Celebrity Autographs And Celebrity Addresses

Fathers fight so their sons don't have to, but Julio Cesar Chavez couldn't talk his son into doing anything else.

The brutal trade is a family business. And it has been a good one.

Proof of the enduring Chavez legend was evident again Monday when an overflowing crowd clutching babies, old posters, gloves and red headbands climbed on top of chairs, stood in the parking lot and scrambled up an old staircase for a glimpse of the legend and his son, J.C. Jr., during a public workout at tiny Central Boxing on west Van Buren Street.

Like the uninterrupted beat of a speed bag, the business continues.

But it's also about family and a relationship that goes beyond numbers in a crowd or a contract. It's about a father and a son.

Without the 19-year-old son, the 42-year-old father, who won more than 100 fights inside the ring, might be losing the one outside of it.

"We all knew that Julio was not taking care of himself," Chavez promoter Fernando Beltran said during sparring sessions that included Chavez, his son, Mike Tyson, retired Phoenix welterweight Ahmed Santos and Phoenix middleweight Jesus Gonzales. "He was not living the way he should have.

"What the son has brought to his dad, I think, is really this: He has saved his life."

Since Chavez's loss to Kostya Tszyu five years ago at Veterans Memorial Coliseum and probably a few years before that, his heavy drinking was no secret. In December, however, he said he quit. That's when his son asked for his help.

"No drinking," Chavez said through an interpreter in a tiny dressing room as he lifted up his shirt, pointing to a narrow waist and boasting he was at 145 pounds. "I have to be good role model for my son.

"I still don't like to see him fight. I fought for so long myself. I know what it is about. I could not do it just for me any more."

His decision to fight again on a pay-per-view card on May 28 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, he said, is motivated by a desire to further his son's career.

"I want him to be good professional," said Chavez, who will face Philadelphia veteran Ivan Robinson on a card titled "Adios."

His son is reluctant to talk much about his role in his father's fight with booze, one of the few opponents he couldn't knock out easily.

"I don't know anything about that," said J.C., who hopes to push his record to 19-0 in a six-rounder against an undetermined opponent on May 28. "He's done this for himself."

But Chavez, Beltran and Top Rank's promotional team say the commitment to his son created a sense of order.

"His lifestyle had pretty much been self-serving," Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler said. "Because of his son, he rededicated himself. The son brought him new motivation, new direction.

"Without the son, he could have continued to be a screw-up."

Now a tough dad has shed his reluctance and is making sure his son learns his dangerous trade. They've sparred. In Tijuana, Julio rocked J.C. with a left hook, Beltran said.

"Julio took out his mouthpiece," Beltran said. "He looked at his son and said: 'Put your hand up and keep it up. If you don't, I'm going to knock you out.' "

The family was back in business.