Arnold Taylor

Arnold Taylor (15 July 1945 22 November 1981) was a South African boxer who held the Lineal and WBA bantamweight championships in 1973.

Arnold Taylor
Statistics
Weight(s)bantamweight
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Reach69 in (175 cm)
NationalitySouth African
Born(1945-07-15)15 July 1945
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Died22 November 1981(1981-11-22) (aged 36)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights50
Wins40
Wins by KO17
Losses8
Draws1
No contests1

Background

Taylor lived during the apartheid period; Born to Muriel and Joe Taylor on 15 July 1945. White South African. Taylor was a qualified confectioner, he used to work at a local bakery in Johannesburg during the day before training at night.

Pro career

Arnold Taylor made his professional boxing debut on 20 May 1967, against Ray Buttle, against whom he drew after six rounds in Transvaal. His first three fights were against Buttle; he won the Transvaal Bantamweight title with a ninth-round knockout of Buttle in his second fight, held on 30 June of the same year, at Johannesburg. On 11 December, he outpointed Buttle over eight rounds in a non-title bout, also at Johannesburg.

On 19 February 1968, he won the South African Bantamweight title; in only his fourth fight, beating Andries Steyn over twelve rounds by decision. After two non-title wins, he lost the title, and suffered his first career defeat, when he was knocked out in the first round by Dennis Adams on 1 July of the same year.

After that defeat, he had eight wins in a row, including three against Herby Clark (one by knockout, one by disqualification in six rounds and one by decision), and one each over Edward Mbongwa (on 7 September 1968, in what was his first fight abroad, fought in Swaziland) and one in Lesotho over Anthony Morodi. His third win over Clark, a twelve-round decision on 12 May 1969, actually gave him the South African Lightweight division, 15 pounds (about 1.1 stone) over his natural fighting weight.

Next was a rematch with Adams. Taylor lost weight to fight Adams for the South African Featherweight title, and he avenged his first defeat, conquering his third regional title along the way, by knocking Adams out in round eight, exactly twelve days after conquering the Lightweight title. He decided to vacate the Featherweight title and concentrate on defending his Lightweight title, but he lost that title on his first defense, when rematched with Steyn, on 4 July 1969, by a knockout in round eight also.

Two wins and one defeat later, he fought Ray Buttle's brother, Mike Buttle, in a rematch for the South African Bantamweight title, on 6 December; he had beaten Mike Buttle by a fifth-round knockout three weeks before. The rematch lasted one more round, as Taylor regained the title with a sixth-round knockout.

Taylor began the 1970s with an upgrade in opposition quality, when he fought fellow world Bantamweight champion Johnny Famechon, of Australia, on 11 April 1970, at Johannesburg. In his first fight against a former or future world champion, Taylot lost a ten-round decision. In his next fight, he faced Ray Buttle once again, this time winning again with a ninth-round knockout, on 15 August, to regain the South African Featherweight title. This began a streak of nineteen wins in a row, including five in Australia (where he lived for the first half of 1971), and one in Zimbabwe. After he had reached sixteen wins in a row, he was given his first world title shot.

On 3 November 1973, Taylor met the Lineal and WBA World Bantamweight champion, Mexico's Romeo Anaya, in a match refereed by Stanley Christodoulou. The fight is considered by many one of boxing's classic fights. One South African sportswriter called it "the bloodiest fight in South African boxing history". Taylor suffered a cut and was knocked down once in round five and three times in round eight (the WBA has since adopted a rule where a fighter is automatically declared a knockout loser if he or she is knocked down three times in the same round). Nevertheless, Taylor also cut the champion, and, in round fourteen, he connected with a right hand to Anaya's jaw, sending him to the floor. Feeling that this was his moment to become a world champion, Taylor screamed to his trainers: "He's gone!" from a neutral corner. It took Anaya two minutes to get up, and Taylor won the World Bantamweight crown.[1]

After two non-title wins (including one over future Carlos Zarate challenger Paul Ferreri), Taylor defended his title for the only time, against Soo-Hwan Hong, on 3 July 1974, also at Durban. In what is also considered by many to be another boxing classic, Taylor was once again dropped four times. He was dropped three times early in the fight, and he staged a rally from rounds ten to fifteen, constantly pinning the challenger against the ring's corners and ropes, but he was dropped for a fourth time in round fourteen, and ended up losing the title by a fifteen-round unanimous decision.

The rest of his career was mostly undistinguished. He won four fights in a row, but, after losing two fights back to back, he decided to retire. Two fights that stand out among his last six fights were a rematch with Anaya, whom he beat again, by knockout in eight rounds at Johannesburg on 27 June 1975, and his last fight, when he was knocked out in eight rounds by Vernon Sollas, on 24 November 1976. His last two fights took place in Norway and England, respectively.

Death

Taylor died on 22 November 1981. While driving a motorcycle belonging to his eldest daughter Charmaine, he was involved in an accident in which he was knocked over and he died at the scene of the accident.

