The fight was memorable for several reasons. Chavez was knocked down for the first time in his career and was deducted twice for low blows. Randall earned a split decision victory, ending a streak that had lasted nearly 14 years. Chavez later got revenge in a rematch, winning a technical decision after the fight was stopped due to a clash of heads.
Before Chavez, Sugar Ray Robinson set a standard that few fighters approached. Robinson won his first 40 professional fights before losing to Jake LaMotta in February 1942. The defeat was only a temporary setback.
Three weeks later, Robinson defeated LaMotta in their rematch and began another extraordinary run. Between 1943 and 1951, Robinson won 91 consecutive fights, a streak that remains one of the most impressive feats in boxing history.
Several other champions finished their careers undefeated or came close to it. Mayweather retired with a record of 50-0 after winning world titles in five weight classes. Marciano left the sport undefeated at 49-0 as heavyweight champion.
Larry Holmes looked on course to match Marciano’s heavyweight record before running into Michael Spinks in September 1985. Holmes entered the fight with a 48-0 record, but lost a short decision and fell one win short of tying Marciano’s mark.
Joe Calzaghe also finished his career undefeated. The Welsh southpaw retired with a 46-0 record after unifying parts of the super middleweight championship and later defeating Roy Jones Jr. and defeated Bernard Hopkins.
History books also contain the names of fighters whose long winning streaks have largely faded from public memory. According to Harry Mullan’s The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing, Britain’s Hal Bagwell compiled a 183-fight winning streak between 1938 and 1948. Packey McFarland recorded 97 consecutive victories between 1905 and 1915, while Spain’s Pedro Carrasco compiled 93 from 91 to 94.
The numbers from boxing’s early decades can be difficult to verify due to incomplete record-keeping and discrepancies between official records and newspaper rulings. Even so, they remind us that remarkable winning streaks existed long before the television era.
Whether measured by win totals, longevity, or the level of opposition faced, Robinson’s 91-fight streak and Chavez’s undefeated run through the 1980s remain some of the greatest streaks ever compiled. These are achievements that still stand alongside the perfect records of Mayweather, Marciano and Calzaghe when boxing’s longest winning streaks are discussed.
