Questions about Chavez-Taylor I.

[Mintcar923]

So in all those final seconds you don't think Steele got even a glimpse of one of those four lights that come on? Every fighter learns to look for them instinctively, and Steele was former lightheavyweight boxer. I'm pretty sure referees do to. As for what he said, I choose not to believe him since I think it was a dishonest stoppage.

I really don't think he was paying attention to the lights because you could see how excited he was and his adrenaline was probably flowing to the extreme. I differ with you in that I don't think he was biased at all in that fight.

[Rspen46]

Chavez again!

If it had gone 15 rounds Chavez would have had more time to beat him up, I watched this fight when it was on, Chavez was practically my favorite fighter, at the time of watching, I thought Taylor was going to win hands down a huge decision until the KO.
Since then I've watched it many times, and now I know why Taylor went down, he was a a beaten Fighter Physically by the time of the KO, I watched every round carefully several times over the years, and now I see how Chavez basically chopped him down like a tree over the course of the fight, the power body shots Taylor was taking, as each round went on, you could see them slowly affecting him and slowing him down, beating him up, it was one of the worst Physical beatings I've ever seen a fighter absorb over an entire fight and not go down.
My opinion both fighters had to be in awesome shape for chavez to continue this assault while getting peppered with those speed shots the entire fight, yet keep plowing forward and landing, and Taylor had to be in awesome shape to take such a beating and still be on his feet in the last round, he was totally and completely beaten by that last round, he was fighting on, heart, instinct and his will to win no matter what, Taylor showed more in that fight that most of the fighters I've ever seen, I agree 100% with the Ref's decision, Taylor was a beaten fighter, he went down, he did not respond to the Ref in the way he wanted or needed him to, so it was over, I have issues with many fights that were stopped, but Taylor was beaten.

In 15 rounds or in a re-match he gets killed, I think Mentally in a quick re-match he would have gone the way of Arguello in his re-match with Pryor, his Heart was gone and stolen in the 1st fight, I think Taylor does the same thing, and goes down sooner in a re-match, either way, he loses it.

People often overlook the damage Chavez did to fighters over an entire fight if they lasted that long, and I did when I saw it on Tv as it was happening, but learned different when I took the time to watch it again more than once and pay attention to Chavez's fantastic body work.

[The Old LefHook]

One of the greatest and most blatant robberies in the history of boxing. Steele was a blunderer. He was also a camera hog who could not stay out of the action. This distracted him from what a referee is supposed to know. I suppose he did not know it was the last round either. It was not the only crooked affair in Chavez's career. Frankie Randall and Whitaker were robbed also. This is what happens when the head of the most crooked boxing org on earth is headed by a man who thinks of Chavez as another son. First, you get Richard Steele for your son.

[Rspen46]

NO WAY< he went down, he did not respond Properly to the Ref, he was the beaten fighter also, you don't give it to him based on what you know now about how his career went after the fight, he got hit, he went down, he didnt say or do what the Ref wanted or needed to hear, so he lost, plain and simple, no one should cry over that, Chavez broke him like he was chopping down a tree, no payoff to the Ref here or no robbery. I've watched it over and over, some Refs would have done, it others would not, different fights, different refs in history would have done alot of different things, so take it as it was and accept it, no excuses, no what if's, no robbery, just what happened, blame anyone, blame Taylor for not boxing and moving and running to win the decision.`

[Anthony342]

One of the greatest and most blatant robberies in the history of boxing. Steele was a blunderer. He was also a camera hog who could not stay out of the action. This distracted him from what a referee is supposed to know. I suppose he did not know it was the last round either. It was not the only crooked affair in Chavez's career. Frankie Randall and Whitaker were robbed also. This is what happens when the head of the most crooked boxing org on earth is headed by a man who thinks of Chavez as another son. First, you get Richard Steele for your son.

Agreed but Randall lost the second fight because of that cut, but the first one he won. Ironically, he beat Chavez on one of the scorecards by 1 point, because of two points Steele took away from Chavez for low blows. So I guess Steele gives and then takes away.

Guess that check for Steele's payoff hadn't cleared at the time yet or maybe he didn't get the amount he wanted haha.

[Ben Bolt]

Perhaps my favorite fight, and definitely my favorite episode of HBO:S Legendary Nights.
I think it answers most – if not all – questions …

[Anthony342]

Very sad what happened to Taylor, as he stuck around way too long, trying to reclaim the glory he would've had had he been able to stay up in that last round against Chavez.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Taylor fought a great but ****** fight... He standed in the pocket way too long.. A guy like floyd or pernell would have hit and moved... Taylor just hit and hit... Chavez was an absolute terminator.. No one is going to win a battle of attrition with chavez..

15 or 12 rounds... Chavez was gonna break taylor...

Taylor had all the skills in the world but great ring generalship and that's why he isn't a floyd or pernell.. It's what seperates the good from the great

[Sugar Adam Ali]

And I don't care about the stoppage... It's clear as day that Steele was talking to him, asking you alright and Meldrick just dazed off to his corner and didn't respond to any of Steele's commands...
Honestly just look at Meldrick, he was just leaning in the corner, looking off.. Never took a step towards Steele and wasn't coherent at all.. I got no problem with a ref siding on the side of caution. Who's to say Steele lets it go on and last second chavez lands another murderous right hand, that could have put taylor in a coma.. It's a strange fight cause he was winning rounds but chavez was doing the damage

[Tony Trick-Pony]

Taylor should have gotten an award- for eating punches so well.

The fact is, Taylor was a swollen mess who was bleeding internally when they entered the eleventh round, much less the twelfth. The fight should have been stopped earlier than it was.

If it had been 15 rounds, I see it being stopped around the eleventh or twelfth anyway. The fact that it was so close to being over with is why Taylor was allowed to continue IMO.

This fight killed Taylor's career. Even in an immediate rematch, he would have been beaten down again. He was too willing to mix it up with Chavez who did not fight the smartest fight(did not cut that ring off as he should have) and still busted him into bloody bits of bone shard.

For those who had him ahead on the scorecards, what were you scoring exactly? His pitty pat quick combinations paled next to the brutal body blows and face smashing leather Chavez landed time and again. When both men are scoring punches, you have to look at who is causing the most damage. In this case, the answer is obvious.