Did JCC Really Ruin Meldrick Taylor ?

[Master]

What if he had won the fight would his career have been different.

[El Kabong]

What if he had won the fight would his career have been different.

He may not have been looked at as such a tragic figure but I doubt his career would have flourished after the JCC fight because that fight took a lot out of him...obviously.

I think Taylor chose the wrong style to fight with and it cost him big time. If he used more of a Ray Leonard style or even a Pernell Whittaker style (and he had the skill set to do either) he would have had a longer more successful career.

That being said Meldrick Taylor is the epitome of a Philadelphia fighter, someone who's a beast of a fighter in the gym but couldn't hack it in the big fight. He had plenty of tools to be a Hall of Fame fighter, but he didn't use them properly and I blame him and more importantly his trainers and handlers because they allowed or advised him to fight in such a manner.

[Spicoli]

I really don't think Taylor was missing being the second coming of Leonard simply by him choosing not to box and box some more....which he did plenty of and was not always this throw caution to the wind mini slugger from Philly living on heart?! His win over McGirt was a masterpiece. Don't think it would have mattered in any fight of his career save for the Chavez fight if he stuck and moved his azz off. Even there he would have soaked up body damage and may have known he had to sit in to keep respect and blunt that infamous JCC attack on Fleet movers. He was bulky and lacked pop. Short handspeed was key. The epitome of a Philly fighter is a guy who couldn't hack in in the big fight? Wow!

[El Kabong]

Yeah Spicoli Philly fighters were guys that over worked themselves in the gym and didn't have anything left come fight night. Being a "Philly Fighter" didn't use to be a good thing. It was definitely a pejorative term until Bernard Hopkins came around.

[Spicoli]

The gym wars are of the ages but Philly producing only brawlers void of slickness is bit of a over repeated stereo type yeh. Along the lines of fighters from Mexico being tremendous body punchers who couldn't box etc. Harold Johnson, Jeff Chandler as slick as they came. Chandler was one of the best fighters in divisions history. Saad was a capable boxer gone brawler who had great deal of huge fight nights I'd say. And don't even dis zahir Raheem like that

[El Kabong]

The gym wars are of the ages but Philly producing only brawlers void of slickness is bit of a over repeated stereo type yeh. Along the lines of fighters from Mexico being tremendous body punchers who couldn't box etc. Harold Johnson, Jeff Chandler as slick as they came. Chandler was one of the best fighters in divisions history. Saad was a capable boxer gone brawler who had great deal of huge fight nights I'd say. And don't even dis zahir Raheem like that

Blame Joe Frazier and Rocky Balboa

[Spicoli]

The gym wars are of the ages but Philly producing only brawlers void of slickness is bit of a over repeated stereo type yeh. Along the lines of fighters from Mexico being tremendous body punchers who couldn't box etc. Harold Johnson, Jeff Chandler as slick as they came. Chandler was one of the best fighters in divisions history. Saad was a capable boxer gone brawler who had great deal of huge fight nights I'd say. And don't even dis zahir Raheem like that

Blame Joe Frazier and Rocky Balboa

Yeh. I'm betting Marvis still blames Frazier too.

[Jody Lane]

I mean JCC obviously shortened his career with that beating, but i don't think he was totally ruined straight after that fight like everyone makes out. He had a very good performance against Aaron Davis, who was fresh off KO'ing Mark Breland in a great fight.

He also beat a good underrated fighter in Glenwood Brown, who at that time was known as a pretty respectful hitter. He floored Meldrick Taylor twice, but Meldrick Taylor fought back hard winning a majority of the rounds in a good performance.

It seems like to me that when he met the bigger/stronger Terry Norris, it all went down from there. And Terry Norris basically finished him as an elite fighter, because he looked bad vs Crisanto Epsana straight after the Terry Norris fight. And never beat anyone worth noting again.

But whats your thoughts ?

I think some fighters are destined for long careers and some are not. I think it is a toughness deal. Guys like Duran are destined to fight til they are almost 50 and some due to their assets should be gone by the time they are 30 (i.e. they rely on speed and reflexes). Taylor was one destined to quit early.

[El Kabong]

The gym wars are of the ages but Philly producing only brawlers void of slickness is bit of a over repeated stereo type yeh. Along the lines of fighters from Mexico being tremendous body punchers who couldn't box etc. Harold Johnson, Jeff Chandler as slick as they came. Chandler was one of the best fighters in divisions history. Saad was a capable boxer gone brawler who had great deal of huge fight nights I'd say. And don't even dis zahir Raheem like that

Blame Joe Frazier and Rocky Balboa

Yeh. I'm betting Marvis still blames Frazier too.

Another very good slick boxer that had that face first style pushed on him....Marvis was good....never good enough to beat Holmes or Tyson but good none the less.