looked very winded already. Round three was a somewhat less active round for Chavez but still his round and with a good finish. Stiers got in some good shots at the start of round four, but Chavez proved this round that his straight right is definitely his best punch, landing some brutal shots on Stiers. After taking a lot of punishment Stiers doubled over from a body shot, and referee Richard Steele stepped in to stop the fight 47 seconds into round five. Chavez Jr. once again upped his undefeated record to 23-0, with 18 KO’s.

In the main event, Jose Luis Castillo knocked out WBC/WBO lightweight titlist Diego Corrales in the fourth round, but unfortunately was not able to win the titles due to his ability to come in at weight. Also on the card, Jorge “Travieso” Arce won by TKO in the second round of his rematch against Hussein Hussein when trainer Jeff Fenech had seen enough and threw in the towel. Bobby Pacquiao won a questionable split decision over Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez with scorecards of 95-93 and 95-94 and one scorecard of 97-92 for Hernandez.

Referee: Richard Steele
Announcer: Jimmy Lennon Jr.
Promoter: Top Rank

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was the only favorite able to go home with a victory on the “Adiós Phoenix” card at the America West Arena. Corey Alarcon (12-10) brought a difficult style to the fight, though, constantly clinching and not leaving any openings for Junior. His style also led to a few headbutts, one of which bloodied the nose of Chavez Jr. for the first time in his career. JC Jr. was finally able to knock Alarcon down at the end of round one but at the same time as the bell. A minute into the second round, Alarcon was deducted a point for excessive holding. Half a minute later he was caught with a hard right that sent him to the canvas and halfway through the ropes. Alarcon barely managed to get to his feet at ten, but the fight was over, giving Chavez Jr. his 22nd straight win.

The two other favorite fighters on the televised card did not do as well. Local favorite Jesus “El Martillo” Gonzalez lost by an eighth round TKO in a middleweight contest by Jose Luis Zertuche after being dropped in the sixth and twice in the eighth, and in a shocking upset, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. lost by a fifth round TKO to Grover Wiley. Chavez was unable to come out of his corner for the sixth round, citing a broken hand. Bob Arum announced after the fight that he was hoping to put J.C. Jr. in a revenge match against Wiley a couple of months later, but that match never came about.
notes

Referee: Nico Perez
Judge: Joe Garcia
Judge: Gerald Maltz
Judge: Howard Richey
Promoter: Top Rank
Attendance: 7,893

On the special fifth anniversary edition of Telefutura’s Sólo Boxeo, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. retained his undefeated record with a first round knockout of Jonathan Nelson (10-10, 10KO). The fight ended when both fighters traded hard left hooks, and Nelson was dropped to the canvas. Referee Ruben Carrion started the count but waved it off at just 54 seconds in when it became obvious he wouldn’t be able to make it back to his feet.

Also on the card, Jorge Paez Jr. made his U.S. debut with a second round knockout of Javier Segura. Paez also ended his fight with the left hook, upping his record to an undefeated five wins with five knockouts. Also, NABA bantamweight champion Jose Miguel Aguiniga won a very close split decision over Gerardo Espinoza in a rematch of their fight last year in which Aguiniga won an unanimous decision.
notes

Referee: Ruben Carrion
Broadcast: Telefutura
Announcer: Lupe Contreras
Commentator: Bernardo Osuna
Commentator: Ricardo Celis

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was tested yet again when he met Ruben Galvan (20-7-2) of Hammond, Indiana, on the Gatti-Mayweather undercard at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. In thirty fights as a pro, Galvan had never been knocked out, even against notable opponents such as Jorge Paez, Paul Spadafora and prospect Dmitriy Salita. Galvan’s tough persona extended beyond the ring, as well, with numerous piercings, a tongue stud and Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People” as entrance music. Galvan even managed to win a round from Chavez Jr. with his constant slugging, but it wasn’t enough. Julio scored the knockout victory in the fourth round, making this his twentieth professional win and tenth consecutive knockout victory.

Though Galvan had said before the fight he wouldn’t stand in front of Chavez, he was willing to take a few more risks after he got into the ring. He traded with his opponent for three rounds, winning the second round with his constant assault. In the fourth round, Galvan was hurt and then knocked down for the first time in his career. The knockdown was slightly questionable as it came partly from a push, but Chavez was ready to make up for that by going after his opponent as soon as he got up off the canvas. Galvan, with a bloody nose, took a lot of punishment for the next minute or so, as Chavez landed some beautiful uppercuts. Galvan’s legs were a bit wobbly, and though the fight could have been stopped, the referee let it continue until 2:22 into the round when Galvan’s corner threw in the towel.

