Chavez, Meza Defend Titles at Forum Tonight

Two championship bouts and a 10-round non-title fight involving Lupe Pintor, former bantamweight champion, are included on a boxing card promoted by Don King at the Forum tonight.

In the World Boxing Council title bouts, undefeated super featherweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez (43-0) will fight top-ranked Ruben Castillo (64-4-2) and super bantamweight champion Juan (Kid) Meza (42-6) will box Mike Ayala (37-2). Pintor (52-7-1) will meet Torito Morgan (19-5).

The show is what’s left of a twice-postponed program that originally matched WBC featherweight champion Azumah Nelson of Ghana with challenger Marcos Villasana. It was postponed first after Nelson experienced delays setting up training camp, then was canceled when Nelson came down with appendicitis.

Chavez, from Culiacan, Mexico, has knocked out 38 of his 43 opponents. Castillo, from Bakersfield, is 0 for 3 in title bouts but has won his last six fights.

Meza won his championship last November with a sensational one-round knockout of previously unbeaten Jaime Garza. Ayala, his opponent, hasn’t lost since 1979, when he was beaten by Danny (Little Red) Lopez in a featherweight title bout. He has won 15 straight, 8 by knockout.

The eight-bout card will start at 6:30.