Bobby Chacon (born November 28, 1951 - September 7, 2016) was an American former two-time world boxing champion born in Pacoima, California

Career

Chacon turned professional in 1972 and won his first 19 fights, including a win against former champion Jesus Castillo. Fourteen months into his professional career, Chacon faced world champion Rubén Olivares but lost the bout when Olivares scored a ninth-round knock out.

After suffering his first defeat against Olivares, Chacon won his next four bouts, then faced off against cross-town rival and future champion Danny Lopez. Chacon outboxed Lopez and stopped him in the ninth round.

On September 7, 1974, Chacon won the vacant WBC Featherweight title by defeating former WBA Junior Lightweight champion Alfredo Marcano in nine rounds at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. During his first period as a world champion, Chacon got to meet, and like, what many refer to as the sweet life. He became an alcoholic, and he loved partying. His clashes with the law became matters of public knowledge, and his life went on a wild downward spiral.

Chacon lost his title in his second defense against arch-rival Rubén Olivares. Almost immediately after his loss against Olivares, he fought the first of his four fight rivalry with another world champion, Rafael "Bazooka" Limón. They would engage in what some boxing experts and historians have described as one of the fiercest and most spectacular boxing rivalries in history. Limón beat Chacon in their first bout by a decision.

Chacon then scored nine straight wins, leading him to a third match with Olivares. This time, Chacon defeated Olivares in their 12-round bout by a decision. In Chacon's next fight, he lost an upset decision to Arturo Leon. Chacon rebounded by scoring victories over Ignacio Campos, Augie Pantellas, Gerald Hayes and Shig Fukuyama. He then fought to a technical draw in a rematch against Rafael Limón.

In November 1979, Chacon received a shot at the WBC title, versus world champion Alexis Argüello. Arguello defeated him by a devastating knock out after Chacon suffered a bad cut in the seventh round.

In 1980, Chacon had only one fight, but it was a significant one. He beat Limón in their third bout, and the WBC once again made him their number one challenger.

In 1981, Arguello had left the title vacant and gone up in weight to pursue the world's Lightweight title. Limón then beat Idelphonso Bethelmy by a knockout in 15 in Los Angeles to win the WBC world Jr. Lightweight championship. In his first title defense, he lost it by a decision to Uganda's Cornelius Boza Edwards, who, in turn, defended his title against Chacon on his first defense. In a televised bout, Edwards retained the world title by a knockout in the thirteenth round.

Chacon would go on to win five in a row in 1982, including a rematch victory over Arturo Leon, which kept him as the number one challenger, but then a dramatic development outside the ring would change his life forever: Chacon's wife, Valorie Chacon, flew to Hawaii on February of that year, hoping to convince him to leave boxing and move there if she found them good jobs. She was able to find a job, but unable to convince him to join her in Hawaii, so she flew back. She pleaded for him to leave the sport but wasn't able to convince him to do so, and one night before he boxed Salvador Ugalde, she grabbed a rifle and shot herself, dying instantly. Chacon went through with the fight and KO'ed Ugalde in the third round. He dedicated his win to his deceased wife.

Two more victories would follow, and then came his fourth and final bout with Limón. Limón had regained the world's Jr. Lightweight title by beating Rolando Navarrete by a knockout in 12 rounds. Navarrete, for his part, had won the title by beating Edwards by a knockout in five in Italy. Chacon-Limón IV became one of the fights of the year and the decade, according to such magazines as The Ring, KO Magazine, and Ring En Español, and Chacon recovered from knockdowns suffered in rounds three and 10 to drop Limón in the closing seconds of round 15, and secure a close decision and his second world title in Sacramento.

About one year and a half after Valorie's suicide, Chacon remarried and bought a large farm with a mansion and, according to what he said at an interview, about 40 horses. He also acquired a collection of Rolls Royce cars and some other vehicles. In between, he and Boza Edwards met for a second time, with his world title on the line, in what Ring Magazine called the fight of the year for 1983. Chacon rose from a knockdown in round one and recovered from a dangerous cut to drop Boza Edwards in round twelve and avenge his earlier defeat to the Ugandan former champion.

In 1983, Chacon was signed to defend his WBC title in a rematch against Boza Edwards, who was the WBC's mandatory challenger. Even though WBC rules stated the mandatory challenger should receive a shot at the title, the WBC insisted Chacon fight Héctor Camacho in Puerto Rico instead, then stripped him of his title when he refused.

Chacon started 1984 with a move up in weight, to the Lightweight division, where he tried to join the exclusive club of boxing's three division world champions, but was knocked out in three during his challenge against world champion Ray Mancini in Reno. Chacon then beat Carlton Sparrow by a TKO in five rounds and announced his retirement.

Chacon came back in 1985 and he won five fights, including one against former world champion Arturo Frias by a knockout in seven, and a knockout in five over Rafael Solis, who had challenged Camacho for the world Jr. Lightweight title that had once belonged to Chacon.

In 1987 and 1989 he won one fight each year, and then he retired for good. But Chacon's life was once again marred by tragedy when his son was murdered in 1991. In 1996, he was spotted at a public appearance in Phoenix, Arizona to see the Pay Per View fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Julio César Chávez together with fans at a public fight viewing held at a plaza there. But by year 2000, he had lost most of his savings and was being cared for by nurse as he suffered from the effects of dementia pugilistica (boxer’s syndrome).

Chacon had a record of 59 wins, 7 losses and 1 no contest, with 47 wins coming by knockout. He holds victories over seven other men who held a world title. Olivares, Castillo, Lopez, Marcano, Limón, Edwards and Frias.

Honors and references

In 1982, he was named comeback fighter of the year by Ring magazine. His wins over Limon in 1982 and Edwards in 1983, were both named Ring Magazine fights of the year. In 2003, Chacon was included on Ring Magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Punchers of All-Time". In January 2005, Chacon was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Chacon is referenced in Warren Zevon's song "Boom Boom Mancini" from his 1987 album Sentimental Hygiene.