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

Hated the stoppage. Especially w the time left. We’ve seen countless men get up from vicious knock downs to go on to win or put up an amazing fight. To know it’s the last round w no time left it was a disgrace to stop. Only one worse then that is the Corrales one which should have been stopped the other way several times.

 

At the time I was rooting for Taylor. I was mad about it. I got caught in the excitement of the moment. My uncle was a Chavez guy and I argued with him pretty heated at times for about 3 years.

Eventually realizing I was wrong.

 

Even if Steele noticed the light flashing how would he know Chavez couldn't have come across and landed another right hand? It means there could have been 9 seconds left or 2 seconds left.
Ofcourse he didn't notice the light because that wasn't his priority. The condition of the fighter was first and foremost.

Essentially the Taylor argument consists of the referee being obligated to do something other than his job to help Taylor win the fight.

 

When I watched the fight, as it happened, I was in a crowded bar and was the only Chavez fan. But I couldn't hear the commentary of the guys calling the fight.
Going into the last round I had Chavez up by a point- it is a professional fight, not the amateur version of slap fighting and Chavez was hurting Taylor consistently. When Taylor went down I figured that it sealed the fight for Chavez- many Taylor fans felt the same. The stoppage was appropriate because Taylor had been staggering on bad legs for a minute; only his heart had kept him fighting for 3,4 rounds.
And, if they were fighting 15, like every world title fight should be, there would have been no question about the outcome. But it probably would have killed Meldrick Taylor.

 

That is hindsight. In the moment Steele had a badly injured fighter who couldn't answer him when he asked (are you alright?) Twice.
Taylor got up on instinct. He pulled himself up with the ropes. He didn't know where he was. He was slumped in the corner not even standing totally under his own power.

If it had been a one sided fight where Taylor took little to no punishment until one punch caught him maybe it would be debatable. We know that wasn't the case. His face tells the story.

 

The amount of time left doesn't matter. If the ref deems a fighter can't continue, it's over. There can be a millisecond left on the clock.

Like many here, I too was initially angry with the stoppage. I hardly ever root for fighters, but Mel was a hometown guy, I was cheering him on, absolutely thrilled that he was going to beat the great Chavez! Still hurts.

 

No, my argument is not only would Chavez not have been able to land anything, Steele didn't even give the guy time to respond or show he was coherent. He could have simply covered up and survived the last 10 seconds even if that was the case. It was the most poorly handled refereeing moment since Walcott in the Liston fight.

 

Steele had one job and that was to protect the fighters. Taylor was already irreversibly damaged at the time he chose to stop the fight. Meldrick was never the same again.

 

stoppage was good
Taylor looked beaten badly. hurt bad.
face deformed & leaning on corner posts & arms on ropes. he looked broken. not ready to defend .

was fairly beaten.

 

Did you see Taylors face? he was receiving a beating when the fight was stopped, I like others though it should have went on but I do understand Steele's stoppage. He was looking at a beaten fighter