Richard Steele

[Greig]

For years I thought that Richard Steele did the right thing in stopping the Meldrick Taylor/Chavez fight when he did. It's not the ref's job to be the timekeeper, blah blah blah. But the more I think of it, the more I think he may have been rooting for the Don King fighter...

If anybody gets a chance take a look at Steele's handling of the Barry McGuigan/Steve Cruz fight four years earlier (1986). The 15th round sees Barry get the living shit knocked out of him from pillar to post, Twice he goes down and twice he looks to be in all sorts of trouble upon rising (worse shape than Taylor did anyway...) yet Steele lets him continue.


McGuigan was being hyped as being the next big thing, on the brink of superstardom etc. Is there any chance Steele was doing what he could to protect a cash cow?

[Kirkland Laing]

There was no way Taylor should have been stopped. Steele knew there was only a few seconds left in the fight and that Taylor was easily able to finish it. After the fight when he was asked about it by a British promoter he said something like "I have to live in this town". It may have been another controversial decision he said that about, memory fails, but the Taylor decision was a commercial decision as were others.

[JazMerkin]

Personally, I thought he did the right thing in the Taylor/Chavez fight, to me Taylor looked finished & if one more punch had come I think it was over. I also approve of the ref stopping it regardless of how long is left if the fighter cannot step forward as if there were another minute to go. Taylor was barely able to stand & didn't respond to anything Steele said, I think I remember hearing he'd swallowed 2 pints of his own blood through the fight.

Haven't seen the McGuigan/Cruz fight, but I remember Steele saying about the JCC/Taylor fight that he had learnt from earlier fights never to risk a fighters health for the sake of a win or something like that. Might have been on a ring death in his fight or a fight a close friend was refereeing.

[CGM]

I'm with you guys(Greig and Kirkland). While I would not go as far as saying Steele was in King's pocket or anything, and I do not question Steele's integrity, I do think Taylor got a raw deal. When you look closely at the sequence of events, and I'm not going to take the trouble to describe that here, then I think Steele's actions were wrong.

[BIG H]

There was no way Taylor should have been stopped. Steele knew there was only a few seconds left in the fight and that Taylor was easily able to finish it. After the fight when he was asked about it by a British promoter he said something like "I have to live in this town". It may have been another controversial decision he said that about, memory fails, but the Taylor decision was a commercial decision as were others.

1.) So he should've helped Taylor by virtue of time A fighter can win at any point of any round, else what's the point of having the last 10 seconds

2.) Taylor did not respond when Steel asked him he was able to continue, so that's it, fight over - time has no relevance

3.) Not that it has any relevance, but Steele did not know how long was left in the round as he didn't have a watch and the crown was too loud for anybody to hear the 10 second indicator

Check this thread out, me and VD debating the stoppage

Page 4 onwards http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxingfor...rucelee-4.html

[HattonTheHammer]

the best refs are the ones you never recognise and steele falls into that category.

[Spicoli]

Was looking for a Steele thread lastnight.Dont know why but watched Mount Whitaker w.DQ 1 over Big bust of a heavyweight Dave Dixon.Sloppy Dixon but Mount hit him in the nuts also...Dixon hit him low in return,warned and DQ'd.Seemed to be in a hurry on Dixon.

Ive never faulted him for the Taylor stoppage.Initially we all telled because Tayor was sooooo close to a great win but in hindsight Steeles not standing there with a stop watch and was looking directly into Taylors eyes.I think Duva getting on the ring apron didnt help him answer either.Assuming he knew & If he had let it go to the bell only because of their being 2 seconds left,thats playing with fire.Where do ya draw the line.

[CGM]

There was no way Taylor should have been stopped. Steele knew there was only a few seconds left in the fight and that Taylor was easily able to finish it. After the fight when he was asked about it by a British promoter he said something like "I have to live in this town". It may have been another controversial decision he said that about, memory fails, but the Taylor decision was a commercial decision as were others.

1.) So he should've helped Taylor by virtue of time A fighter can win at any point of any round, else what's the point of having the last 10 seconds

2.) Taylor did not respond when Steel asked him he was able to continue, so that's it, fight over - time has no relevance

3.) Not that it has any relevance, but Steele did not know how long was left in the round as he didn't have a watch and the crown was too loud for anybody to hear the 10 second indicator

Check this thread out, me and VD debating the stoppage

Page 4 onwards http://www.saddoboxing.com/boxingfor...rucelee-4.html

with regards to point 2, ask yourself how much time elapsed between Steele asking if he was ok, and Steele waving it off. I'd say that matters a lot. Steele made a snap decision.

[No Contest]

It's been rumored Steele was in Kings pocket, no proof though. Just speculations. By the way when I saw the thread title I just knew it wasn't a praise thread.

[No Contest]

the best refs are the ones you never recognise and steele falls into that category.

You don't recognize Richard Steele? You must not have watched much boxing in the 80's.

[No Contest]

BTW worst stoppage in the history of boxing. Don't get me started....

[BIG H]

I just can't understand people who think that the time is of any relevance. If your reason for thinking he should've been able to continue is because there were only 3 seconds left then you are effectively saying the ref should've helped the fighter, it's no different to saying he should've helped to his feet and held him up

Taylor was fooked, and with hindsight we know how fooked he was, byt the way he was never the same again. Dr. Flip Homansky, who examined Taylor following the fight and immediately sent him to the hospital, summarized his injuries by saying "Meldrick suffered a facial fracture, he was urinating pure blood, his face was grotesquely swollen... this was a kid who was truly beaten up to the face, the body, and the brain"

If that stoppage was at 1 minute of round 8 and Taylor was already loisng badly, nobody would question the stoppage and that's the whole point, because you cannot use time as an argument, this is why ref's do not have watches.

[Greig]

Check out the McGuigan fight 15th round. Unfortunately this has no sound but the incident is almost identical - referee trying to give a count and Barry is looking at his corner. It happens TWICE and Steele lets it go on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIIypE44ESg

[Master]

Steelie did make the right decision he has not got a stop watch up his ass, he does not want the fighter to die on his guard.

[CGM]

I just can't understand people who think that the time is of any relevance. If your reason for thinking he should've been able to continue is because there were only 3 seconds left then you are effectively saying the ref should've helped the fighter, it's no different to saying he should've helped to his feet and held him up

Taylor was fooked, and with hindsight we know how fooked he was, byt the way he was never the same again. Dr. Flip Homansky, who examined Taylor following the fight and immediately sent him to the hospital, summarized his injuries by saying "Meldrick suffered a facial fracture, he was urinating pure blood, his face was grotesquely swollen... this was a kid who was truly beaten up to the face, the body, and the brain"

If that stoppage was at 1 minute of round 8 and Taylor was already loisng badly, nobody would question the stoppage and that's the whole point, because you cannot use time as an argument, this is why ref's do not have watches.

Yeah yeah, we know about that argument, we've hear it many times, but it's not the most relevant argument with respect to time. Take a look at the vid again and ask your self how much time Steele took to make up his mind. If Steele had no intention of waiting for an answer, he shouldn't have been in his face barking questions at him.