Barry McGuigan vs Bernard Taylor

Making the first defence of his WBA and Ring featherweight championships, Barry McGuigan faced Bernard Taylor at the King’s Hall in Belfast on September 28, 1985. The building was filled to its 7,000-seat capacity, with the champion returning to Northern Ireland little more than three months after taking the title from Eusebio Pedroza at Loftus Road. McGuigan entered with 27 victories and one defeat, while Taylor was unbeaten in 34 contests, with 33 wins and one draw. The American was the WBA’s leading contender and had previously held Pedroza to a draw over 15 rounds in 1982. McGuigan weighed 125 pounds and Taylor 125½.

There had been concern over Taylor’s weight before the contest. At his first attempt, he was 12 ounces above the featherweight limit and was allowed two hours to remove the excess. He skipped rope for 20 minutes while wearing heavy clothing and returned comfortably inside the limit. Whether the effort contributed to his later condition could not be established, but the challenger was quick and composed when referee Isidro Rodriguez brought the fighters together for the scheduled 15 rounds.

Taylor controlled much of the early action by circling to his left, changing direction and meeting McGuigan’s advances with quick counters. He possessed a 71-inch reach and made good use of it, touching the champion with his jab before moving beyond range. McGuigan followed persistently but found Taylor an awkward target. His early attacks frequently fell short or passed over the American’s shoulder as Taylor ducked, turned and moved away. The challenger’s method was economical and effective through the first three rounds, quietening the crowd and preventing McGuigan from establishing the close-range exchanges he preferred.

McGuigan began to reduce the distance during the fourth and fifth. Rather than pursuing Taylor’s head exclusively, he directed hooks and uppercuts into the ribs and abdomen whenever the challenger paused. Taylor continued to move and counter, but the champion’s pressure was becoming more organised. McGuigan cut off sections of the ring instead of following directly, using his left hand to bring Taylor towards the ropes before attacking with both fists. Taylor remained difficult to hit cleanly and forced McGuigan to miss often, but his movement was beginning to slow.

By the sixth round the contest had changed. McGuigan was reaching Taylor with combinations to head and body, and the challenger increasingly held when trapped at close quarters. The champion worked with short hooks beneath the elbows and uppercuts through the centre, preventing Taylor from resting during the clinches. Taylor still attempted to counter while retreating, but he no longer had the room or strength to keep McGuigan outside for an entire round. The champion’s greater physical pressure was beginning to outweigh the challenger’s speed and craft.

McGuigan increased the body attack in the seventh and eighth rounds. Taylor’s legs had lost their earlier spring, and he spent longer periods near the ropes, where the champion could set his feet and deliver punches without having to chase him. A sharp right to the body in the eighth folded Taylor at the waist and left him plainly distressed. McGuigan followed with further hooks and uppercuts, shifting his attack between the ribs and head as Taylor tried to smother the work by holding. The challenger remained upright, but his resistance and movement had diminished markedly by the bell.

Taylor’s corner decided that he had taken enough and retired him before the ninth round could begin. The official result was recorded as a retirement at three minutes of the eighth. Shortly afterwards Taylor collapsed in the ring, his seconds attributing his condition to heat exhaustion. At the time of the retirement, referee Rodriguez had McGuigan ahead 79–76, Franco Priami scored it 77–76 for the champion, and Marco Antonio Rodriguez had McGuigan leading 80–77. Those totals reflected the competitive nature of the opening rounds and the champion’s clear command once his body punching took effect. Taylor had presented McGuigan with a difficult technical problem, but he could not sustain the movement required to keep the stronger man away. McGuigan retained his championship by applying steady pressure until the challenger’s speed, strength and capacity to continue had been exhausted.

I remember watching this one vividly because McGuigan had only just beaten Eusebio Pedroza in that tremendous fight at Loftus Road. Winning the title was one thing; defending it against the WBA’s number-one contender was another. Bernard Taylor was unbeaten, with his draw against Pedroza the only blemish on his record, so this was no comfortable homecoming.

Taylor showed exactly why he was a genuine threat. He was quick, awkward and clever, circling away before McGuigan could set his feet and then catching him coming forward. For the first three rounds, Barry looked frustrated. He was following Taylor and aiming too much at the head, which allowed the American to slip, turn and escape.

The adjustment was simple and correct: stop chasing the moving target upstairs and hit the body underneath. Once McGuigan began cutting off the ring and driving hooks and uppercuts into Taylor’s ribs, the fight changed. Taylor’s movement slowed, his counters became less frequent, and he started holding because he could no longer maintain the distance.

By the eighth, Taylor was finished physically. A hard right to the body seemed to take what remained out of him, and his corner rightly withdrew him before the ninth. I thought McGuigan showed maturity that night. It wasn't as stirring as the Pedroza victory, but it told us more technically. When Plan A failed, he listened, adjusted and broke down an unbeaten, highly capable challenger.