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Meldrick Taylor
Personal information
Real name: Meldrick Taylor
Nickname(s): The Kid
TNT
Nationality: United StatesAmerican
Date of birth: (1966-10-19) October 19, 1966 (age 57)
Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Personal Statistics
Rated at: Light Welterweight
Boxing career information
Olympic medal record
Men's Boxing
Gold Los Angeles 1984 Featherweight

Meldrick Taylor (born October 19, 1966 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a former Olympic gold medalist and world boxing champion in two weight classes.

Amateur career[]

Taylor, one of many boxing champions hailing from the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, learned his craft in the gyms of his hometown and posted a 99-4 record as an amateur fighter. In 1984, Taylor earned a spot on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team at the age of 17, and claimed the gold medal in the featherweight division. Following his victory, he joined the professional ranks.

Olympic results[]

  • 1st round bye
  • Defeated Nicolae Talpos (Romania) 5-0
  • Defeated Francisco Camacho (Mexico) 5-0
  • Defeated John Wanjau (Kenya) RSC 3
  • Defeated Omar Catari (Venezuela) 5-0
  • Defeated Peter Konyegwachie (Nigeria) 5-0

In the American Olympic trials Taylor lost to Andrew Minsker, who then went on to win the trials. However, Taylor beat Minsker twice back to back to earn the spot in the Olympic box-offs.

Professional career[]

His early fights were against nondescript journeymen, but in his 12th fight, in May 1986, Taylor won a unanimous decision against fellow contender Harold Brazier and moved into the world rankings.On September 3, 1988, Taylor faced James (Buddy) McGirt for the IBF light welterweight title. He defeated McGirt by a technical knockout (TKO) in the 12th and final round to begin his first title reign.

Over the next 18 months, Taylor won four more fights, setting up a unification bout with the WBC light welterweight champion Julio César Chávez on March 17, 1990 in Las Vegas. Chavez had an aura of invincibility, he was considered the best fighter pound for pound in the world and also one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport. This fight drew huge media attention, as both men came in unbeaten (Taylor at 24-0-1 and Chávez at 68-0), and regarded as two of the best boxers in the world, regardless of weight class. Their fight was one of the most famous and controversial bouts in boxing history.

Taylor took control of the action early and began to build up a lead on the scorecards. However, Chávez proved to be a heavier puncher, and was slowly wearing Taylor down even as he lost rounds. Going to the 12th and final round, Taylor led by wide margins on two of the three scorecards, and his corner famously told him that he needed to win that round. Because of this, Taylor chose to continue fighting at close quarters with the hard-hitting Mexican champion. Chávez, realizing time was running out, came at Taylor aggressively in the last round. With 17 seconds left in the fight, Chávez floored Taylor. Taylor beat the 10-count and got back to his feet at six. Referee Richard Steele twice asked Taylor, "Are you ok?" Taylor did not respond and only looked at his corner. Steele waved the fight off with just two seconds left, awarding Chávez a win by TKO.

The controversy surrounding the stoppage continues to this day, and 10 years later, The Ring proclaimed it the "Fight of the Decade".

There is also widespread[citation needed] belief that Taylor was essentially 'ruined'[citation needed] as a fighter because of this bout—due in part to the tremendous punishment taken at the hands of Chavez, including several fractures and some kidney damage (according to the HBO "Legendary Nights" episode mentioned before, he was taken to the hospital immediately after the Chavez bout—reportedly urinating blood.)

Taylor had lost his title, but not his desire. Feeling that having to make the 140 pound (64 kg) weight had weakened him against Chavez, Taylor moved up to welterweight (147 pounds) and decisioned undefeated Aaron Davis for the WBA welterweight title on January 19, 1991. He issued a challenge to Chávez for a rematch at 147 pounds, but the latter wouldn't move up in weight for many years. Taylor won three more fights before answering a challenge from world junior middleweight champion Terry Norris to fight for Norris' WBC title. Norris, a naturally bigger and stronger man, knocked Taylor out in the fourth round.

This marked the end of Taylor's career as a world-class fighter; he lost the welterweight crown to undefeated challenger Crisanto España in his next fight on Halloween night in 1992. Taylor won his following three fights, including a second round knockout over number four ranked welterweight Chad Broussard.[1] He got one more title shot, against Chávez on September 17, 1994 in Las Vegas, but, years removed from his prime, he was stopped by Chávez in the eighth round. The fight was competitive, with Taylor getting off to a fast start. But after a brutal sixth round, Taylor's legs became rubbery and he was stopped 2 rounds later. He fought off and on over the next eight years, winning some fights and losing others, before retiring in 2002. He finished with a record of 38-8-1, (20 KOs).

During an episode of HBO's "Legendary Nights" in 2003, an interview with Taylor was shown, in which his speech was very slurred and he spoke like he was drunk. Many viewers were shocked and disturbed when they heard the way Taylor now speaks. Indeed, the episode implicitly attributed this to pugilistic dementia -- mentioning, time and again, how Taylor was well past his prime as a fighter.

Meldrick Taylor has written his autobiography, titled Two Seconds From Glory.