In the main event, Floyd Mayweather Jr. won the WBC super lightweight belt when Arturo Gatti’s corner stopped the fight at the end of the sixth round. Gatti was knocked down in the first round when he took his eyes off of Mayweather for a moment, and things went downhill from there. Mayweather was completely dominant with accurate counterpunching and landed his right more frequently throughout the fight.

Also on the undercard from Boardwalk Hall, WBO Minimumweight champion Ivan Calderon successfully defended his title against Gerardo Verde. Carlos Maussa pulled an upset win over Vivian Harris to gain the WBA junior welterweight belt with a seventh-round knockout.
notes

Referee: Benji Esteves
Judge: Pierre Benoist
Judge: Kason Cheeks
Judge: Paul Venti
Promotor: Top Rank / HBO
Ring Announcer: Michael Buffer
Commentator: Larry Merchant
Commentator: Jim Lampley
Commentator: Roy Jones, Jr.
Attendance: 12,675

Fighting on the undercard of his father’s “Farewell to L.A.” bout, Chavez Jr. needed only forty-two seconds to score the TKO over Adam Wynant (9-3-3). Chavez Jr. constantly landed the left against his helpless opponent until Wynant finally dropped to the canvas and referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout. Wynant, of Indianapolis, had not fought since January of last year when he won the Indiana state welterweight belt with a decision over Jason Smith.

In the main event, In his farewell to Los Angeles bout, Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. won a shut-out decision over Philadelphian Ivan Robinson. Also on the card, in an exciting elimination bout for the WBC Super Featherweight belt, Jesus Chavez won a split decision over Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez. Rafael Marquez knocked down Ricardo “Chapo” Vargas just once, in the final minute of their fight, en route to winning an unanimous decision in his fifth defense of the IBF Bantamweight Title. Jesus “The Hammer” Gonzales improved to 17-0 with a shut-out decision over Dumont Welliver. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan won a first-round TKO over Giovanni Rubio. Heavyweight Albert Sosnowski won a six-round majority decision over Orlin Norris. Ruben Contreras quit in the sixth round against Brian Viloria because of a headache, which soon proved to be serious when he had a seizure and had to be carried from the ring on a stretcher; Contreras underwent surgery shortly afterwards and fortunately has recovered, although he will not be able to box again.
notes

Promoter: Top Rank
Ring Announcer: Lupe Contreras
Tickets: $25 – $100

At the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. continued his unbeaten streak with a third-round TKO over Travis Hartman of St. Joseph, Missouri. Hartman had had a succesful amateur career with 156 wins and only thirteen losses, deciding to turn pro only after finally being eliminated from Olympic contention for 2004. A difficult fight was again expected for Julio, as Hartman was also undefeated as a pro and his strong amateur career made up for the fact that he had had only six professional fights. Nevertheless, Julio again proved his superiority, scoring knockdowns in the second and third rounds before Hartman’s corner threw in the towel to stop the fight at fifty-one seconds into the third.

The original main event was scheduled to be WBO super bantamweight titlist Joan “Little Tyson” Guzman defending his belt against Fernando Beltran Jr. It was pushed down a slot on the card due to the hype about Chavez’s fight, but Guzman retained his title by unanimous decision.
notes

Referee: Ruben Carreon
Promoter: Zanfer / Sycuan Ringside Promotions
Attendance: 5,407
Gate: $238,707

In a showcase fight on the undercard of Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. increased his record to 17-0 (12) with a third round TKO of Ryan Maraldo (19-15-1). The fight was expected to be a difficult one for Julio, as Maraldo had thirty-five pro fights under his belt–much more experience than any other opponent he had faced. Once again, however, Julio proved his dominance of skill and power and, though he received his first point deduction (for low blows in round two), came out victorious.

Chavez calmly blocked Maraldo’s punches for about half a minute into round one before starting to throw some of his own. Maraldo was still punching more but also missing more. Halfway into the round, his face was already red, either from being hit or from not being in condition for the fight. During the second half of the round, Chavez started getting in his left hook more, often a little low and prompting warnings from the referee. In the last seconds, Chavez had his opponent in the corner and was battering him just as the bell rang.

