If there was an immediate rematch between Chavez and Taylor after their first fight in 1990 what would have been the result.
Taylor was given a horrible beating that night. A quick rematch would result in another Chavez win but this time a mid round Ko.
It has long been speculated that the first Chavez bout ruined Taylor. If that's true then Meldrick likely loses no matter how soon or late it the second meeting came. Incidentally though, I remember watching his future fights with Aron Davis and Glenwood Brown. He looked sharp in both of those as well as showing a lot of ***** in the Chavez rematch when it actually did occur. I don't doubt that the first bout took something out of him, but I'm skeptical of the opinion that it ruined him completely.
I thought he looked unsure and a little tentative in his welterweight fights. He was very gun-shy in his initial encoutner post-Chavez I, a 10-round decision over Primo Ramos, whom he'd already beaten once before on the way up. He wasn't just physically damaged, he was just mentally not there. I don't mean his brains were scrambled, he just wasn't in the right place mentally. I'm not sure he ever got back to being that self-assured, ****y kid that blazed through 140. In fact I'm sure he didn't get back to it.
I remember Ray Leonard commenting on Taylor looking "sluggish" against Ramos. And I agreed that he did. That was the first fight after the Chavez defeat though.. Great card that evening. Camacho vs Baltizar and Whitaker vs Nazzario. I remember that night well.. Last weekend before going back to school to start Junior year in 1990.
I remember that card. Camacho looked pretty sharp & Whitaker won by 1st round ko. Taylor looked decent but I remember him absolutely running in the last round as if he was worried about another last second loss. He did that against Brown too I think. Got dropped early as well. Taylor was hurt by having such a weak punch. He could land amazing combinations but they didn't hurt. After a few more fights he got thrown in with Norris which I knew was a mismatch. Another beating. Then he fought Espana (?) on the Rudduck vs Lewis card & got beat again. I didn't hear from him again until he lost the Chavez rematch. Then I didn't see him until the late 90's when CNN did a piece on brain injuries & boxing.
