Was Taylor really robbed against Ceasar Chavez?

Why do people find it so difficult to accept that a fighter can score a knockout with seconds left? Chavez knocked Taylor senseless, Taylor was unable to respond, he made no attempt to stand on his own two feet, there was time left on the clock ... = Knockout. People always allow their emotions to get in the way when they suggest Taylor "deserved" a win. well enough of the emotional BS, chavez "earned" the win by physically beating and stopping his opponent. Yup you said it sir!!!

Why do people find it so difficult to accept that a fighter can score a knockout with seconds left? Chavez knocked Taylor senseless, Taylor was unable to respond, he made no attempt to stand on his own two feet, there was time left on the clock ... = Knockout. People always allow their emotions to get in the way when they suggest Taylor "deserved" a win. well enough of the emotional BS, chavez "earned" the win by physically beating and stopping his opponent.

Not robbed. Raped is a better word.

I'm quite sure Steele wouldn't have stopped it, if the knockdown had happened in the 1st round. Oh my god this is complete fail!!!!! Of coarse he wouldn't of because duh he didn't take 12 rounds of the most bone crushing liver shots ever given from one man to the other. You think he stopped the fight because he just happened to get knocked down? No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! he stopped the fight because the man's face wasa bloated mess and he was bleeding from every orafice. If this fight had been held before the Championship bouts got shortened from 15 to 12 rounds I don't just think Chavez would of won by KO I think he would have killed Taylor which is really scary.

I remember watching the fight live on TV and, at the time, I thought the stoppage was utter robbery. I didn't like Chavez at that point and therefore might have been a bit biased on my opinion. A couple of years later I rewatched the fight (concentrating more on Chavez this time) and only then did I realize how much punishment Taylor actually took. Taylor was still winning round after round but Chavez just landed the harder blows. Even though it sounds a bit silly and it doesn't make a difference now, but Steele should have done Taylor a favour and stopped the fight earlier (even though there wouldn't have been a reason for stopping the fight earlier it still pains me to see how much Meldrick degenerated after that fight). So yeah, I accept the stoppage...now (not at the time). But what really pisses me off is that - had the bout gone to the cards - Taylor would only have won a split dicision. I don't understand that - I my opinion, Taylor had built up a massive lead and there's no way anyone could have scored the fight for Chavez.

I'm quite sure Steele wouldn't have stopped it, if the knockdown had happened in the 1st round. I think he was robbed. Meldrick Taylor left the better half of him in the ring that night. I feel very sad about his condition today......very sad. He was a great boxer, fastest hands in the world. I actually saw him fight in Denmark in 98, he looked terrible. Can't believe he fought as late as 2002, that must have been ugly!

Dont know much about the Taylor Fight but h JCC win against Whitaker was a robbery!

Taylor DESERVED that win. JCC got shitface lucky i dont care what anybody says, that stoppage was bullshit, i'd understand if there was 15 secs, but there was about 5 left! Lucky would have been if he would have went the whole fight without landing very many punch's and then landed a phantom punch at the end of the fight. Systematically beating a person into a bloody pulp has nothing to do with luck it's all skill my friend. I think Chavez was the one who deserved the fight because he had to go thru hell himself to win and he was the one who stayed on his feet. It wasn't like Taylor was just jabbing him the whole night.

He didn't answer the ref, ref stopped the fight. Simple as that. If Steele had let it go on and Chavez landed one more punch, those against the stoppage would've probably blamed Steele for Taylor's deterioration later. Richard Steele did his job. If It had happened 30 seconds earlier there wouldn't have been as much controversy. But because it was in the final seconds of such a big fight that's why there was such a big outcry. It was the right decision based on the rules and the referees duty of care. You think if Taylor had won they would've fought again straight after? Man, hate to think what would've happened to him if there was an immediate rematch.

Taylor DESERVED that win. JCC got shitface lucky i dont care what anybody says, that stoppage was bullshit, i'd understand if there was 15 secs, but there was about 5 left!

Meldrick *should* have won the fight sure...if he hadn't been knocked down/out. JC took an amazing beating and stayed on his feet. I can't argue a call in a fight that close...it isn't like Steele waved it off as soon as Taylor fell...he gave Taylor the count, looked at Taylor to respond, and tried to give Taylor the benefit of the doubt. Regardless of why Steele waved it off, the fact that JC was still standing gives me all the warm fuzzy I need to know the right call was made when Taylor didn't respond. Had Taylor put JC on his butt and Steele waved it off immediately would anyone have complained? Maybe...given that Taylor wasn't responsive though, I dunno if there's anything to question. Reagrdless of the result, this was a hell of a fight!!! The ending doesn't really change its place in the *best fight of all time* standings does it?

