Eric Chavez: IBF Minimumweight Champion
Filipino boxer Eric Chavez won the IBF minimumweight world title on September 21, 1989, stopping Nico Thomas in the fifth round in Jakarta. Chavez held the title until February 1990, when Thongchai Utaida stopped him in the seventh round. PhilBoxing · BoxRec title history.
Eric Chavez’s championship breakthrough
Chavez’s full name was Algerico Chavez, and he also appeared under the ring name Kenta Sato. He was a southpaw born in Talisay City, Cebu, and became the first Filipino to hold a minimumweight world championship when he defeated Thomas in 1989.
His professional career had begun in 1985. Before the title win, he recorded victories in the Philippines and traveled abroad, including knockout wins over Udin Baharudin in Jakarta and Mikio Uchida in Nagoya. Those overseas contests preceded his successful championship challenge in Indonesia.
The Utaida fights and later career
The February 1990 loss came in Chavez’s first defense. Thongchai Utaida, also known as Fahlan Sakkreerin, won after cuts led to the contest being stopped. Chavez challenged him again on 15 August 1990 but lost the rematch by unanimous decision.
Chavez later held the PABA minimumweight title in December 1995. Another world championship opportunity followed against Nicaragua’s Rosendo Alvarez in June 1996, with Alvarez winning a majority decision.
The IBF reign remains Chavez’s defining championship achievement. His subsequent challenges and regional title show that his career continued well beyond the loss of that belt, with international opponents remaining a substantial part of his schedule.
Further career results
His wider record also included two meetings with Manny Melchor and a later bout with Masibulele Makepula. BoxRec records losses against both, adding to the list of established champions Chávez faced after his own reign. He was formerly managed by Shozaburo Sato, while the Kenta Sato ring name also appears in his record. The range of recorded names, opponents and overseas appearances reflects a career extending beyond the short period when he held the IBF championship.
Sources
Additional sources: https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Eric_Chavez
- PhilBoxing: Eric Chavez profile and record
- BoxRec: IBF minimumweight title history
- BoxerList: Eric Chavez bout record
- BoxRec career profile
- PhilBoxing career retrospective
