Did Chavez ruin Meldrick Taylor

Yes. Taylor fought an entire career in one fight. Even if he had been allowed to continue and got the win, it would have still taken a lot out of him and his days would have still been numbered.

I guess Duva and company cashed him in one last time by matching him with Norris. Crazy. Look at the condition he is in now.

 

Very possibly so, but I don’t know. This thread is convincing me maybe the psychological aspect of losing so controversially hurt him much more than is sometimes understood.

 

I always thought that due to Taylor’s style and size, and the talent level around him, that he would have a short stay at the top. Chavez made that stay even shorter.

Taylor said he was having problems making 140 and left it after the first JCC fight. He only went back down in the rematch when he was desperate for a payday. Given Taylor’s stocky frame, I can believe that he had issues making 140.

Taylor did look impressive a year later against Davis in a weight class he wasn’t really suited in, but the punishment he took in fights (particularly JCC) and probably in Philly gyms took its toll. He declined so rapidly after that.

He gutted out a tough win against Glenwood Brown, and then moved up to fight Terry Norris. I think his management saw the writing on the wall and cashed out against Norris. Cristano Espana was a mandatory and always going to be an awful matchup due to his size and style.

 

I definitely think the team saw it as a cash out fight.

Taylor‘s punch resistance was troubling against Glenwood Brown. He got dropped twice and there were other times where he would seem to freeze as he got hit. Taylor outworked Brown and won a decision, but there is no way you would watch that and think “yeah, Taylor definitely has a good chance to go up in weight again and beat P4P entrant Terry Norris!”

They probably knew he would lose his mandatory against Cristano Espana, so they figured they could make money by having Taylor fight someone else first in another division.

 

It’s been long speculated that the first Chavez fight diminished Meldrick Taylor. Several months later I saw him fight an old foe named Primo Ramos and Ray Leonard said he looked “ sluggish “ against him which I agreed with. He did however have a pretty awesome performance against Arron Davis in January of 91’. But after that he seemed to go permanently downhill

 

Yes the pain was not only physical but mental as well. He gave absolutely everything that night and still came up short in heartbreaking controversial circumstances. What should have been the crowning glory of his entire career was, i dare say to him, taken/stolen away. That immense punishment he shipped would have been a whole lot less perturbing if he'd got home for the W.

 

Nothing really to add but I remember watching Taylor struggle against unheralded Luis Garcia and gaining a split decision win. He looked nothing like he did against Chavez and prior opposition.

Then the struggle against Glenwood Brown followed by the losses to Norris and Espana. He slipped and fell hard. Just sad.

Taylor was a phenom at his absolute best.

 

He certainly went a long way to helping ruining him.

 

Yes, that too. It would have been far better for him mentally to have come out of it with the win rather than lose, (regardless of the physical damage), however sometimes I think people like Meldrick are on a mission in life. He was too brave for his own good. Had that not happened, something else might have happened to him anyway.

Benton and Duva sure gave him bad advice that night going into the last round. Many credit Benton as a genius trainer. He didn't see that it was obvious Taylor had nothing left? The corner didn't?? Take the money and run like hell. Even if the fight had been as close as they thought, and Taylor lost a decision, it would have been better to finish the fight on your feet and lose that way than what happened to him.

 

Taylor had his future beat out of him by Chavez...

 

Yes. Close thread.