Brilliant WBC super lightweight champions

Jose Carlos Ramirez faces Jose Zepeda in the second defense of his WBC super lightweight title this weekend.

Ahead of Saturday’s showdown, we take a look at the WBC’s best five 140-pound champions.

Julio Cesar Chavez (1980-2005) established himself as a pound-for-pound king at super lightweight after winning world titles at 130 and 135. The Mexican superstar stopped Roger Mayweather to win the WBC crown and successfully defended the title 12 times during an incredible 90-fight undefeated run. Chavez fought a host of big names and set the record for the largest attendance when 132,274 turned up to watch his five-round win over Greg Haugen. After suffering his first defeat to Frankie Randall, Chavez regained his title four months later in the rematch and made four more defences before losing for only the second time in 99 fights to Oscar De La Hoya on cuts.

Oscar De La Hoya (1992-2008) won his third of six weight world titles when he became only the second man in 99 to defeat ring legend Julio Cesar Chavez. “The Golden Boy” defended his title against Miguel Angel Gonzalez by ending the former WBC lightweight champion’s 41-fight winning run with a dominant points win before moving up in weight.

Kostya Tszyu (1992-2005) handed Miguel Angel Gonzalez his second defeat in 45 fights to claim the vacant WBC crown. Tszyu, a former IBF champion, defended his title against an ageing Julio Cesar Chavez, won a unification clash with Sharma Mitchell before dispatching Zab Judah in two rounds to become the division’s first undisputed champion in 30 years.

Roger Mayweather (1981-1999) dropped champion Rene Arrendo three times in the sixth round in a toe-to-toe thriller to win the WBC crown. The former featherweight champion defended his title four times before he was stopped for a second time in his career by Julio Cesar Chavez. 

Timothy Bradley (2004-2016) claimed the WBC belt via split decision over Junior Witter in front of the champion’s home fans in Nottingham, England. Bradley unified the division in his second defense after climbing off the canvas in the first round against Kendall Holt. The American was stripped of his WBC title for failing to face Devon Alexander next but regained it four fights later with a victory over his fellow undefeated American.