Julian Jackson vs Quincy Taylor

Quincy Taylor upset Julian Jackson to win the WBC middleweight championship at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on 19 August 1995, stopping the celebrated puncher after two minutes and 33 seconds of the sixth round. Taylor, a southpaw from Dallas, weighed 159lb and entered with 25 victories against three defeats. Jackson weighed the middleweight limit of 160lb and was making the first defence of the championship he had regained by stopping Agostino Cardamone five months earlier. The contest formed part of the large Don King promotion headed by Mike Tyson’s return against Peter McNeeley, although Jackson’s reputation as one of boxing’s most destructive punchers gave the title fight its own clear interest.

Jackson had already held championships at light-middleweight and middleweight, and his record of 51 victories in 54 contests contained some of the most abrupt finishes of the period. His right hand had accounted for Terry Norris, Herol Graham and numerous others, often after opponents had appeared to be boxing well. Taylor therefore approached with necessary care. He kept his right glove high, worked from the southpaw stance and sought to make Jackson reach before answering with straight left hands. Jackson advanced patiently in the opening round, looking less for volume than for the single clean opportunity upon which much of his career had been built.

The first three rounds were competitive and were divided among the judges. Jackson’s pressure and heavier single blows gave him periods of control, while Taylor’s quicker feet and straighter punching allowed him to score before moving away from the champion’s right hand. Dae Eun Chung and Jose Laurino awarded the first and third rounds to Jackson and the second to Taylor. Dave Moretti gave Jackson the opening two and Taylor the third. The differing cards reflected a contest in which Jackson remained dangerous and occasionally effective, but had not yet imposed himself for any sustained period. Taylor was not merely retreating. He was making Jackson reset, turning him and taking advantage of the champion’s slower reactions.

The direction changed decisively in the fourth. Taylor caught Jackson and sent him down, earning a 10–8 round on all three official cards. Jackson rose, but the knockdown removed much of the authority from his advance. Taylor became bolder without becoming careless, stepping into range with the straight left and following with short punches when Jackson remained square in front of him. The champion still possessed enough power to prevent reckless pursuit, yet his responses were becoming fewer and his movement more laboured. Taylor, having survived the period in which Jackson was usually most dangerous, now appeared the fresher and more settled man.

Taylor continued to press his advantage in the fifth. Jackson was unable to establish the right hand with the timing that had rescued him in earlier fights, while the challenger’s southpaw jab and left cross repeatedly disturbed his balance. Chung and Moretti awarded Taylor the round, giving him leads of 48–46 after five. Laurino scored the fifth even and had Taylor ahead 48–47. Thus the challenger led on every card entering the sixth, his knockdown supplying the margin in what had been a close contest through the opening three rounds. Jackson was also troubled by a shoulder injury during the fight, an ailment serious enough to require surgery afterwards, and his ability to punch freely deteriorated as Taylor increased the pressure.

In the sixth, Taylor no longer treated Jackson as a man who needed to be given the full width of the ring. He moved forward behind straight punches, forced the champion onto the defensive and attacked when Jackson could not answer with sufficient force. Jackson’s guard was no longer keeping pace with the challenger’s combinations, and the familiar right hand failed to appear when it was most needed. Taylor drove him back under sustained punishment until referee Jay Nady intervened at 2:33. There was no protest of consequence. Jackson had been knocked down, was injured and was taking clean punches without offering an effective reply.

The victory made Taylor WBC middleweight champion and completed a notable rise through the division. During the previous 17 months he had knocked out the unbeaten Otis Grant to win the NABF championship, then stopped Derrick Rolon, Rodney Toney and Rafael Williams before receiving his world-title opportunity. Against Jackson he showed more than durability. His stance, disciplined movement and direct punching prevented the champion from finding the range at which his power remained most dangerous. Taylor did not attempt to prove that he could absorb Jackson’s right hand; he concentrated upon ensuring that Jackson could not deliver it cleanly.

For Jackson, the defeat marked the end of his final world championship reign. At nearly 35, and after damaging contests with Gerald McClellan, he was no longer the swift, ruthless finisher who had destroyed leading opponents earlier in his career. His power had not vanished, but Taylor exposed the decline in the movements required to position it. Jackson continued boxing after the loss, but never again contested a recognised world title. Taylor’s own reign proved brief, ending against Keith Holmes in his next appearance, yet the victory in Las Vegas remained a substantial achievement. He had entered against one of the most feared punchers of his generation, survived the early danger, put the champion down and stopped him through steadily increasing control rather than one fortunate blow.

I thought Quincy Taylor fought the right fight against Julian Jackson. Jackson carried power, the sort that had flattened Terry Norris and Herol Graham, but Taylor refused to let the reputation beat him.

The southpaw stance was crucial. Taylor kept turning Jackson, made him reach with the right hand and answered with straight lefts. He was controlling distance and forcing an ageing champion to reset.

The fourth-round knockdown changed the contest. From then on Taylor pressed confidently, while Jackson’s slower feet and damaged shoulder left him unable to set his power. By the sixth, he was taking clean punches and offering too little back.

Jay Nady’s stoppage at 2:33 was correct. Taylor had not survived by luck. He had broken Jackson down with discipline, positioning and the tactical plan.