Chavez-Taylor, damn what a fight...

[Mr. Ryan]

I was looking through some old tapes I had and stumbled onto Chavez-Taylor I. Damn, this was a war. What more could you ask for? Two great champions, in the prime of their careers giving it everything. There was controversy and great action. A dramatic last round knockout and one fighters star falling and one rising to the outer stratospheres.

I do feel kind of bad for Melderick Taylor. He was too brave for his own good and it wound up taking a devastating toll on him. He was a great fighter and could've proven it to the world had he not taken such a physical beating against Chavez. He chose to stand and fight against a much stronger guy than himself.

For 9 rounds, Taylor was taking Chavez to school, just outfighting him and looking damn impressive in the process. 5,6 punch combos were just zeroing in on Chavez, Chavez early on had no idea of how he was gonna win the fight. Body and head, foot movement, punches in bunches. The man was looking like Sugar Ray Leonard, DAMN he was ill!

Then in the later rounds, you could see Chavez was able to retain his fight pace and conditioning and Taylor was beginning to slow down. By the championship rounds, Chavez had began to extract a dramatic come from behind beating ala Louis-Conn. You could tell Taylor was in trouble when he almost went to the wrong corner after the 11th. After avoiding any serious danger early in the 12th, Taylor got rocked by a right hand right on the button. He buckled slightly and fell into the ropes and Chavez landed the most significant right hand of his life and dropped Taylor. Taylor rose at 4 and seemed intent on continuing the fight. Steele shouted out the count and then decided to stop the fight officially at 2:58 of the twelfth in a fight that he clearly deserved to win.

He deserved those extra 2 seconds to claim his victory because he earned it. He fought his ass off for 12 rounds, a champion who had just fought the fight of his life, and referee Richard Steele robbed him of what he rightly earned it was a travesty and an outrageous display of incompetence. So what he was down, he was up and steady enough to stand up until the bell sounded. Everyone knew where we were in the round, Steele knows the light is flashing in the corner even if he couldn't hear the 10 second clapper. He ****ed over an incredible fighter and robbed him of his legacy.

Of course, this fight elevated Chavez to a cross over success in America, and was really the highlight of his career. Taylor, however started to fall apart in and out of the ring. He went on to earn a welterweight belt, but lost it to Crisanto Espana and then was blown away by a much bigger Terry Norris.

Whatever happens the next day is irrelevant. Taylor deserved to win that night.

[Hitman18]

Well if I can remember, Steele asked Taylor, "Are you alright" and Taylor didn't say anything, so Steele stopped the fight.
And if Steele allowed Taylor to go on just for the hell of it because there were only two seconds left in the fight, then Steele would have been robbing Chavez.

[luistwentyone]

Steele shouted out the count and then decided to stop the fight officially at 2:58 of the twelfth in a fight that he clearly deserved to win.

He deserved those extra 2 seconds to claim his victory because he earned it. He fought his ass off for 12 rounds, a champion who had just fought the fight of his life, and referee Richard Steele robbed him of what he rightly earned it was a travesty and an outrageous display of incompetence. So what he was down, he was up and steady enough to stand up until the bell sounded. Everyone knew where we were in the round, Steele knows the light is flashing in the corner even if he couldn't hear the 10 second clapper. He ****ed over an incredible fighter and robbed him of his legacy.........
Whatever happens the next day is irrelevant. Taylor deserved to win that night.

1. Meldrick Taylor did NOT respond to Steele's questions, he had no clue where the **** he was.

2.he did NOT deserve those 2 seconds, that would show partiallity, favoritism towards one fighter. the ref is to be IMPARTIAL.

3. IF at ANY TIME from the the very first bell to the very last bell, ANYTIME with-in those two bells a fighter cannot continue, and is in danger of getting the **** kicked out of them, the ref can stop the fight, and Steele did that.

4. Steele robbed NOBODY, he just did his job by the rule book

5. you say, "he was up and steady enough to stand up until the bell sounded", so why did he not respond to Steele's questions ?

6. Taylor deserved to win, your opinion, but the fact is he got KTFO, and Steele saved his ass

7. get over it, Chavez schooled him and knocked him the **** out, throwing 10 punch flurries with the power of flies, mean ****. Chavez came out prettier than when he came in to the ring, lol

8. asking for Steele to give him the 2 secs is like asking the refs to hand him the win just because, be real dude. there is a start and an end, until the final bell rings, the fight is NOT over and it can be stopped at ANYTIME.

