Julio Cesar Chavez vs Meldrick Taylor

Julio Cesar Chavez vs Meldrick Taylor: Two seconds and pure boxing pandemonium in a fight for the ages.

In March 1990 there was just two seconds left on the clock in the fight of the year, the fight of the decade. Two short seconds, but that was long enough and in the boxing business it takes less than two seconds to injure a fighter for life. Still, it was just two, tiny seconds and there was a lot on the line.

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The fight was a beast on both sides of the ropes: In one corner with 68 wins and no defeats was Julio Cesar Chavez, the lord of Mexican boxing and a fighting genius. In the other corner was Meldrick Taylor, unbeaten in 25 fights, an Olympic darling. Both were world champions, they came from viciously rival camps, backed by opposing promoters. It was like a gang war, fought for the pleasure of thousands in attendance in Las Vegas and the millions watching on television.

Taylor was brilliant, too slick, too fast, and too smart. He won rounds, he controlled Chavez. It was impossible to take your eyes off it. Chavez was simply relentless and he still hurt and marked Taylor in rounds that he lost. Was Chavez losing the battle, but winning the war? Taylor was in front as the bell for the last round sounded, but his mouth was busted, his eye sockets damaged and he had been swallowing his own blood. One judge incredibly had Chavez up, but the other two had Taylor in front by five and seven rounds. All that Taylor had to do was survive the round, survive three minutes, and that would be victory.

In the last round, contrary to the tricks that memory can play on any fan of any sport, it was not a massacre for Chavez, not a one-sided slugfest. There is nothing in the fight for the first two minutes, they are both tired, both marked, hurting and desperate for the last bell to end a quite brilliant fight. It was, long before the end, a fight of painful fractions, seconds of pain, seconds ticked off.

pushes Chavez back with about 38 seconds left, throwing punches he does not need to throw. The fight was won, he should have been moving in the last minute, running with what little strength he had. And then, with 23 seconds left on the fatal clock, Chavez hurts Taylor and Taylor staggers. Chavez sets himself for the only finish that could save him. Chavez moves to the side, finds a bit of extra room and connects.

Taylor is caught and dropped in the corner with 16 or 17 seconds left on the clock. It is heart-breaking for Taylor, ecstasy for Chavez. It is thrilling, unbelievable, hard to invent, it takes away your breath even now. There is pandemonium at ringside, in both corners – part delirium, part distress.
There is nothing like that in sport, nothing that quite captures that final-round moment – it is that rare moment when a finish in the last few seconds will alter a fight forever, will change the result, ruin any plans and break a fighter’s spirit. It is boxing’s ultimate finish.

Taylor is down, but he is not out.

He somehow scrambles up, using the ropes, desperate to get back on his feet. His face is swollen and bloody. He is up, still not steady on his legs with ten seconds left. Richard Steele, the referee, is right in his face. There is a camera in the corner that perfectly captures the drama, the moment. Steele and Taylor, separated by inches – one in control, one out of control. The seconds tick.

There is now just five seconds left in the fight, then four – Steele is asking questions, listening and looking for answers as Taylor stands in front of him. There are no answers for Steele and no more time for Taylor. Time stops. Then Steele waves it off at 2:58 of the twelfth and last round.

Chavez is too exhausted to celebrate at the end and Taylor is arguing with Steele, he wants to fight the last two seconds and be the first man to defeat Chavez. “I was fine, I was fine,” Taylor has been saying ever since. Steele would have to defend himself – he still does – against all sorts of outrageous accusations when the fight is over. He did his job, maybe saved a soul.

Chavez would have another 46 fights during the next 15 years, remain at the top for a long time and retire a Mexican idol. It is possible that Taylor never fully recovered from the brutal fight, never got back what Chavez beat out of him in that ring in Las Vegas. Taylor fought for 12 more years and had 21 more fights. They had a rematch four years later, an odd affair and Chavez won in round eight.

It was a unified world title fight, two unbeaten boxers, in Las Vegas, unforgettable quality and then it delivered the fantasy ending with just two seconds left. It does not get much better.

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I know there's so much to be said for this fight but the one thing that sticks in my mind was Lou Duva. I wont say he cost Taylor the fight. OK fuck it, he cost Taylor the fight. The shitty 'advice' going into the 12th. Jumping on the ring apron and distracting your guy just as the referee is looking for a response from him. Bizarre stuff.

Lou lies in the documentary that was made after the fight. He said he told Taylor to stay away as he was ahead on points but in reality he was telling him to win the last round which did cost Taylor the fight.

That fight was brilliant and 2 elite fighters at the top of their game facing one another.

This classic came roaring back to life last month immediately after Bryant Perrella was ko'd with 1 second left in a fight he had all but dominated. I remember at the time thinking Taylor was robbed and being po'd. But what I lost track of was exactly how much damage Chavez actually did throughout that entire fight. Internally and physically Taylor was really feeling it bad. One of the more unneeded rematches after Taylor was just a shell years later. Ol Chavez wanted his 'clear' redemption and he did the very same thing to the faded ghost of Frankie Randall.

