I just finished watching the Chavez Sr vs Meldrick Taylor fight. After 18 years people are still talking about the controversial ending this great fight ended in . In my humble opinion, Richard Steel made a good stoppage regardless of the time (2min 58 seconds of 12th round). I base my reason on the fact that Meldrick Taylor never let go of the ropes after his 10 count was done. 10 seconds is 10 seconds and the fight doesn't end until the bell rings and three minutes have passed!! Even if Taylor landed more punches, Chavez destroyed Taylor and KTFO of him. What do you guys think?
richard steele asked taylor twice if he was ok and got no response, i agree that taylor was ahead in the fight ,but look at his face he got beaten up badly cumlative effect from chavez,s less spectacular but brutal punches throughout the fight..taylor was pissing blood,and fractured his face one more punch from chavez could hav been fatal... so good stoppage!!
Fight should of been stopped earlier. But in those 2 seconds, Chavez could of poured forward and landed a big punch or big combination and Taylor could of ended up dead.
the ref is not the time keeper. taylor was in lala land... maybe if his corner hadn't distracted him when steele was trying to get him to respond, or told him he was behind going into the 12th, he might have made the count and survived 2 more seconds to win the fight. at any other point in the fight it would have been called an unquestionably good stoppage
Meldrick Taylor was never the same after this fight. Not mentally, but he was a beaten fighter, done, finished.
Nearly two decades after one of the most controversial fights of all time, Richard Steele still holds firm to his comment which was " I am not the time keeper," unlike Lou Duva who now says that he cautioned his fighter in between rounds to play it safe, apparently forgetting that his original instructions, captured on film clearly showed that he told his man that taking the final round was critical. Additionally, Steele will profess that his point of view in the ring gave him a better understanding of what was really going on with Taylor, wheras the audience could not see how horribly battered and fading this young man really was. After watching that fight live in 1990, as well as seeing it again on a number of occasions over the years, I have to support Steele's decision. A man's life was on the line, and the fact that he had no idea what the time clock said, was a testament that he was concentrating on his job. Do I think that Taylor would have lost or died had the fight continued? My answer is probably not. By the time the two men would have met in the center of the ring, two seconds would have likely expired. This is not the point however. Sadly, two careers were ruined that evenening. Taylor was never the same after both the beating and demoralizing defeat, while Steele had unduely lost the respect of fans and many boxing personalities.
My opinion of the stoppage has changed alot over time. I think Steele did the right thing by stopping the fight. This is one of those fights where there really weren't any winners because of the circumstances afterwards. Chavez won the fight but there are still people who disagree with the stoppage which taints the victory. Meldrick ended up a shell of his former self and Steele got undue criticism. There are certain fights that I just don't like to think of and this is one of them. Golota/Bowe II is another one cuz of the dubious ending and the horrible beating Bowe took that night.
I always saw this as a typical Richard Steele early stoppage. Still, Duva should have been the biggest scapegoat that night: from telling Meldrick to 'fight" Chavez in the 12th round (and then denying it in the HBO legendary nights interviews like a ******), to jumping up on the ring apron and running toward Meldrick with arms flailing, distracting Taylor while Steele was asking him if he was alright, you couldn't have asked for a worse trainer for Meldrick Taylor that night.
Honestly it would've been just another fight in the career of JCC if Taylor didn't have such a downfall after it. If Taylor would've had a rich successful career after the fight, it probably winds up as just a footnote. Now because of what happened after the fight, it's arguably one of the saddest stories in the history of boxing. I agree that Duva is the real goat in this situation.
He was still a good fighter, just not quite the same. All the beatings in the gym and in fights took a toll on his skills and health, and this fight played the biggest part in all of his bouts in his decline.
"I am not the timekeeper..." Well, there WAS a little red light flashing in the corner when rounds were about to end, wasn' there? And don't they always have a distinct sound (someone hitting the floor is common) at the last 10 seconds of a round? And about the health issue... wasn't Meldrick bruised, battered, shaken and in serious danger in round 10? Round 11? Start and middle of round 12? So the "kill" was going to come at the last second of the fight? My point is, Taylor fought his heart out, he made Chavez look like a fool at times, but Steele took away the effort he put into for 12 rounds. Taylor deserved to hold the belt that night.
The red light only indicates that there is 10 seconds or less in the round and is not an exacat time keeper.
Worst stoppage ever he beat the count and to little time left to do any damage. Taylor was robbed of his moment.