The 5'7" (67 inches - 1.70 metres) tall Philadelphian began his professional career with a four-round draw in 1976 after only two amateur bouts.
Chandler then began a four-year string of victories culminating in a challenge for the world's lineal and WBA 118-pound championship held by Julian Solís.
On November 14, 1980, Chandler won the title by a fourteenth-round knockout in Miami, becoming the first American fighter to hold the bantamweight crown in over 30 years.
He then travelled to Japan to face Asian champion Eljiro Murata, and although he was almost floored in the early rounds, Chandler came back to hold his title with a draw.
During a traffic altercation in Philadelphia, he was stabbed on the right shoulder with a broken bottle, leaving a distinctive circular scar, but doing no permanent damage.
A severe cut over Muniz's eye brought a stoppage in the seventh round, enabling Chandler to retain his belt by a seventh-round technical knockout.