Former world boxing champion Julio César Chávez will open his home to millions of viewers in a reality show titled Los Chaves. The series, which premieres on September 11 at Disney+will follow Chavez, his wife and children, showing a more human side of one of Mexico's biggest sports figures.
The opening song for each of the 10 episodes, album/2YtpAqof3gNVQKA35PyKt1″>”El César del Box,” performed by Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga and released on Wednesday (August 28) on digital platforms.
“We have a very good relationship with the champion and the people in his office,” said Lizárraga, the group's leader and producer of the song. Billboard Español. “When the project was written, he didn't hesitate to call us and ask us for the song, which for us is a great honor.”
“When he heard that the song was already finished, he loved it. Very nice things came from there,” he added. “We sang it to him live and he was moved to tears.”
Released on Lizárraga's record label, Lizos Music, and loaded with their usual Sinaloan band sound, “El César del Box” is a sweeping, first-person account of the boxer's life. “Mis hijos los traigo en la mente/ Bajo el ring los golps son más fuertes/ Toquéqué el cielo, ya conocí el suelo/ Y aún sigo en el top/ Yo soy Julio Chávez/ Más bien/ Soy el César del boxingeo“, says part of the lyrics. This translates to: “I've got my kids on my mind/ Under the ring the blows are harder/ I touched the sky, I already knew the ground/ And I'm still on top/ I'm Julio Chavez/ I guess, I'm the Caesar of boxing .
Chavez's life has been full of emotional moments, with ups and downs that include drug problems. For that reason, Lizárraga said, writing about his life was a challenge for composer Omar Robles, who is responsible for Banda MS hits like the romantic “El Color de Tus Ojos.”
“They gave us the freedom to talk about his life. The only request was to focus on the positive things and the achievements of the champion,” said Lizárraga.
For the music video, Banda MS invited Chávez to Mazatlán, where the star was “always in a good mood and willing to work for the 16 hours” of filming. The clip shows the fighter, accompanied by Banda MS, simulating his triumphant entrance into the ring.
At the age of 62, JC Chávez, as he is also known, can boast that he made history in the super featherweight, lightweight and super lightweight categories, and became the pride of an entire country.
“I personally consider myself a fan of boxing and of course the career of Julio César Chávez,” Lizárraga said, noting that the sport has given Mexicans many joys, including at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Mazatlán's Marco Verde won a silver medal.
He also fondly recalled Chavez's historic fight against American Meldrick Taylor on March 17, 1990: “He was decided in the last round by a knockout when he felt he was already lost. And then came that blow that made our champion bigger.”
Watch the video for “El César del Box” below, premiering August 28 at 8pm ET:
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/los-chavez-theme-song-banda-ms-julio-cesar-chavez-1235762888/