On June 7, 1996, Oscar De La Hoya fought Mexican legend Julio César Chávez (96–1–1) for the Lineal & WBC Light-welterweight championship. De la Hoya, with a record of 21–0 with 19 K.Os, defeated Chavez by a fourth round TKO. The fight was stopped due to a bad cut suffered by Chavez. Until their rematch in 1998, Chávez stated that De La Hoya did not defeat him since the fight was stopped. De La Hoya successfully defended his titles with a twelve round unanimous decision against undefeated former WBC Lightweight Champion and number one light welterweight contender Miguel Ángel González (41–0–0).
