cover image Julio Cesar Chavez: Adios a la Gloria = Julio Cesar Chavez

Julio Cesar Chavez: Adios a la Gloria = Julio Cesar Chavez

Francisco Ponce. Editorial Grijalbo (MX), $14.95 (169pp) ISBN 978-970-05-1277-8

The life, in and out of the ring, of Mexico's greatest boxer is quickly and shallowly described by Mexican newspaper sport columnist Ponce. Based on more than 30 years of experience and the author's friendship with the champ, this book presents Julio Cesar Chavez's professional achievements and personal misfortunes. Although broadly informational, the book fails to give us a sense of the real person behind the championships. It does not go beyond enumerating personal problems, nor does it ask tough questions regarding Cesar Chavez's professional and personal issues, such as allegations of domestic violence and drug abuse. Ponce does provide interesting vignettes of past Mexican boxing figures and current promoters, but, disappointingly, he neither deeply analyzes nor vividly recollects C sar Ch vez's big championship fights; they are only briefly described and framed within the fighter's convoluted life. Boxing fans will have to wait until the definitive book on Chavez is written. Recommended for larger public libraries and bookstores. Roberto Sarmiento, Northwestern Univ. Libs., Evanston, IL