Amazing fight. When people say the best fight of recent memory is Gatti-Ward or Castillo-Coralles in a definitive manner I become a little disappointed. Both were exciting fights, but in my opinion they didn’t reach the skill level or importance of JCC vs Taylor.

Meldrick paid a heavy price, and I wish he had been given that win for no other reason than that fight ruined him and he was never the same again. Broken orbital bone, cracked ribs, horrific cut in his mouth, and he swallowed 2 pints of blood during the fight. I remember reading one of the docs saying he usually saw that level of damage in car crash victims.

I always wonder why this fight doesn’t receive more attention or appreciation from fans (same with Barrera vs Morales 1 and Raph Marquez vs Izzy Vasquez) and commentators. Taylor was too tough for his own good and his hand speed was unbelievable. This was prime Chavez and he was the ultimate predator in the ring- efficient and destructive behind a relentless attack- much of it to the body.

I saw the fight after I knew the result and I am a big JCC fan so when I was scoring it I had it a lot closer than other people had it. The damage that Chavez was causing with his punches were clearly visible whilst Taylor’s punches just seemed to not bother him.

Just a brilliant fight and I would have loved to see Floyd in with this Julio Caser Chavez.

I always argued the stoppage was correct, then a few years ago changed my mind, just watching it again changed back to the stoppage was correct. Regardless of the figures and circumstances at the time Taylor was in no condition to take another punch regardless of whether Chavez would have landed one.

Like Memphis said Lou jumping on the ring apron caused the big confusion. Imagine he was saying stop it yet Steele let him go? 2 seconds left? Yeah, watch Mosley-Mayorga? Whether or not Chavez lands another shot Taylor was in no condition to take one.

(I watched this fight with my dad in my sisters house on a sunday afternoon repeat, nobody had SKY/cable back then, well nobody working class)

Lets score this great fight round by round.

I will give everyone 48 hours for posters to say who wins that particular round we are voting on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Inq5r61ZY

Round 1 goes to Taylor who although not landing cleanly was slightly more busier than Chavez who was slow and could not set to land his punches.

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Round 2 was Chavez, he landed damaging punches and Taylor was bleeding from the mouth. Those right hands and left hooks looked spiteful from Chavez. Taylor was trying to land body shots which makes sense since Chavez had a strong chin.

1-1

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I am definitely picking up a bias by the TV network for their American fighter. They showed the punch stats for the 1st round but not for the 2nd where Chavez landed the more power punches. Even the replay had Taylor landing one of his few shots.

Round 3 may have been Taylors but he took a lot of punishment. Chavez is landing the quality punches but because Taylor is throwing so many it looks like he is in control of the round.

2-1 Taylor

Again USA bias and Lederman and the others have it 3-0 to Taylor.

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Round 4 to Chavez who landed hurtful and hard jabs. Taylor is missing a lot and when he does land it is not accurate.

2-2

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Round 5 both fighters standing toe to toe and trading with one another. Taylor was doing it because he was probably tiring but Chavez landed some big left hooks and right hands. The percentage landed for both fighters is about even 38% but Taylor throwing far more.

3-2 Taylor

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Round 6 Taylor is back to his boxing and moving. He wins the round with his speed and skill but his face is getting to be a mess. The left eye was already swelling but now his right eye is swollen and he is bleeding from the mouth. Chavez punches, when they land, hurt and cause damage.

4-2 Taylor.

Lederman and merchant have Taylor 6 nil up. Taylor has landed a lot of low blows but Chavez has not complained once.

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Best stoppage I’ve ever seen, since it isn’t so easy, 2 seconds, but was absolutely right. Taylor was in no condition to continue. Doesn’t matter if he wouldn’t have taken another punch. If a fighter isn’t fit to continue you stop it.

While it may seem unfair to Taylor, in the end I understand the decision. Taylor did not finish to the bell on his feet fighting back, but finished in a corner, wobbled and barely coherent and out of his senses. It as a TKO if I ever saw one.

Round 7 was an action packed round where both fighters stood toe to toe and let their hands go. The bias of the commentators is frightening as all of them including Ray Leonard only see Taylor's punches. Chavez is damaging Taylor with hard accurate punches but even the US replay's only show Taylor's successes.

Chavez wins the round, Taylor is bleeding from his nose now.

4-3 Taylor


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@Master you have mentioned the bias in the commentary several times. I originally watched the fight in a crowded bar where I could not hear the commentary. When I saw it later, and heard it, I thought it was a completely different fight than the one I had watched originally.

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

@Master you have mentioned the bias in the commentary several times. I originally watched the fight in a crowded bar where I could not hear the commentary. When I saw it later, and heard it, I thought it was a completely different fight than the one I had watched originally.

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That bias is really winding me up when I hear it.

