Hector Camacho versus Bazooka Limon

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In 1983, Bobby Chacon and Hector Camacho were scheduled to battle it out for Chacon's WBC Super Featherweight title. Chacon refused to make the trip to Puerto Rico for the fight, perhaps sensing that an already tough fight could only be made even tougher by fighting in front of a rabid crowd of Boricuas. In stepped Bazooka Limon, Chacon's fabled nemesis. If you've ever watched a Limon fight you have probably put together he was afraid of very little. He was also one of the best in his division at the time. Camacho showed absolutely no fear, taking on a vastly more experienced opponent only 22 fights into his career. He made him look very, very bad. It was the start of an impressive career spanning four decades and seven different weight classes. His passing, last Friday, was yet another major loss to the sweet science. Always entertaining, never intimidated, Camacho will be sorely missed by fans of all ages.

Bazooka Limon

If being a warrior put people in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Rafael “Bazooka” Limon would be a first ballot hall of famer. We love all kinds of fighters here at For The Suits. From the defensively gifted to the men who have moved around the ring with skill and poise to rival a ballerina, we appreciate every different style of fighter. But we have to admit, we appreciate the hard luck battler more than anything. A record doesn’t mean nearly as much to us as does a man possessing the heart to leave everything thing he has in the ring over the course of every single fight. So, as you might have guessed by now, we love Bazooka Limon. His style was far from perfect. He often times had more punches land on the arms of opponents than on their heads. But that didn’t matter, when you punch with the regularity and ferocity that Limon possessed you quickly made opponents think twice about just how long they wanted to stand toe to toe with you. Numerous times throughout his career he was written off as past his sell by date. But you can never underestimate a cat like Limon. A lot of great life lessons can be learned through the sport of boxing. One is that much like an opponent in the ring, life throws everything it can at you. You have to be the one to withstand it all and keep moving forward, never accepting defeat. Limon embodied that mentality. It didn’t matter how many times he was put down, he was going to do his damnedest to get back on his own two feet. It was that mentality that gave him a special kinship with Bobby “Schoolboy” Chacon. Their four fights over the course of seven years were all wars. The men were too similar in their dogged determination to be anything but great opponents for one another. The fourth fight between the two, featured here a few days ago, is one of the greatest of all time. It didn’t take place amidst the glitz and glam better known fighters get. It was fought in the Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento in front of a rabid crowd. The sort of place Limon could shine. He may have lost the fight, but with Limon the story was never about the wins. It was about a man who never quit. Thus we felt it fitting to use the picture we used. It isn’t about winning or losing, it’s about never admitting defeat.

Bazooka Limon versus Bobby Chacon IV

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We’re in the process of writing a profile of Bazooka Limon, one of the most exciting fighters of all time. While you’re waiting for that watch his epic fourth fight with Bobby Chacon (we did a profile on Bobby earlier in the year). For us it is, hands down, the greatest fight of all time. You will never see two men attack each other with such force and keep it up for the duration that Chacon and Limon do. It’s a superhuman performance from both men. At times you might think the camera is in fast forward. And they keep that pace up for the entire fight. Everyone who watches this fight will hit a point where you have to ask yourself how they are still standing and battering each other with such ferocity. Numerous points in the fight would have resulted in a stoppage nowadays. Watch this fight.

Bobby "Schoolboy" Chacon

We’re not sure if boxing has ever had a more determined and unbreakable man to step between the ropes. Bobby Chacon is simply one of the most awe inspiring fighters ever. He regularly exhibited a supernatural reserve of stamina and willpower that surfaced at a time when most men would have been utterly and completely broken. Bobby began his journey in the fight game after his wife, Valerie, suggested he give the sport a try as a professional. He wasted no time in doing so and compiling a 19-0 record before stumbling in a typically valiant effort against champion Ruben Olivares. This was only a minor setback and led to a quick succession of fights, one of which was against fellow fan favorite Danny “Little Red” Lopez. All this was simply steps needed to be taken in order to progress, leading to another title shot this time against Alfredo Marcano. Unfortunately his greatest victory, to that point in his career, also proved to be a fateful introduction to a lifestyle of partying, boozing and run ins with the law. Unsurprisingly Bobby lost his second title defense, another defeat at the hands of Ruben Olivares. This led to a period of moderate success for Chacon, but it was at a point in his life when many figured him a shot fighter that his fame dramatically increased.

Sadly Bobby appeared to be incapable of having success and living a happy life. Valerie, the wife who suggested he enter the sport, had tired of seeing Bobby get battered and bruised in the ring. She suggested a change, a move to Hawaii aimed to keep Bobby out of the gym and away from promoters who could lure Bobby back into the ring. Boxing proved to be a greater addiction for Bobby than the love for his wife. Although she had found jobs in Hawaii Bobby simply could not pull himself away from the sport he loved. Before his fight with Salvador Ugalde Valerie committed suicide, a single rifle shot ending her battle with Bobby over his refusal to leave the sport behind. This occurred the night before the Ugalde fight. Bobby went out and fought the next night, winning by a third round KO. He has said he tried to kill Ugalde that night. One can only imagine any pain inside the ring was of no consequence, which is all we can think of too explain the next two fights in Chacon’s career. Rafael “Bazooka” Limon was a long time adversary of Chacon’s, having fought three times previous. The fourth meeting between the two was to be by far the greatest and one of the most memorable fights of all time. The two pushed one another to, quite simply, superhuman limits. Moments of the fight look as if the two are fighting in fast forward, which makes it all the more impressive that they keep up the action for almost the entire 15 rounds. By the championship rounds one is left astonished they can even stand, let alone still trade leather. If there is one fight you need to watch, it’s this one. Bobby wasn’t done though, and went on to meet Cornelius Boza Edwards, another man he had fought previously. This fight would prove to be, in our opinion, the one which sums up Bobby Chacon perfectly. Another all out war, one in which Chacon was badly losing, ends in a late KO victory for Bobby. Bleeding profusely from a series of cuts, his corner constantly asking for one more round rather than having the fight stopped, Bobby refusing to give up when the Doctor asks him if he can still fight, this was Bobby Chacon. Asking Bobby if he wanted to keep fighting was almost an insult. One of the most blood and guts boxers of all time and you leave the choice in his hands? Bobby would have died in the ring that night. Physical pain is nothing after the psychological hell he lived through.