Via Ken Hissner: With Floyd “Money” Mayweather surpassing Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record multiple times, this writer read about how Julio “JC” Chavez, Sr had the longest unbeaten streak before being beaten 89 -0-1.
It only happens when there is a longer unbeaten streak, but not at the start of a career like Mayweather, 50-0, and Marciano, 49-0, in retirement. Two Division World Champion of Mexico Ricardo “Finito” Lopez retired 51-0-1.
Chavez won his first 87 games before drawing with Pernell “Sweat Pea” Whitaker, 32-1, in September 1993. Two games later, he lost for the first time to Frankie “The Surgeon” Randall, 48-2-1, by the split decision in January 1994 when he was at 89-0-1. Four months later, Chavez would win a technically decisive rematch in eight rounds. After seven rounds, Chavez took the lead with two cards.
From 1980 to 1994, Chavez was undefeated in 90 matches. There are five others with longer winning streaks. Two-division world champion “Sugar” Ray Robinson from 1943 to 1951 had a ninety-one win streak. He finished 174-19-6.
In July 1951, Robinson lost to Randy “The Leamington Licker” Turpin of Great Britain 40-2-1 in London. In their next game in September, Robinson stopped Turpin for ten innings at the Polo Grounds, in New York, after scoring a pair of kills.
Spain’s Pedro Carrasco was 11-0-1 down when he lost for the first time. He remained unbeaten in 93 games from 1964 to 1971. In February 1972, he lost to Mando Ramos, 31-5, in LA, California. The previous match, he beat Ramos, in Madrid, Spain, by DQ12, despite being knocked down four times.
Packey McFarland, of Chicago, IL, from 1905 to 1915, he was unbeaten in ninety-seven games, including six draws. He was inducted into the IBHOF in 1992. He was 8-0 down when he lost in July 1904. He had never fought for a world title.
Hal Bagwell, of Manchester, UK, was down 30-0-3 when he lost the first time around. He was unbeaten in sixty-seven matches, including five draws. It recorded him with 183 and 180 consecutive wins. His final record per rec box was 100-5-8.
Harry Mullan’s 196th page encyclopedia of boxing shows Bagwell’s longest unbeaten streak at 183, McFarland at 97, Fred Dyer at 94 from 1908 to 1912 although the rec box shows 43-14-6. It also turns out Carrasco at 93, Robinson at 91 and Chavez at 90.