In round two, Maraldo again started as the, landing more shots, though without much power behind them. A minute into the round, he started to lean against Chavez, who repeatedly pushed him off and then landed a series of good shots to Maraldo’s head. Though he looked to be a hurt a little by the punches being landed on him, Maraldo continued to get some punches of his own in and keep Chavez busy. Halfway into the round, the referee deducted a point from Chavez for the repeated low hooks which he continued to throw in this round. However, this only served to motivate Chavez as he went to the head of Maraldo, who now both slowed in movement and was able to throw fewer punches. With half a minute left in the round, Maraldo, bruised under his right eye and cut under his left, was pressed against the ropes as Chavez landed on him with lefts and rights. Somehow he managed to withstand the punishment and even throw a few weak punches as the round came to a close. PunchStat: Chavez landed 54 out of 105 punches thrown, Maraldo only 9 out of 100.

In the third, Maraldo came out a little refreshed and managed to get in a few good shots before he started showing his weariness well a minute into the round. Chavez was landing solid shots the whole time, though, and was in pursuit as Maraldo stumbled backwards or onto the ropes for support. The fight would have been stopped had not Maraldo continued to throw punches throughout the round, though certainly weak ones. Finally, with just a few seconds left in the round, Chavez landed a perfect left-right combo which prompted the referee to step in and give Chavez the TKO win at 2:56 into the round. Final PunchStat showed Chavez as landing 132 out of 269 punches thrown (49%) and Maraldo as just 30 out of 325 (9%).

In the main event of the evening, Erik Morales won a twelve-round unanimous decision over Manny Pacquiao for the vacant WBC International and IBA super featherweight titles. Martin Castillo also defended his WBA super flyweight title with a twelve-round decision against Eric Morel, and Jorge “Travieso” Arce scored a tenth round TKO over Hussein Hussein in a WBC flyweight title eliminator.
notes

Referee: Toby Gibson
Judge: Adalaide Byrd
Judge: Bill Graham
Judge: Jerry Roth
Promotor: Top Rank / HBO
Ring Announcer: Michael Buffer
Commentator: Larry Merchant
Commentator: Jim Lampley
Commentator: Roy Jones, Jr.
PPV Buys: 350,000
Scheduled Rounds: 6
Result: TKO3 2:56

Though he had already appeared on various telecasts and pay-per-views, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was already 15-0 by the time he made his US network debut. The Sólo Boxeo card featured him against Leroy Newton (5-5-0) of Michigan City, Indiana. It was a complete success for Julio, who scored a first-round knockout and won the acclaim of the fans.

Newton started out by jabbing and moving, but it didn’t take long for Junior to catch up with him. Julio began to measure Newton and then cornerd him and landed landed a solid left hook to the midsection. Newton threw a few punches and managed to get out of the corner, but a pair of lefts by Junior backed Newton up further. Newton’s fast movemement was slowed by lefts to the body and rights to the head. Newton, while moving less due to the pressure put on him, managed to get a few counters in. A right by Junior, followed by two lefts to the body and a follow-up right put Newton down at 1:49. Newton was up at the count of four. Two more lefts and a right to the body put Newton down again, and referee Lou Moret stopped the fight at 2:11 of round one.

Also on the card, Hector Velazquez won a technical unanimous decision over Marcos Licona in round 6 of a scheduled 10-round featherweight bout. Antonio Diaz won a decision over Herman Galaviz in an 8-round welterweight bout.
notes

Referee: Dr. Lou Moret
Commentator: Ricardo Celis
Commentator: Bernardo Osuna
Promotor: Top Rank / Sycuan Promotions
Attendance: 3,314
Physician: Naresh Rao

Another Culiacán fighter José “Cholo” Cruz was undefeated when he entered the ring against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at the Parque Revolución in their hometown. Unfortunately for him, Julio was the more experienced and powerful fighter. Cruz had received a standing 8-count and had been knocked down twice when Chavez Jr. got the TKO win in the second round.

Also on the card, junior lightweight Mauro “Cachorrito” Gutiérrez knocked out Francisco León in one, and Ricardo Domínguez won an unanimous decision over Ramón Valles at 135 lbs.
notes

Referee: Álvaro García
Promoter: Victor Zavalza

Both Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and fellow Culiacán fighter Eliseo Urías were in their hometown when they met for a bout at the Universidad Autónoma. Urías, however, turned out to be no match for Chavez, who knocked him down twice in the second round before taking home the knockout victory.

In the main event, Jorge “Travieso” Arce retained his WBC light flyweight title with a third round TKO of Juan Centeno. Featherweight Fernando Beltran Jr. won a seventh-round TKO over Alejandro Medina. Flyweight Francisco Arce knocked out Rodrigo Rodriguez in two.