In September of 2003, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. made his professional boxing debut before a hometown crowd at the Parque Revolución in Culiacán, Sinaloa. The bout was the first of a ten-bout trial agreed to by his father.

Julio stepped into the ring against another Culiacan fighter Jonathan Hernandez, who was a late replacement for scheduled opponent Juan Carlos López. Julio’s initial nerves dissipated as he got into the fight, but the four rounds ended before he could realize the knockout victory. Nevertheless, he took home the first win of what would be a 23-fight winning streak to kick off his pro career.

Also on the card, junior welterweight Luis Fernando Lora won a second-round TKO over Abel Sepulveda.