Meldrick Taylor

Name: Meldrick Taylor
Alias: The Kid
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 171cm
Reach: 168cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record

Manager: Shelly Finkel
Trainers: George Benton & Lou Duva, Willie Rush (1994-)
Meldrick Taylor Gallery

Amateur Achievements

Olympic Game Results

• Featherweight Gold Medalist for the United States at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. 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

• Claimed Amateur Record: 99-4
• 1982 National Golden Gloves Bantamweight Champion, outpointing Herbie Bivalacqua in the final.
• 1982 (winter) National AAU Bantamweight Champion, outpointing Robert Shannon in the final.
• 1983 World Junior Championships Silver medallist in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic as a Light Welterweight.
  • Defeated Kim Ki Taek (South Korea) RSCH 1
  • Defeated Rudel Obreja (Romania) 5-0
  • Defeated Dal Artango (Australia) RSC 3
  • Lost to Angel Espinosa (Cuba) KO 2
• 1984 USA vs Cuba Dual Meet Winner in Reno, United States as a Featherweight.
  • Defeated Adolfo Horta (Cuba) 3-2
• 1984 US Olympic Trials participant in Fort Worth as a Featherweight.
  • Lost to Andrew Minsker 1-4
• 1984 US Olympic Box-Offs Winner in Las Vegas as a Featherweight.
  • Defeated Andrew Minsker 4-1
  • Defeated Andrew Minsker 5-0

Professional Career

Championship Record

• 6 opponents (2 by KO) beaten for World Super Lightweight Title.
• Finished career with a record of 6-4 (2 KOs) in World title fights.
• Finished career with a record of 2-4 (1 KOs) against former or current world titlists.
  • Won against James (Buddy) McGirt, Aaron Davis.
  • Lost against Julio Cesar Chavez (2x), Terry Norris, Crisanto Espana.

Notes

• Stopped James (Buddy) McGirt in twelve rounds to win the IBF Junior Welterweight Championship in September 1988.
• After two title defenses, Taylor faced WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez in a unification bout in March 1990. After eleven rounds, Taylor was comfortably ahead on two of the three official scorecards. Taylor, battered and fatigued, was dropped by a Chavez right late in the twelfth and final round. Taylor got up at the count of five, but referee Richard Steele stopped the fight with only two seconds left. The stoppage was very controversial. The Ring named it Fight of the Year for 1990.
• Defeated Aaron Davis by a twelve-round unanimous decision to win the WBA Welterweight Championship in January 1991.
• After two title defenses, Taylor challenged WBC Super Welterweight Champion Terry Norris in May 1992 and was stopped in four rounds.
• Lost the WBA Welterweight Championship to Crisanto Espana by an eighth-round TKO in October 1992.
• Stopped in eight rounds by WBC Super Lightweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez in September 1994.
• Continued to box until 2002. Taylor, with slurred speech, was denied a license by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, and he refused to submit to neurological testing in other states. [1]

• Younger brother of fellow boxer Myron Taylor and twin brother of fellow boxer Eldrick Taylor.
• Taylor's autobiography, 2 Seconds From Glory, was self published in 2009.

Preceded by: James (Buddy) McGirt	IBF Light Welterweight Champion 1988 Sep 3 – 1990 Mar 17	Succeeded by: Julio Cesar Chavez
Preceded by: Aaron Davis	WBA Welterweight Champion 1991 Jan 19 – 1992 Oct 31	Succeeded by: Crisanto Espana