ISHE SMITH “POPS OFF” KNOWING ONLY HALF STORY
San Francisco, CA– Nothing irks me more about the Internet than how people bend history like it’s clay and mold it into a pile of s*it based on nothing but speculation, and sometimes in boxing, racial preference. Case and point, referee Richard Steele asked Meldrick Taylor twice to acknowledge him after getting knoxked down by Julio Cesar Chavez in the waning seconds of a fight some 25 years ago this month at the Las Vegas Hilton. After reading ex-Contender TV guy and IBF champion for a nanosecond, Ishe Smith’s dead wrong account on Facebook made me cringe because it was so contrary to reality!
MR. ISHE SMITH “MONDAY MORNING QB” TYPE
Ishe “Mr. Excitement” Smith says, “It was one of the worst stoppages in boxing history.” Was Mr. Smith there? No, but because he has a keyboard and access to You Tube, he’s thinks he’s a boxing historian when in reality Professor Fernandez is about to hand Ishe an F, and not based on his opinion, but rather his not knowing the facts involving those closing seconds of round 12.
BRUTAL BATTLE LIKE DIEGO CORRALES-JOSE CASTILLO I
When the 12th round started, Meldrick Taylor was up in the minds of most on the scorecards. Possessing that Philadelphia “gym” mentality, Taylor went to Chavez because cornerman Lou Duva told he needed the round to win, when as I said he was in front, at least on two cards anyway. Taylor gets floored with about 15 seconds left, I’m in row 5 center behind him Taylor as referee Richard Steele issued the 8 count. When he was done counting he TWICE asked Meldrick to acknowledge him (in order to continue).
REASON MELDRICK “TWICE DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE” REFEREE
For those of you armchair analysts that blame referee Richard Steele, you do so based on watching the HBO replay. Sitting in row 5, center ring between the corner in which Steele was giving Meldrick the 8 count and Taylor’s corner run by Lou Duva. When Mel got up his eyes became fixated on Duva who was unjustly standing on the ring apron in his corner causing a commotion.
STEELE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO STOP IT!
The same people that say there was only a few seconds left and what damage could have been done to Taylor don’t want to check fact that Steele asked Mel not once, but twice if he wanted to continue and Meldrick admitted later that he did not respond. So tell me Ishe Smith, you’re the referee and you ask the fighter twice if he wants to continue and he doesn’t respond. And yet Ishe, you and many others that were not there call this one of the worst stoppages in boxing history. Either you were not serious and trolling, have a thing for Meldrick, or your boxing acumen is limited. Which is it Ishe?
Pedro Fernandez
Talk Show Host & Award Winning Writer
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BLAME LOU DUVA FOR CHAVEZ-TAYLOR RESULT