[Mr. Ryan]

Well if I can remember, Steele asked Taylor, "Are you alright" and Taylor didn't say anything, so Steele stopped the fight.
And if Steele allowed Taylor to go on just for the hell of it because there were only two seconds left in the fight, then Steele would have been robbing Chavez.

The TKO rule was made to protect a fighter, using it for any other purpose is an abuse of the order. Taylor went down and got up beating the count, he was not in any danger because of the time. Plus, he was a champion who should've been given the benefit of the doubt for his professionalism.

[The Scientist]

That was a great fight. Chavez was always a slow starter even when he was in his prime but he would gore the **** out of you eventually. Meldrick looked brilliant in defeat though, Phily produces some very slick fighters. A fight I'll always rate right up there with Firpo-Dempsey, Louis-Schmelling II, Hagler-Hearns, Duran-Leonard I&II, Ali-Foreman.

[luistwentyone]

The TKO rule was made to protect a fighter, using it for any other purpose is an abuse of the order. Taylor went down and got up beating the count, he was not in any danger because of the time. Plus, he was a champion who should've been given the benefit of the doubt for his professionalism.

1. is Richard Steele the time-keeper ?

2. Chavez WAS ALSO reinging champ

3. do you know what IMPARTIALITY is ?

[luistwentyone]

That was a great fight. Chavez was always a slow starter even when he was in his prime but he would gore the **** out of you eventually. Meldrick looked brilliant in defeat though, Phily produces some very slick fighters. A fight I'll always rate right up there with Firpo-Dempsey, Louis-Schmelling II, Hagler-Hearns, Duran-Leonard I&II, Ali-Foreman.

.............I agree

[Mr. Ryan]

1. Meldrick Taylor did NOT respond to Steele's questions, he had no clue where the **** he was.

2.he did NOT deserve those 2 seconds, that would show partiallity, favoritism towards one fighter. the ref is to be IMPARTIAL.

3. IF at ANY TIME from the the very first bell to the very last bell, ANYTIME with-in those two bells a fighter cannot continue, and is in danger of getting the **** kicked out of them, the ref can stop the fight, and Steele did that.

4. Steele robbed NOBODY, he just did his job by the rule book

5. you say, "he was up and steady enough to stand up until the bell sounded", so why did he not respond to Steele's questions ?

6. Taylor deserved to win, your opinion, but the fact is he got KTFO, and Steele saved his ass

7. get over it, Chavez schooled him and knocked him the **** out, throwing 10 punch flurries with the power of flies, mean ****. Chavez came out prettier than when he came in to the ring, lol

8. asking for Steele to give him the 2 secs is like asking the refs to hand him the win just because, be real dude. there is a start and an end, until the final bell rings, the fight is NOT over and it can be stopped at ANYTIME.

I dunno what the bottle is about, I'm not sweating nothing. I'm not black or mexican, so I have no reason for partiality, I call them like I see them. If anything, if anyone should have reason for partiality, its probably you.

Anyways, Taylor was not in danger of getting beaten up, there was 2 seconds and not enough time for Chavez to get across the ring. If you explain to me any "danger of getting the **** kicked out of them" with 2 seconds, that would be humorous.

Steele took the fight from Taylor because he misinterpreted a guide line for officiating fights, which is to protect a fighter from impending danger. Taylor was in no imminent impending danger, because Chavez was stuck in a neutral corner. How did Steele save him? Get real, and if they had a **** as a smiley I'd give it to you to suck on.

[luistwentyone]

I dunno what the bottle is about, I'm not sweating nothing. I'm not black or mexican, so I have no reason for partiality, I call them like I see them. If anything, if anyone should have reason for partiality, its probably you.

Anyways, Taylor was not in danger of getting beaten up, there was 2 seconds and not enough time for Chavez to get across the ring. If you explain to me any "danger of getting the **** kicked out of them" with 2 seconds, that would be humorous.

Steele took the fight from Taylor because he misinterpreted a guide line for officiating fights, which is to protect a fighter from impending danger. Taylor was in no imminent impending danger, because Chavez was stuck in a neutral corner. How did Steele save him? Get real, and if they had a **** as a smiley I'd give it to you to suck on.

I won.


something for you to suck on

[Mr. Ryan]

1. is Richard Steele the time-keeper ?

2. Chavez WAS ALSO reinging champ

3. do you know what IMPARTIALITY is ?

Yes, Chavez was a titlist as well but thats why you let two champions finish the fight themselves. A referee is not supposed to interfere with a unification bout. Just look at Vargas-Trinidad, Vargas was in much more trouble than Taylor was in. But they let him continue because thats how you ref the championship fights. You let them do the fighting. Its not partiality, as Im sure you know all about, its about letting the fighters do what they do.