Chavez dedicates remainder of his career to fallen foe

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005 | 7:01 a.m.

Still coping with the death of the last boxer he faced in the ring, Jesus Chavez said he intends to fight again, only next time it will be for more than himself.

"Now I'm going to be fighting for myself and for Leavander Johnson," Chavez said.

Johnson died of a brain injury in Las Vegas on Sept. 22, five days after Chavez stopped him by a technical knockout 38 seconds into the 11th round of their International Boxing Federation lightweight title fight at the MGM Grand.

As a special panel established by the Nevada State Athletic Commission examines whether there are ways to make an inherently dangerous sport safer, Chavez's voice is -- or should be -- an important one in that discussion.

While doctors can speak of the need for additional pre-fight medical tests and boxing experts address issues such as whether one-sided bouts should be stopped sooner, Chavez brings a unique perspective to that debate -- one formed from only an arm's length away during Johnson's last seconds in the ring.

What Chavez saw in the closing moments of his bout with Johnson underlines what is obvious to those in and around boxing -- namely that no precautions, however extensive, can absolutely protect a boxer in a sport in which the purpose is to knock one's opponent senseless.

Although Chavez had the upper hand throughout their fight, he said he saw no indication at any time that Johnson was seriously hurt.

"No, there was absolutely no way that I could know," Chavez said in a phone interview from his Austin, Texas, home. "Leavander Johnson was punching back and defending himself as hard as he could.

"There are those cases where you can hit a fighter and he tries to gut it out and use every inch of breath that he has. There are situations when you know you have someone hurt, but it's your job to continue to fight. But with Leavander, there was no way of knowing. That's without a doubt."

Chavez said he attended Johnson's funeral in New Jersey and has maintained ties with his family.

"Luckily, I am fortunate that Leavander Johnson's family has been kind to me and has given me support to help me through this hard situation," Chavez said. "It's the type of relationship that only fighters know about.

"I am grateful that they have helped me, and my own family has been very supportive in giving me moral support in any way possible. I am very fortunate to have family and friends to help me with closure on this issue."

Johnson's death and the July death of Martin Sanchez in Las Vegas from a brain injury sustained during a match were the first time since 1933 that two boxers died in Nevada in the same year from fight-related injuries.

That, in turn, spurred the Athletic Commission to form a five-member Advisory Committee on Boxer Health and Safety, which is to make recommendations by April.

As a professional with a 43-3 record, the 33-year-old Chavez has plenty to say about how to improve health and safety in his sport.

He advocates brain scans for all fighters who participate in championship bouts and believes that promoters should pay for MRIs. Under current Nevada law, boxers may go as long as five years between MRIs.

"A fighter should have to show that he can take care of himself in order to compete in a championship bout," Chavez said.

Chavez said he would have no problem with independent monitors showing up at sparring sessions to ensure that boxers are not stepping into the ring with injuries.

But he opposes the idea of shortening championship fights from 12 rounds to 10 rounds, arguing it would take away the "hunger" of a fighter who wants to prove he could go the longer distance.

And he believes weigh-ins should not occur on the day of a bout, but rather should remain a day before the fight to give fighters time to recover from training.

Chavez said he would like to see fuller disclosure of a professional fighter's amateur boxing record, because a state that approves a boxer's pro debut may not know that the athlete was knocked out several times as an amateur.

Chavez, who was born in Mexico but has spent most of his life in the United States, also would like to see more complete disclosure of Mexico's boxing records. The problem, he said, is that many fights in Mexico are either not sanctioned or are discounted because of the quality of the opponent.

"There are fighters in Mexico who have fought 10 times with five losses who can claim they are 5-0 because they are unknown in this country," Chavez said.

"It's not that they don't want to tell the truth, but if only five of their 10 fights are sanctioned, they won't count the fights that they lost if they weren't sanctioned."

Steve Kanigher can be reached at 259-4075 or at steve@lasvegassun.com.