Everyone that claims that Steele robbed Taylor simply ignore the fact that Taylor DID NOT ANSWER THE REFEREE, you have to do it, simple as that.

11 rounds 2min 58sec. u let that man finish the fight if he stands up,anyone would expect that.If that fight wasnt stolen,that so called draw with Sweet pee still was the definition of highway robbery J.C.C was schooled that night for sure!! A. What does the swee pee fight have to do with this fight? Diffrent ref and diffrent circumstances right? B. How is it a robbery when it's clear as day that Taylor was beaten to a bloody pulp? Does your Idea of a winning fighter go to the hospital pissing blood while the loser parties in his hotel?

Taylor wasn't robbed. Steele made the right call. Shane Mosley proved in his fight with Mayorga that a final blow can be landed when 5 seconds are left on the clock. Yeah but Shane Mosley was RIGHT NEXT to Mayorga...

11 rounds 2min 58sec. u let that man finish the fight if he stands up,anyone would expect that.If that fight wasnt stolen,that so called draw with Sweet pee still was the definition of highway robbery J.C.C was schooled that night for sure!!

The referee can stop a fight at anytime for any reason. That doesn't mean it was fair or right, and in this case it was neither. Taylor deserved to hear the decision read. Spot on. I'd like to hear these guys say the same thing if they fought their heart out with a guy as brutal as Chavez, for 35 minutes and 58 seconds, only to have the referee stop it on you.

NO he wasn't robbed. He did not respond to Richard Steele. I know there was not much time left. But if a fighter doesn't answer the ref, then the ref has the right to stop the fight. The referee can stop a fight at anytime for any reason. That doesn't mean it was fair or right, and in this case it was neither. Taylor deserved to hear the decision read.

Dude, calm down. I'm a fan of Chavez, he gets all the credit in the world from me. He did what he had to do, I can't fault him for that. But Meldrick gets no credit for fighting the way he did at all. Look at my sig banner, and that sums up who Meldrick Taylor was. He was a gifted technical fighter who had balls to boot and wasn't afraid to take your best shot in an exchange in order to land his own. Chavez gets credit from everyone here, nobody gives Meldrick any credit for it. He dominated Chavez, in a way that nobody ever has until Oscar De La Hoya oh so many years later when Chavez was shot. Fair enough.

You could of at least given JCC some props because "he" was the main reason why the events were able to unfold the way he did. Steel didn't send Taylor to the Hospial afterwards and Duva didn't knock taylor down in the last round. Chavez did it! And it's really class less when people make excuses like "he could of just boxed him to a UD". I could also say over a hundred other fighters could of just outboxed Chavez, but they didn't and they took the same beating that Taylor took that night. Dude, calm down. I'm a fan of Chavez, he gets all the credit in the world from me. He did what he had to do, I can't fault him for that. But Meldrick gets no credit for fighting the way he did at all. Look at my sig banner, and that sums up who Meldrick Taylor was. He was a gifted technical fighter who had balls to boot and wasn't afraid to take your best shot in an exchange in order to land his own. Chavez gets credit from everyone here, nobody gives Meldrick any credit for it. He dominated Chavez, in a way that nobody ever has until Oscar De La Hoya oh so many years later when Chavez was shot.

I can't watch the video, Meldrick was a childhood hero of mine. But the stoppage was bad. Everybody knows it. It was partly Richard Steele's fault, but more to the point, it was Lou Duva's fault. For jumping up on the apron and acting like a damn idiot, which distracted Meldrick while Steele was asking him critical questions. Meldrick should've won the fight. He was there with Chavez all night long when nobody else with Meldrick's skills would've been. He could've easily outboxed him for a boring UD, but he went toe to toe with him in a war and laid his wellbeing on the line to do so. The Chavez fight took away everything Meldrick had in him. He was never the same. The least he could've gotten was the personal satisfaction of having his hand raised. You could of at least given JCC some props because "he" was the main reason why the events were able to unfold the way he did. Steel didn't send Taylor to the Hospial afterwards and Duva didn't knock taylor down in the last round. Chavez did it! And it's really class less when people make excuses like "he could of just boxed him to a UD". I could also say over a hundred other fighters could of just outboxed Chavez, but they didn't and they took the same beating that Taylor took that night.