Chavez II adopts the same engine found in the Genesis boxing game Boxing Legends of the Ring, so you'll play from behind your fighter as you face your opponent head-on. While Boxing Legends of the Ring featured eight professional boxers, Chavez II has but one: Julio Cesar Chavez.
Two modes of play include Exhibition and Career, with the latter allowing you to create a boxer from scratch and build his ratings through winning fights. Players can name their boxer, choose his appearance, and determine his fighting background: military, street or Olympic.
Depending on the style you choose, your fighter will have different ratings in punch power, stamina and chin. You'll initially be able to allocate ten strength points to your seven punches, consisting of jabs, hooks, uppercuts and crosses, plus save your fighter through a password system. Career mode has your fighter ranked tenth as you try to rise through the ranks to fight Chavez himself.
Exhibition lets one or two players choose a boxer and slug it out from two to twelve rounds, depending on their preferences. Players can also adjust the time of each round (one, two or three minutes) as well as the level of competition (from one to five). It is important to note that the game's text is entirely in Spanish, although the 63-page manual is in both English and Spanish.