Legend Chavez calls time

Chavez (right) is battered to defeat by Tszyu

Julio Cesar Chavez has finally hung up his gloves after his sixth-round defeat by WBC super-lightweight champion Kostya Tszyu.

The Mexican legend, 38, suffered only the second knockdown of his career as he slumped to only his fifth loss in 110 fights.

"It looks like it's time for me to retire," said Chavez. "Definitely, it's time for me to retire. I didn't have a problem with making the weight. It's just time for me to leave."

Chavez was a dubious WBC choice as mandatory challenger for Tszyu, having not fought at so light a weight since 1998.

Journeyman

He had not met a top-10 opponent in two years and lost to journeyman Willy Wise last October.

Nevada bookmakers would not take odds on the fight because they considered it such a mismatch.

Chavez (right) offloads

Zab Judah, the International Boxing Federation super-lightweight champion, was watching at ringside and was appalled that the fight was allowed to take place.

"That was a disgrace to boxing," said Judah. "He never should have been in there in the first place. It's crazy.

"To watch him as a kid and see him get demolished like this, that was bad. You can't blame Tszyu. He had a washed-up Chavez in front of him and he took him out."

WBC president Jose Sulaiman defended the WBC's choice of Chavez, saying he passed extensive medical exams and has been at fighting weight for a month.

Slammed

After hammering Chavez in the fifth round, Tszyu slammed a right to his opponent's temple and watched him fall forward to the ring.

It was the first time Chavez had been knocked down in a fight since Frankie Randall did it in 1994.

"It wasn't my strongest punch," said Tszyu. "It was just accurate timing and in the right place. He left an opening. Boom. He was gone."

Tszyu, 30, looked like Chavez in his prime, dominating the fight from the start.