Professional boxing record

50 fights 40 wins 8 losses
By knockout 17 3
By decision 21 5
By disqualification 2 0
Draws 1
No contests 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
50 Loss 40–8–1 (1) Vernon Sollas RTD 8 (10) 24 Nov 1976 Anglo-American Sporting Club, Mayfair, London, England
49 Loss 40–7–1 (1) Svein Erik Paulsen PTS 10 21 Oct 1976 Messehallen, Oslo, Norway
48 Win 40–6–1 (1) Dave Needham PTS 10 8 May 1976 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
47 Win 39–6–1 (1) Romeo Anaya KO 8 (10) 27 Jun 1975 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
46 Win 38–6–1 (1) Lothar Abend RTD 3 (10) 5 May 1975 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
45 Win 37–6–1 (1) John Mitchell TKO 4 (10) 22 Feb 1975 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
44 Loss 36–6–1 (1) Hong Soo-hwan UD 15 3 Jul 1974 West Ridge Tennis Stadium, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Lost WBA and The Ring bantamweight titles
43 Loss 36–5–1 (1) Lorenzo Trujillo PTS 10 31 May 1974 Showgrounds Hall, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
42 Win 36–4–1 (1) Paul Ferreri PTS 10 18 Mar 1974 Goodwood Showgrounds, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
41 Win 35–4–1 (1) Guy Caudron PTS 10 16 Feb 1974 Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
40 Win 34–4–1 (1) Romeo Anaya KO 14 (15) 3 Nov 1973 Rand Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Won WBA and The Ring bantamweight titles
39 Win 33–4–1 (1) Billy Waith PTS 10 16 Jun 1973 Portuguese Hall, Turffontein, Gauteng, South Africa
38 Win 32–4–1 (1) Jimmy Bell PTS 10 28 Apr 1973 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
37 Win 31–4–1 (1) Evan Armstrong KO 4 (10) 28 Oct 1972 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
36 Win 30–4–1 (1) Hansie van Rooyen KO 6 (10) 13 May 1972 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
35 Win 29–4–1 (1) Hansie van Rooyen PTS 12 27 Mar 1972 Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Retained South African featherweight title
34 Win 28–4–1 (1) Ugo Poli KO 4 (10) 29 Jan 1972 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
33 Win 27–4–1 (1) Chris Nel RTD 7 (10) 27 Nov 1971 Glamis Stadium, Harare (Salisbury), Rhodesia
32 Win 26–4–1 (1) Luis Aisa PTS 10 30 Oct 1971 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
31 Win 25–4–1 (1) Alberto Jangalay PTS 10 30 Aug 1971 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
30 Win 24–4–1 (1) Memo Espinosa PTS 10 3 Aug 1971 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
29 Win 23–4–1 (1) Turori George PTS 10 14 Jun 1971 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
28 Win 22–4–1 (1) Willie Cordova PTS 10 17 May 1971 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
27 Win 21–4–1 (1) Willie Cordova PTS 10 3 May 1971 Festival Hall, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
26 Win 20–4–1 (1) Chris Nel TKO 10 (10) 29 Dec 1970 Amphitheatre, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
25 Win 19–4–1 (1) Chris Nel RTD 7 (8) 21 Sep 1970 City Hall, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
24 Win 18–4–1 (1) Ray Buttle TKO 8 (12) 15 Aug 1970 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Retained South African featherweight title
23 Loss 17–4–1 (1) Johnny Famechon PTS 10 11 Apr 1970 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
22 Win 17–3–1 (1) Mike Buttle TKO 6 (12) 6 Dec 1969 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Won South African bantamweight title
21 Win 16–3–1 (1) Mike Buttle TKO 5 (8) 15 Nov 1969 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
20 Loss 15–3–1 (1) John O'Brien PTS 10 30 Aug 1969 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
19 Loss 15–2–1 (1) Andries Steyn RTD 8 (12) 4 Jul 1969 Allan Ford Stadium, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa For South African lightweight title
18 Win 15–1–1 (1) Dennis Adams RTD 8 (12) 24 May 1969 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Retained South African featherweight title
17 Win 14–1–1 (1) Herby Clarke PTS 12 12 May 1969 City Hall, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Won vacant South African lightweight title
16 Win 13–1–1 (1) Herby Clarke DQ 6 (10) 11 Apr 1969 City Hall, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Clarke disqualified for biting
15 Win 12–1–1 (1) Henri Nesi PTS 10 15 Feb 1969 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
14 Win 11–1–1 (1) Colin Lake DQ 3 (10) 2 Nov 1968 Ellis Park Tennis Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
13 Win 10–1–1 (1) Robert Trott TKO 3 (6) 7 Oct 1968 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
12 Win 9–1–1 (1) Anthony Morodi PTS 6 5 Oct 1968 Lesotho National Stadium, Maseru, Lesotho
11 Win 8–1–1 (1) Edwin Mbongwe PTS 6 7 Sep 1968 Swaziland National Stadium, Mbabane, Swaziland
10 Win 7–1–1 (1) Robert Trott PTS 8 26 Aug 1968 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
9 Win 6–1–1 (1) Herby Clarke TKO 9 (10) 12 Aug 1968 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
8 Loss 5–1–1 (1) Dennis Adams KO 1 (12) 18 Jun 1968 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa For South African bantamweight title
7 Win 5–0–1 (1) Gerry Joey McBride PTS 10 3 Jun 1968 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
6 Win 4–0–1 (1) Bobby Davies PTS 10 29 Apr 1968 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
5 Win 3–0–1 (1) Andries Steyn PTS 12 19 Feb 1968 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Won South African featherweight title
4 Win 2–0–1 (1) Ray Buttle PTS 8 11 Dec 1967 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
3 ND 1–0–1 (1) Robert Trott ND 4 25 Nov 1967 Ellis Park Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
2 Win 1–0–1 Ray Buttle TKO 9 (10) 30 Jun 1967 City Hall, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa Won vacant South African Transvaal 'white' bantamweight title
1 Draw 0–0–1 Ray Buttle PTS 6 20 May 1967 Piet Potgieter High School Grounds, Mokopane, North-West, South Africa

See also

References

  1. "Arnold Taylor - Lineal Bantamweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
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