Sure, Taylor is busy and throwing a lot but still missing and the damaging punches are coming from Chavez. That damage on Taylor's face is not an accident, he is bleeding from his nose, inside his mouth, got two swollen eyes by 6th round and still no mention of how Taylor got that.

Meldrick Taylor is fighting at his very best and has blazing hand speed but taking brutal punches.

Please mention it in your commentary!

Round 8 Chavez seems to be taking a rest in the round with his hands down and boxing from a distance against Taylor. Very unusual from Chavez but he must be feeling the pace and thinks he will take a round off before going for it in the latter part of the fight.

Taylor's eyes are getting even more swollen now and he must be swallowing his own blood.

5-3 Taylor.

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The biggest problem with scoring boxing is our own bias. Everyone, regardless of how "neutral" we claim to be, doesn't matter whether or not we "care" who wins, we still make judgments based on preconceived notions, hence awarding underdogs for performing better than expected and downplaying favourites who we believed will win easily. Sympathy rounds shouldn't exist in a rd-by-rd 10-point must system. However, throughout history every famous scorer/pundit/fan has uttered the phrase - "I gave **** that round as he did better." Better doesn't mean won. It's like the ridiculous notion peddled out - "you have to rip the belt from the champion."

Anyone who claims to be an "expert" scorer is an arrogant fool (American podcasters/youtubers are off the scale most delusional). Anyone whose scoring is consistently put under scrutiny is going to look "clueless" regardless of whether or not you're a "nerd" or "casual." Fact.

Round 9 Chavez lands so many big hard vicious and fast left hooks to the head of Taylor that his right eye has swollen up.

Steele finally warns Taylor about low blows which he has throughout the fight but Chavez has never complained once about it. Pn fact both fighters have not complained about anything and just got on with it.

Lederman has it 9 nil to Taylor which sums them up. Taylor throws a lot and is brave taking a beating but the quality punches are from Julio Cesar Chavez.

5-4 Taylor.

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Round 10 is the best and most action packed of the fight. Both throwing big punches but Chavez causing the most damage. Taylor's face has been messed up even worse after that exciting round. More swollen and bleeding than ever before. They were putting a towel in his mouth.

Chavez has gone to the head quite a lot throughout the fight because Taylor has blocked the body shots with his arms and elbows.

5-5

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you have it close, good job on this

Chavez definitely paced himself better and rested in round 9 because he has picked up the pressure again for the last 3 vital rounds. That is a seasoned and experienced fighter. Taylor, who is a world class prize fighter, has not paced himself and is just blown it. Taylor is throwing arm punches now with little power.

Taylor's legs are wobbling at the end of the 11th not because of Chavez's punches but because he is shattered and even punches himself at the end of the round because he is effectively gone. His experienced corner (Duva and Benton) do him no favours as they should see he is out on his legs but tell him he has to win the last round.

The percentage landed by both fighters is around 38% but Taylor throwing/wasting more.

Chavez at his peak had a great chin, did not cut and had good head movement to avoid most of Taylor's punches. Meldrick Taylor was not a big puncher.

Round 11 Chavez and is 6-5 up.

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Round 12 both fighters were tired and it looked like Chavez did not have enough to stop Taylor. Chavez had his arms down and was backing off a sign that he was feeling the pace. Taylor was still going at Chavez but was slipping on the floor through exhaustion.

Lederman has Chavez winning round 10 and 11 which were the only rounds he gave him.

Taylor takes a right hand and pretends he is hurt and wobbles his legs. He attacks Chavez when he should have played it safe as 2 judges had him winning the fight.

Steele made the right call when he stopped the fight. Taylor was not looking at him or responding. Excellent fight from 2 top athletes at the top of their game.

I would have had it 7-5 Chavez if it went the distance.

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You scored it the same as I did the night of the fight. I had Chavez up by one going into the 12th. I knew that there were close rounds but figured that the knockdown sealed it for Chavez.

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

You scored it the same as I did the night of the fight. I had Chavez up by one going into the 12th. I knew that there were close rounds but figured that the knockdown sealed it for Chavez.

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What did you score Chavez v Whitaker? Feel like reviewing that one again.

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Originally Posted by Master

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

You scored it the same as I did the night of the fight. I had Chavez up by one going into the 12th. I knew that there were close rounds but figured that the knockdown sealed it for Chavez.

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What did you score Chavez v Whitaker? Feel like reviewing that one again.

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I haven't seen that one in at least 20 years. If you start to review it I will watch it again. At the time it happened, I was having a party at my house, for my birthday I think, so I didn't watch it that closely.

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Originally Posted by greynotsoold

You scored it the same as I did the night of the fight. I had Chavez up by one going into the 12th. I knew that there were close rounds but figured that the knockdown sealed it for Chavez.

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i had taylor ahead

Nice one Master. I wish I had of scored along with you, it's a great idea. I had it 107-102 Taylor after 11 rounds.