(POLL): Was Richard Steele wrong for stopping Chavez-Taylor?

[Phantomas]

If you get asked by the ref "are you ok?" two times you better give some answer or show some positive reaction, if you canīt it means you are not in condition to fight. Basic stuff.

[Russian Crushin]

I never understood you man.

Here's your take on the Berto vs Zavec fight:







So in one breath you're asking for a man that can't see should be given a chance to fight in a fight that has 6 rounds remaining. Don't you think he can possibly lose his eyesight?

In the other breath, you're asking to stop the fight in one of the biggest fights of the decade because a guy was looking at his corner instead of the ref?

Woow because i thought this fight should be stopped, i'm suppose to think every fight should be stopped?

Yea i thought the cuts/swelling wasnt bad enough to stop a fight, so what

I love how you just respond to the "he was looking at the corner" part of my comment, yet completely ignored the most important part where he wasnt responding to steele when asked if he was ok

[Russian Crushin]

I disagree with this. The context of the fight (including the time) is worthy of consideration. I think the ref's main job is to make sure the fighters aren't put in a situations where they are at increased risk/can't defend themselves.

Taylor got up at the 5 count. There were only 5 seconds left when the count was over. How was Taylor in any danger? By the time Chavez reached him from the neutral corner there would have been no time for Julio to mount an attack. It's hard to imagine that Taylor's safety would have been jeopardized in a matter of seconds, which is why I feel the decision was terrible.

Thats exactly what he did

It's not the ref's job to think about everything else you mentioned in your post

[IronDanHamza]

I understand why it was stopped because Taylor was in bad bad shape and would have undoubtedly taken punishment were it to continue and he wasn't responding to Richard Steele.

But, on the other hand, he should have let it continue. IMO.

It's a tough one.

[rorymac]

Tough one, obviously I feel so so bad for Taylor as I suppose he deserved the win.

However, the rules of boxing don't acknowledge the amount of time elapsed within a round (quite right too). Steele thought Taylor was unfit to continue and that's all that counts.

The only way to look at this is to imagine the stoppage had come at the beginning of round 9 for example. Even then I think it would be a soft stoppage for a championship fight.

Conclusion - questionable stoppage, no more no less, made one hundred times more controversial as it came with seconds to go in the fight.

[LeG00N]

it was honestly a good stoppage, and I'm not even a big Chavez fan

[Emon723]

I hate it when they (Larry Merchant) stop commenting in the last 30 seconds of the 12th round, and when Chavez knock Taylor down, "If Taylor gets up, he wins the fight." the HBO commentators said.

[SOLIDMOTA]

steele saved taylors life

[UglyPug]

Good stoppage. . . People who have never been in a fight/sparred/boxed before don't realize how long 6 seconds is. . . 6 seconds of getting flurried out could literally kill you. . Especially when your already in that state. . .

Anyway, I don't even think he knew the exact time, did he? A ref isn't supposed to look at it like that anyway. . If he feels the guy is out on his feet, it's a TKO. . .

He used his discretion not only appropriately, but wisely.

[UglyPug]

Anyway, like a REAL WARRIOR with dignity and respect (Unlike Lennox Lewis), Chavez gave him a rematch. . . Same result, but in half the time. . . Obviously Chavez was the better man. . .