Meldrick Taylor

American boxer and 1984 Olympic gold medalist remembered for a legendary 1990 fight against Julio César Chávez that was stopped with just two seconds remaining.

Born on 19 December 1966 in Philadelphia, Meldrick Taylor began boxing at age eight and became one of the finest amateur boxers of his generation, winning a gold medal in the featherweight division at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He turned professional shortly afterward and rose quickly, winning a world title in less than four years as a professional. Taylor's most famous fight came on 17 March 1990 at the Las Vegas Hilton, when the undefeated IBF light welterweight champion faced WBC champion Julio César Chávez in a unification bout billed 'Thunder Meets Lightning'. Taylor's blazing hand speed dominated much of the contest, and he was ahead on two of the three judges' scorecards heading into the final round. In the 12th round, Chávez landed a series of punches that dropped Taylor, who rose before the count but was ruled unable to continue by referee Richard Steele — stopping the fight with just two seconds remaining on the clock, denying Taylor a career-defining victory. The fight was named The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year for 1990 and later its Fight of the Decade for the 1990s, and Taylor's dramatic near-miss became one of the most replayed and debated moments in boxing history, immortalized in the phrase 'two seconds from greatness'. Taylor continued competing after the loss, winning a version of the world title again, but he never fully recovered his earlier form, having absorbed significant punishment in the Chávez fight before being matched soon after against the dangerous Terry Norris. He retired with a career record of 38 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw, and remains remembered as one of the most talented fighters of his generation whose career was defined by a single, agonizing near-miss.

Blazing hand speed and volume punching, particularly effective on the inside

Remembered as one of the most talented fighters of his generation, defined by an agonizingly close career-defining loss