Down for the Count

"El Matador" Chavez fought his way to the top of the boxing ranks. Now he hopes to make his greatest comeback - if the INS will let him in the ring.

A A A Comments By Adam Pitluk Thursday, Jun 29 2000

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Until then, there is Delicias. He has beaten everyone there is to beat in Mexico and says he has proven his rehabilitation in every way imaginable. He is a worthy opponent for WBC Superfeatherweight Champion Floyd Mayweather -- he says he deserves a shot at the belt before he gets too old to compete.

In exile, El Matador's life is perpetual motion. He spends all of his hours working out. He has no time for a girlfriend, he says. He saves his money for his biggest expense, a $500-a-month phone bill to the States, and prepares for a dream that may never come.

Terri Glanger

Chavez went from Austin's Lord's Gym to the spartan confines of Gimnasio Municipal in Delicias, Mexico.

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Potential trouble lurks on every corner in this rough-and-tumble town. People drink to curb boredom, and they drink a lot -- all day long. El Matador struggles to stay above it all. "I've got more time in my life now than I got anything," he says. "I definitely have more time than money."

El Matador has only one more man to beat until he can rest easy. His professional record is a stunning 32-1-0, with 21 wins coming by way of knockout. He has never in his life been knocked out. Until he has punched Floyd Mayweather to the mat in the United States, El Matador will continue to rise at 4:30 a.m. and run up that mountain, leaving his problems behind in the diesel fumes and dust.