Dillon Carew suffers controversial loss to Taylor
Stabroek News
June 4, 2002
United States based Guyanese Dillon Carew suffered a contraversial split decision loss to former world welterweight champion Medrick Taylor on Friday night, in an eight-round junior middleweight bout at Boutwell Auditorium, New York.
According to an article that appeared in the Birmingham Post-Herald, despite being hit with several solid punches to the head in the first round and taking a standing eight count in the sixth, Taylor was declared the winner by two of the three judges. One had Taylor winning 77-75 and another 76-75. The third judge gave the decision to Carew 76-75.
According to the article, Carew was not chosen to be Taylor's opponent until Thursday, after fight promoters learned that the previously scheduled opponent Willi MacDonald would not be sanctioned for the fight because of neurological reasons.
Friday's fight was the first since 1999 for the 32-year-old Taylor, a former Olympic Gold medalist.
The newspaper article described Taylor as looking awkward at times and often was unable to avoid Carew's right hooks and when it was announced that Taylor (38-7-1) had been declared the winner, the small but boisterous crowd of several hundred booed loudly.
Carew (14-8-3), who already had started celebrating before the decision was announced was obviously upset. He is quoted as saying that Taylor - whose slurred speech has led to questions about neurological problems of his own - has nothing left as a fighter.
"Meldrick is finished. He ain't got nothing, man. They're probably just setting him up for some payday. I respect Meldrick as a person, but he knows he lost. He knows it. You know, Medrick can't beat nobody. Medrick is done. He can't beat nobody anymore" Carew is quoted as saying.
Taylor however attributed whatever problems he had in the fight to his long layoff. "I'm happy with my performance.". Taylor said. "I've been off two and a half years. Anybody who's had a two and a half year layoff should be a little rusty. But my overall performance was good".
According to the article, Carew dominated the opening round, landing several solid punches to Taylor's head, but Taylor in return, gradually became more aggressive, landing numerous body shots. Then in the fourth, he connected with a bruising blow to the side of Carew's head and briefly had carew in the ropes with a flurry of punches.
But after an uneventful fifth round, Carew opened the sixth with a combo that staggered Taylor, who grabbed Carew's waist to keep from falling. Moments later a quick left followed by a sweeping right sent Taylor briefly to one knee. Then after Taylor stood up for the eight count, Carew caught him with a looping right hand to the head.
Taylor took so many shots to the head in that round, that the ring doctor examined him before the seventh round began.
Again Taylor downplayed the punishment he took ""(Carew) caught me, I shook it off," Taylor said. "It wasn't anything I haven't felt before. A good champion can take his shots, go down, get back up and keep going. I proved that I can take a punch. Not that I want to, but I proved that I can and then come back."
After a quiet seventh round, Taylor might have won the fight in the eight with a flurry of body blows followed by his best punch of the match to Carew's head.
Still, Carew and much of the crowd thought Carew had won. Several fans and the judge who ruled in his favour came up to Carew afterward and said the decision was unfair.
"Come on, everybody saw that I was clean, man," Carew said "I won that fight."