What were your thoughts when Richard Steele stopped the chavez-taylor fight

I didn't see it at the time and watched it many years later with a Mexican friend who was from the same state as Chavez. Guess whether he thought it was the right call!

I'm still split on it. Taylor seemed distracted by Duva and didn't look at Steele directly. So when Steele asked him was he okay, I think Taylor was distracted rather than so out of it he couldn't answer. Could or should Richard Steele have known that? Did Taylor have to respond directly to Steele for the fight to continue?

I've seen refs wave off a fight even after asking if a fighter can continue and they respond affirmatively. It doesn't really matter about the response, if he's not in a fit state to continue in the ref's eyes, he can stop the fight. I don't believe Steele knew there were two seconds left but I've never been clear as to whether there was the 10 second marker sound to give the rough indication of time left in the fight. Was there?

I think if you consider that Steele was in King's pocket, then of course the decision looks corrupt. I think Taylor's condition over the years has gone some way to vindicating his call. I'm still not convinced though that, in the moment, Taylor was given long enough to continue. If Steele had perhaps asked him a third time, the bell might have gone and no controversy. But he didn't and that's the way it went, rightly or wrongly.

Like the Hagler-Leonard decision, this one will never be resolved.

 

Didn't like the call at the time, still not crazy about the call as I think it was too fast, which also boost conspiracy claims. Taylor was distracted by Duva the first time Richard asks him, so why people are saying he was clearly done is beyond me. He was looking at Duva at the time. The second time he asks, he didn't even wait for a reply before he stopped it. That all doesn't help Steele's case in this situation. So I'm split on the matter. I could've been the right call, but I'm not convinced of that.

 

Pissed off .After Taylor had put on such a great display I wanted him rewarded for it .It was his time to shine.

 

The right call for me the referee isn't a timekeeper,his primary responsibility is the safety of the fighters.

 

You saw it the same as me. I was emotional about it when it happened and held the position that Taylor was robbed for a couple of years. I eventually saw it for what it was...a terrible beating from one great fighter to another. The damage done to Taylor that night was immediate and his face was messed up.

One thing I did learn after that fight was not to trust HBO`s broadcast team. They were as biased as could be. Score a fight for yourself. Turn down the volume if you need to.

 

I'm not getting all this commentary talk about the Taylor vs. Chavez fight... People act like the commentators were so wrong and so off when they were saying Taylor was winning the fight comfortably. He damn well was very much ahead in that fight, and anybody with two eyes would have Taylor winning by AT LEAST 2 rounds going into the final round. So what was so off about the commentary?

Next, I don't get all the people that say, look Taylor didn't answer right away, he was clearly done. This also makes zero sense because he was distracted by Duva, and that was a big part of his confused look and hesitation to answer. Than Steele asks again, and doesn't even wait for an answer... he's already waving it off as he's finishing the last word of his sentence. How does any of that "prove" he was done and couldn't take anymore?

 

Taylor wasn't damaged at all. Just swallowing blood from the 2nd round on and a pesky Broken Eye Socket. Face swollen into a grotesque mask. Meldrick was only down on the canvas playing possum.

 

no, no HBO commentators had it a shutout for Taylor. Complete joke. I had Taylor ahead but they were on another planet from reality.

 

I thought/think it was the right call. My heart was with Taylor and after his display I wanted him to win but he had absorbed a ton of punishment and as has been said Steele wasnt the timekeeper.

 

Steele's job is to protect the fighter, what if Chavez had landed just one more punch that ended up killing him?

 

HBO's Harold Letterman is better than 95% of the official judges. When it comes to scoring a fight, he has not blown any 8-4 type of decisions.

You greatly underestimate the impact and influence Don King had when this fight took place. Richard Steele does not have no x-ray vison to determine that Taylor eye socket was damaged. It wasn't his reason for stopping the fight. Taylor was up on his feet and looking all right with 2 seconds or so to go in the match. I'm not even sure if Chavez in a neutral corner would even have had time to hit him.

 

I remember calling it out that Taylor was getting beat up bad. Everyone else in the room thought he was putting on some sort of display. They were more attracted to the flashy shots than Chavez's short crushing shots and bodywork. Steele did what he was supposed to do, look after a badly damaged fighter.

 

Boy did he ever get the Williams-Quintana I fight completely wrong .. It was embarrassing for him

 

how did he have that?

 

Don't want to ruin the surprise if you will .. It's a fight worth seeing, check it out and let me know what ya think