Professional Boxing Record[]

Won 38 (KO 20) + Lost 8 (KO 4) + Drawn 1 = 47 Fights [1]
Res. Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
Loss United States Wayne Martell UD 10 2002-07-20 United States Shooting Star Casino, Mahnomen, Minnesota
Win File:Flag of Guyana.svg Dillon Carew SD 8 2002-05-31 United States Boutwell Memorial Auditorium, Birmingham, Alabama Carew took the fight on one day notice as a late sub for Willie McDonald.
Win File:Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Manuel De León UD 8 1999-09-10 United States SE Livestock Pavilion, Ocala, Florida
Win United States Tim Scott TKO 3 1999-08-26 United States Atlanta, Georgia
Loss Mexico Quirino García UD 12 1999-02-06 Mexico Gimnasio Municipal "José Neri Santos", Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua
Loss File:Flag of Denmark.svg Hasan Al UD 10 1998-08-28 File:Flag of Denmark.svg Aarhus Stadionhal, Aarhus
Win United States Rafael Salas UD 6 1998-08-06 United States Aurora, Illinois
Loss United States Darren Maciunski SD 10 1996-11-26 United States The Blue Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win United States Tommy Small PTS 10 1996-10-10 United States Washington, D.C.
Win United States Kenneth Kidd TKO 1 1996-08-16 United States Jaffa Mosque Arena, Altoona, Pennsylvania
Loss Mexico Julio César Chávez TKO 8 (12) 1994-09-17 United States MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada WBC Light Welterweight World title on the line
Win United States Chad Broussard KO 2 (10) 1994-05-07 United States MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win United States Craig Houk KO 3 (10) 1994-01-29 United States MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win United States Henry Hughes RTD 2 (10) 1993-05-08 United States Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss File:Flag of Venezuela.svg Crisanto España TKO 8 (12) 1992-10-31 File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Earls Court Exhibition Hall, Kensington, London Lost WBA Welterweight World title
Loss United States Terry Norris TKO 4 (12) 1992-05-09 United States Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada WBC Light middleweight World title on the line
Win United States Glenwood Brown UD 12 1992-01-18 United States Pennsylvania Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Retained WBA Welterweight World title
Win United States Ernie Chávez TKO 6 (10) 1991-09-13 United States ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California One point deduction for low blow from Taylor in round 5.
Win File:Flag of Venezuela.svg Luis García SD 12 1991-06-01 United States Radisson Resort, Palm Springs, California Retained WBA Welterweight World title
Win United States Aaron Davis UD 12 1991-01-19 United States Convention Center, Atlantic City New Jersey Won WBA Welterweight World title
Win United States Primo Ramos UD 10 1990-08-11 United States Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada
Loss Mexico Julio César Chávez TKO 12 1990-03-17 United States Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada WBC & IBF World Light welterweight Unification
Win Mexico Ramón Flores TKO 1 (10) 1990-01-27 United States Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win Mexico Jaime Balboa TKO 5 (10) 1989-11-20 United States Pennsylvania Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win United States Courtney Hooper UD 12 1989-09-11 United States Caesars Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF Light welterweight World title.
Win United States John Meekins RTD 7 (12) 1989-01-21 United States Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey Retained IBF Light welterweight World title.
Win United States Buddy McGirt TKO 12 1988-09-03 United States Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey Won IBF Light welterweight World title.
Win Mexico Martín Quiroz UD 10 1988-06-12 United States Odeum, Villa Park, Illinois
Win United States Ivan González TKO 5 (10) 1988-04-09 United States Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win United States Richard Fowler KO 2 (10) 1987-11-04 United States Memorial Coliseum, Corpus Christi, Texas
Win File:Flag of Cuba.svg Irleis Pérez UD 10 1987-07-11 United States Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win United States Primo Ramos UD 10 1987-04-19 United States Pointe Resort, Phoenix, Arizona
Win Mexico Roque Montoya UD 10 1987-02-06 United States Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win United States Danny Vargas TKO 2 (10) 1986-12-11 United States Felt Forum, New York, New York Vargas was knocked down three times in the 2nd.
Draw United States Howard Davis, Jr. PTS 10 1986-08-16 United States Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win United States Harold Brazier UD 10 1986-05-11 United States Corpus Christi, Texas
Win United States José Rivera TKO 6 (10) 1986-04-03 United States Felt Forum, New York, New York
Win United States Robin Blake UD 10 1986-02-02 United States Civic Center, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Win File:Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Victor Acosta UD 8 1985-12-21 United States Pavilion, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Win United States Carlos Santana KO 4 (8) 1985-10-16 United States Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey Santana down in 3rd and twice in 4th
Win United States Roberto Medina UD 6 1985-07-20 United States The Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Win File:Flag of Uruguay.svg Hugo Carrizo TKO 3 1985-06-29 Italy Bellaria, Rimini, Emilia Romagna
Win United States Nery Reyes KO 2 (6) 1985-05-17 United States Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada
Win File:Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Elías Martínez TKO 5 (6) 1985-04-06 United States San Angelo, Texas
Win United States Darrell Curtis TKO 3 (6) 1985-03-13 United States Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Win United States Dwight Pratchett UD 6 1985-01-20 United States Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win United States Luke Lecce TKO 1 (6) 1984-11-15 United States Madison Square Garden, New York, New York Lecce down three times. Meldrick's professional debut.

Personal[]

Taylor is the brother of fellow former boxer Myron Taylor.

Preceded by
Buddy McGirt
IBF Light Welterweight Champion
3 September 1988– 17 March 1990
Succeeded by
Julio César Chávez
Preceded by
Aaron Davis
WBA Welterweight Champion
19 January 1991– 31 October 1992
Succeeded by
Crisanto España

References[]

External links[]

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