Meldrick Taylor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Meldrick Taylor
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Kid TNT
Rated at	Light welterweight Welterweight Light middleweight
Height	5 ft 7+1/2 in
Reach	66 in
Born	(1966-10-19) October 19, 1966 (age 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	47
Wins	38
Wins by KO	20
Losses	8
Draws	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1984 Los Angeles Featherweight

Meldrick Taylor, born on October 19, 1966, is a famous American former professional boxer. He competed in boxing from 1984 to 2002. Taylor was a world champion in two different weight classes. He held the IBF junior welterweight title from 1988 to 1990. He also held the WBA welterweight title from 1991 to 1992. Before becoming a professional, Taylor won a gold medal in the featherweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Meldrick Taylor's Amateur Boxing Career

Taylor grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a city known for producing many boxing champions. He learned how to box in local gyms. As an amateur fighter, he had a great record of 99 wins and only 4 losses.

In 1984, when he was just 17 years old, Taylor earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. He went on to win the gold medal in the featherweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics. After his big win, he decided to become a professional boxer.

Taylor's 1984 Olympic Journey

Meldrick Taylor had an impressive run at the 1984 Olympics. He won all his fights to earn the gold medal.

• Round of 32: He defeated Nicolae Talpos from Romania with a score of 5-0.
• Round of 16: He defeated Francisco Camacho from Mexico with a score of 5-0.
• Quarterfinal: He defeated John Wanjau from Kenya when the referee stopped the fight in the third round.
• Semifinal: He defeated Omar Catari from Venezuela with a score of 5-0.
• Final: He defeated Peter Konyegwachie from Nigeria with a score of 5-0, winning the gold medal.

Before the Olympics, Taylor had to earn his spot on the team. He lost to Andrew Minsker in the Olympic trials. However, Taylor then beat Minsker twice in a row to secure his place for the Olympics.

Meldrick Taylor's Professional Boxing Career

After his Olympic success, Meldrick Taylor began his professional boxing career. His first few fights were against less experienced boxers. In May 1986, in his 12th professional fight, Taylor won against Harold Brazier. This win helped him move up in the world rankings.

On September 3, 1988, Taylor fought James "Buddy" McGirt for the IBF light welterweight title. Taylor won the fight by a technical knockout (TKO) in the 12th and final round. This was the start of his first time as a world champion.

Taylor's Big Fight Against Julio César Chávez

Over the next year and a half, Taylor won four more fights. This led to a huge fight against Julio César Chávez on March 17, 1990, in Las Vegas. Chávez was the WBC light welterweight champion. Many people thought Chávez was the best boxer in the world at the time.

This fight got a lot of attention because both boxers were undefeated. Taylor had 24 wins and 1 draw, while Chávez had 66 wins. Their fight became one of the most famous and talked-about boxing matches ever.

Taylor started the fight strong and was ahead on the judges' scorecards. However, Chávez was a very powerful puncher. He slowly started to wear Taylor down. Going into the 12th and final round, Taylor was still leading by a good amount. His corner told him he needed to win that last round. Because of this, Taylor kept fighting close to Chávez.

Chávez knew he was running out of time. He attacked Taylor aggressively in the last round. With only 17 seconds left in the fight, Chávez knocked Taylor down. Taylor got back up at the count of six. The referee, Richard Steele, asked Taylor twice if he was okay. Taylor did not answer and just looked at his corner. The referee then stopped the fight with only two seconds left. Chávez won by TKO.

Many people still debate whether the fight should have been stopped. Ten years later, The Ring magazine called it the "Fight of the Decade." Some boxing fans believe that this tough fight greatly affected Taylor's career. He took a lot of hits from Chávez. Years later, in an interview, Taylor's speech was very slurred and hard to understand. This showed how challenging his boxing career had been.

Winning Another Title and a Rematch with Chávez

Even after losing his title, Taylor still wanted to compete. He felt that making the 140-pound weight limit for the Chávez fight had made him weaker. So, Taylor moved up to the welterweight division (147 pounds). On January 19, 1991, he defeated the undefeated Aaron Davis to win the WBA welterweight title.

Taylor wanted a rematch with Chávez at the new weight, but Chávez did not move up in weight for many years. Taylor won three more fights. Then, he accepted a challenge from world junior middleweight champion Terry Norris. Norris was naturally bigger and stronger. He knocked Taylor out in the fourth round.

This loss marked the end of Taylor's time as a top-level fighter. He lost his welterweight title to Crisanto España in his next fight on October 31, 1992. Taylor then won his next three fights. He got one more chance to fight Chávez on September 17, 1994, in Las Vegas. However, Taylor was not as strong as he used to be. Chávez stopped him in the eighth round.

Taylor continued to fight on and off for a few more years, winning some and losing some. He officially retired from boxing in 2002. His final record was 38 wins, 8 losses, and 1 draw, with 20 knockouts.

Meldrick Taylor has also written a book about his life called Two Seconds From Glory.

Meldrick Taylor's Family

Meldrick Taylor has a twin brother named Eldrick. Eldrick also tried professional boxing for a short time, but he had one loss and no wins. Another brother, Myron, was also a professional boxer. Myron Taylor had a record of 29 wins (16 by knockout), 9 losses, and one draw. He even challenged for a world title once.

Professional boxing record

See also

In Spanish: Meldrick Taylor para niños