Chavez-Taylor Why blame Steele when it's Duva's fault?

[Silencers]

I'll go watch the fight again to see if Chavez did that. There was 2 seconds left anyways, I doubt Chavez could've done anything to him.

Doesn't discount the fact that he told Taylor to fight and then going on to lie about it.

[hhascup]

That would be helpful. But he has lied before, or maybe it was just memory loss on his part. So I don't know if we should believe him, but like you said this has never really been mentioned before, and i honestly looked past it. So maybe he can justify his actions and put this debate to rest.

I can only tell you that Lou told me this only a couple of days after the bout. He said, Henry, just watch the tape again and you will see that Chavez didn't stay in his neutral corner.

As far as what Lou said after that, I just think that he forgot what he actually said. He might have wished he stated that BUT didn't.

[LondonRingRules]

I was with Lou Duva only days after that bout and he told me something that nobody ever brings up. If you notice during the count that Chavez doesn't stay in the neutral corner. You will see him walk over to the other corner and even closer then that before Steele stopped the bout. The rules are plain, when a boxer who scores a knockdown, doesn't stay in the neutral corner the referee has to stop the count and tell the boxer to get back to the neutral corner, when the boxer does so then the referee continues the count where he left off. If Steele did that, the bell would have rung and Steele wouldn't even had to have asked Taylor any of those questions.

** Well and good that you know the rules Henry.

Thing is all HELL broke loose after that dramatic, stupendous KD by Chavez. What with all the screaming in the arena going on and Duva going ape in Steele's periphreal vision, I imagine Steele had the harder task of concentration than poor Meldrick. Steele could have also DQed Taylor for Duva's infraction of being on top of the ring apron during the round.

The neutral corner rule is unevenly enforced like most of boxing's rules. Dempsey was gravely penalized for not going to the neutral corner against Tunney and paid a huge price. Yet Ali seldom observed the neutral corner rule, the most blatant examples being the Liston rematch and the 3 KDs of Bonavena in the last round of their fight. Oscar wouldn't have been KDed 3x if the rule were observed, but there was too much money to be made on the upcoming Frazier fight to risk going to the cards which also turned out to be a sham, so it didn't make any difference.

Yes, Taylor got the shaft technically and literally as he took an alltime beating. Chavez was the better man and proved it in the rematch. Poor Taylor never quite regained his form after that bout and it's hard not to feel for him.

[rayntx]

I think if it was in any other round it could have been justified, but Steele knew that was the last round.

I agree. I also know that some people don't realize what a toll it took on Taylor over the 12 rnds, Steele was right there. When you have a heavy-handed fighter like Chavez,with the stamina he's always had....I think I'd rather get knocked-out. Davey Moore (R.I.P) was another example of what 1 fight can do to a fighter. (Moore vs. Duran) Come to think of it.....they were Lou Duva fighter.

[dlaylo216]

I was originally outraged at the decision but after that, watuching Taylor afterward in retrospect Richard Steeles job at that time was to make sure Taylor didn't gete killed or permanently injured and that's what he did. It wasn't his responsibility to wait for Taylor's head to clear. It was his traniner and managers job to make sure Taylor knew what to do beforehand. I blam his corner for that not the ref. And I was a big fan. I for one thought Taylor was winning the fight as he was very efective with his counter punching. I thought the fight would be close but i thought he was doing enough to win the fight. But when you have a puncher like Chavez who until the final bell rings always has a chance you have to fight until the last bvell rings. Taylor didn't do that. Whatever happended after that was as a result of that brutal knockout. We later saw Chavez has some of the same problems with Sweet Pea as the younger faster fighter posed many problems for the aged great.

[+= El Jefe=+]

the last 2 rounds i thought Chavez was gonna send Taylors head into the stands.

[Chrismart]

I first watched this fight a few weeks back, and couldnt belive it when the Steeles stopped it.
When i look at the fight from Taylor's point of view, 2 seconds left, 2 seconds which could have run-out without another punch being thrown, him being ahead on the score cards against the unbeaten Chavez, the red light flashing in the corner. From this point of view, i really feel for Taylor.
But from Steeles pont of view, i think he was right to stop the fight. Taylor had taken some big shots near the end, and it was the refs job to protect the fighter, not worry about other circumstances.
I real feel for Taylor though, for the way the fight went, and looking at him being interviewed in 2002 on the you-tube clip, where you can see that the punches he took through-out his carear, have taken there toll on his body.

[GoodBoxfella]

What people must understand that this 2 seconds thing is false. IF Taylor didn't stall by not answering the questions, but instead just said yes i'm ok the first immediately, there would have been like 5 seconds left for Chavez to rush at Taylor and take his head off to kill him or permanently criple him.

It was actually 3 and half seconds when Steele waved the fight off, but the bell rang a bit later so it was 2 seconds on paper.

[American_Ninja]

Taylor did outscore Chavez, but Chavez landed the cleaner Harder blows thru out the fight. And look how Taylor is now.

[RightHandLead]

I definitely agree that the bulk of the blame should be on Lou Duva- not only for jumping onto the apron, but for giving Meldrick that horrible advice in the corner, saying that he'd have to take the 12th round.