BoxRec

Espana was pure quality. Hard as nails guy who just came forward smashing opponents up with well picked shots. He hammered Medlrick Taylor in 92 to win his welter title, defended it a few times then lost it to Ike Quartey in 94.

He came back in 95 on the Collins/EUbank undercard & hammered the dangerous Paul Wesley and looked good doing so. They were talking about all these possible exciting fights he may be having and then... Nothing! He never fought again. What the hell happened?

I seem to remember he had some sort of serious injury which ended his career, there was talk of him coming back but he never did.

He looked the absolute nuts though when I saw him.

he was beating Quartey pretty soundly until he was KO'd late, as well

I remember him battering Taylor vividly, with Meldrick wearing the campest shorts I've ever seen on a fighter!

He was like Portuguese Man-of-war; his arms seemed to go on forever!!!! :P

Autobarn wrote:he was beating Quartey pretty soundly until he was KO'd late, as well

yep, arguably giving Quartey the soundest beating he has had even to this date......then we found out why they call him Bazooka

Was that fight broadcast in the UK at the time, never seen it listed as a SKY or ITV version in any catalogue. Was it a US only broadcast?

Yeah, didn't Taylor have tight leather-style shorts with studs? It was on the Lewis-Ruddock undercard...I remember hearing it on the radio. How come he ended up boxing in Belfast anyway? I seem to recall an odd story behind that because another chap, who's name escapes me, came over from Venezuela or Panama and beat Christophe Tiozzo for the WBA Super-Middleweight title, made a handful of defences and we never heard from him again either after he lost the title (possibly to Michael Nunn).

Dan

Victor Cordoba that's the guy I was thinking of...the chap who beat Tiozzo I mean. Turns out he got beat twice by Nunn then fought 2-3 times in USA/Panama/Ecuador then that was that.

dandantheweatherman wrote:Yeah, didn't Taylor have tight leather-style shorts with studs? It was on the Lewis-Ruddock undercard...I remember hearing it on the radio. How come he ended up boxing in Belfast anyway? I seem to recall an odd story behind that because another chap, who's name escapes me, came over from Venezuela or Panama and beat Christophe Tiozzo for the WBA Super-Middleweight title, made a handful of defences and we never heard from him again either after he lost the title (possibly to Michael Nunn).

Dan

He did have tight leather shorts with studs on!

He looked, dare I say it................................................CAMP!

He looked like an extra from the Village People. :P

overhand_right wrote:Was that fight broadcast in the UK at the time, never seen it listed as a SKY or ITV version in any catalogue. Was it a US only broadcast?

It was broadcast on TV in the UK (SKY Sports).

I have it on video & I still watch it every now & then when I want to laugh at Meldrick's shorts!!!

If I remember correctly Barney Eastwood was his manager, which might explain his fighting in Ireland.

I also recall him having hand problems - I don't know if that contributed to him leaving the fight game or not. He looked the business breaking Taylor up.

Didn't both Cordova and Espana marry Irish women and now live in Belfast?

Yes married local girls I think. Eastwood had an excellent Panamanian trainer on board, for Hoko, McAuley and co - Bernardo Checa.

No doubt he was the reason Espana and Cordoba signed up.

Espana really did the look the biz when he beat Taylor. His arms were so long that some of his gym mates swore he could touch the floor while standing straight up.

Unlucky enough to have to take on a massive talent like Quartey, otherwise he could have reigned for years.