Julio César Chávez vs. Meldrick Taylor

Background

Julio César Chávez entered the bout undefeated at 68–0 with 55 knockouts, having won world titles in three weight classes. Meldrick Taylor, an Olympic gold medalist at age 17, was also undefeated and held the IBF light welterweight title. The fight was a unification bout and the third title defense for both men, occurring one month after Mike Tyson's upset loss to James "Buster" Douglas.

The fight

Taylor's superior hand and foot speed gave him an early lead on points, as he landed combinations and evaded Chávez's attempts to land sustained offense. Chávez, a heavier puncher, gradually accumulated damage, leaving Taylor bleeding from the mouth and nose, with facial swelling, broken bones around the eye socket, and swallowed blood. By the later rounds, Taylor tired and could no longer outmaneuver Chávez, forcing exchanges that favored Chávez.

After the 11th round, Taylor appeared dazed and nearly walked to Chávez's corner before referee Richard Steele redirected him. Going into the final round, two judges had Taylor ahead (107–102 and 108–101), while one had Chávez ahead (105–104). Despite exhaustion—staggering and falling early in the round—Taylor continued to fight at close range. With about a minute left, Chávez landed hard punches; Taylor feigned weakness.

With 25 seconds remaining, Chávez landed a right hand that staggered Taylor into a corner, then dropped him with another right. Taylor rose using the ropes and held them during the standing eight-count. Steele asked Taylor twice if he was okay, received no response, and stopped the fight with two seconds left, awarding Chávez a TKO victory.

Aftermath

Steele's decision to stop the fight remains debated. The bout cemented Chávez's status as one of the best fighters of his era, and he was widely considered the world's best for several years. His unbeaten streak reached 89–0–1 before his first loss to Frankie Randall. Chávez later developed a tendency to cut easily, costing him fights, and he continued fighting past his prime, retiring for good after a loss on September 17, 2005.

His final record is 108–6–2. Meldrick Taylor was popularly believed never to be the same physically or psychologically after the fight; sportswriter William Nack claimed his prime was beaten out of him. Dr. Flip Homansky reported Taylor suffered broken bones behind the eye and received a transfusion for blood loss from a cut lower lip. Taylor won the WBA welterweight title in 1991 but lost it in 1992, and was knocked out in a 1994 rematch with Chávez, his last title fight. Taylor still resides in Philadelphia and released a book titled "Two Seconds From Glory" on May 15, 2009.