Julio Cesar Chavez vs Meldrick
Taylor
The world championship bout held on March 17, 1990 between WBC
world champion Julio Cesar Chavez of Mexico and IBF world champion
Meldrick Taylor of the United States, both at light welterweight,
was a historic event in professional boxing. It was titled "Thunder
Meets Lightning" as an allusion to the punching power of Chavez and
fast handspeed of Taylor. The fight was expected to be a rousing and
exciting one but few, if any, could have foreseen the intense action
it would produce, or the lasting fame it would earn in boxing history
due to its dramatic and controversial ending that continues to be
widely debated to this day. It would later be named The Ring magaine's
Fight of the Year for 1990, and later the "Fight of the Decade" for
the 1990s.
Build-up
From the mid 80s until early 1990 much of
the attention given to boxing, particularly by the casual fan, was
devoted to Mike Tyson. This served to overshadow a number of bouts
and emerging stars in the lower weight classes. However, after Tyson
lost to Buster douglas in February 1990, it would give other bouts
and fighters a new chance to shine. As Chavez-Taylor took place only
a month later, it was one of the very first bouts to benefit from
this. The fact that both Chavez and Taylor were undefeated champions
with vastly different personalities and fighting styles certainly
did nothing to diminsh the pre-fight hype, which was intense.
The
Fighters
Julio Cesar Chavez was a legend in the making in his native
Mexico. Already a three time world champion in the Jr. Lightweight,
Lightweight and Jr. Welterweight divisions, he brought and impressive
undefeated record of 68-0 with 56 wins by knockout. That undefeated
streak was the longest in nearly 80 years. In many ways Chavez was
the epitome of the "Mexican" style of boxing: He patiently but relentlessly
stalked and closed in on the other fighter, ignoring whatever punishment
he took for the chance to dish out his own at close range, particularly
in the form of a crunching body attack that would either wear down
his opponents until they collapsed in pain and exhaustion, or became
too tired to defend as Chavez shifted his attack to the head and went
for a knockout.
