- 18 hours ago
Quincy Taylor defends the WBC Middleweight Title against Keith Holmes in a fight taped before the PPV went on the air on Showtime Boxing PPV.
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00:02Thank you very much.
00:03Now, as promised, we have one more championship fight to follow the main event.
00:07Earlier tonight, WBC middleweight champion Quincy Taylor made his first title defense
00:12against the number nine contender in Keith Holmes.
00:15Steve Albert, Ferdinand Pacheco, and Bobby Chez were at ringside to call the fight.
00:19And coming up, our final bout of the evening,
00:21the WBC middleweight championship recorded earlier this evening.
00:24It is a matchup of southpaws as we get ready for the WBC middleweight championship.
00:29Quincy Taylor defends his belt against Keith Holmes.
00:32For Holmes, his first shot at a world title,
00:34and he can look no farther than Quincy Taylor for inspiration.
00:37Taylor won this title on his first try right here in this arena.
00:43And here is the challenger, number nine rated Keith Holmes.
00:46His only defeat came early in his career, but since that loss in 1990,
00:50he's reeled off 21 straight wins.
00:52His last fight was on the Mike Tyson Buster Mathis Jr. undercard in Philadelphia December 16th.
00:57A six-round decision over Kevin Tillman.
01:00Tonight, his first world title shot in his six-plus-year career.
01:03Ferdinand, your thoughts on Mr. Holmes.
01:06Well, Holmes has a mighty task in front of him.
01:11What he wants to do is be a chess man.
01:14He wants to outthink the other guy.
01:15The other guy wants to come punch with him.
01:17And he feels that he can take advantage of the immobility or the apparent immobility of Quincy Taylor.
01:23Well, that may be imaginary because he's been operated on.
01:25It feels good.
01:25There's no reason why this can't be just a shootout.
01:29And here is the champion, Quincy Taylor, fighting for the first time since winning the title,
01:34August of 1995, with a six-round TKO of Julian the Hawk Jackson.
01:38Taylor comes off surgery to repair a torn left knee, but feels ready after extensive rehab.
01:43Taylor dubbed Baby Tyson a one-time sparring partner for Sugar Ray Leonard,
01:48who actually decked Leonard during a sparring session.
01:50He's won 10 of his last 11 fights by knockout.
01:52Bobby, your thoughts?
01:53Well, Quincy Taylor is a smooth-boxing, hard-punching southpaw.
01:56He can hit with both hands, and he's really come into his own over the past three years,
02:00looking better and better each time out with so many knockouts to his credit.
02:03He's fighting a guy who's going to move and try and take him the distance.
02:06I expect him to come out here, heat it up, go to the body, and bang hard early.
02:09He believes he can unify this middleweight championship,
02:11so I know he wants to be impressive here tonight underneath Tyson Bruno, the heavyweight championship.
02:16All right, Bob, let's break it down as we go to the tail of the tape.
02:18It's brought to you by The Ring, the Bible of boxing.
02:21And the numbers favor the challenger.
02:22Taylor, 32, six years older than Holmes.
02:25Big five-inch height advantage for Holmes.
02:27The weight almost even, but a whopping seven-inch reach advantage for Holmes.
02:31And the rules for this championship fight, governed by the WBC 10-point must-scoring system.
02:36Three judges score the fight.
02:37No standing eight count.
02:38No three-knockdown rule.
02:39Only the referee can stop the fight.
02:41A fighter cannot be saved by the bell except in the final round.
02:44If an accidental foul occurs before the start of round five, it's ruled a no decision.
02:48After the start of round five, they go to the scorecards.
02:51So here at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, set for the WBC Middleweight Championship between Quincy Taylor and
02:57Keith Holmes,
02:58let's get the introductions from our ring announcer, Jimmy Lennon Jr.
03:04Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to one of our featured attractions of the evening brought to you by Don
03:10King Productions and King Vision
03:12in association with Showtime, Event Television, Corona, La Cerveza Mas Fina, and the MGM Grand.
03:20And this bout is sanctioned by the World Boxing Council.
03:24The president, Jose Suleiman.
03:26Supervisors are Dr. Adrian Whiteson and Steve Crossan.
03:31Along with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the chairman is Dr. James Knave.
03:36Judges at ringside scoring this bout, we have Dave Brown, David Chung, and Chuck Jumper.
03:42Introducing to you the referee in charge of this bout, working in this, his 131st world title bout,
03:49Introducing Richard Steele.
03:53All right, fans, here we go with the WBC Middleweight Championship of the World scheduled for 12 rounds of boxing.
04:03Introducing to you first the challenger on my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
04:07He is wearing white trunks with blue trim and hailing from our nation's capital of Washington, D.C.
04:14He weighed in at 159 pounds with a record of 28 wins, one loss.
04:21He has 18 wins coming by way of knockout.
04:24Here is the former U.S.B.A. champion.
04:26Please welcome tonight's challenger ranked the number nine middleweight contender by the WBC.
04:32Introducing Keith Holmes.
04:38And his opponent across the ring.
04:40Presenting the defending world champion on my left, fighting out of the red corner.
04:44Wearing blue trunks with white trim from Dallas, Texas.
04:48He is fighting out of the lost mountain training camp in Squim, Washington.
04:53He weighed in at the middleweight limit of 160 pounds even.
04:57With a record of 26 wins and three losses, he has 22 wins coming by way of knockout.
05:04Tonight making the first defense of his title.
05:06Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the WBC middleweight champion of the world, Quincy Taylor.
05:18Once again our referee in charge.
05:20Now to give instructions, Richard Steele.
05:26Okay, I spoke to both fighters in the dressing room.
05:29I'm cautioning again.
05:30Obey my commands at all times.
05:33Let's have a good, clean fight.
05:35Shake hands.
05:37God bless.
05:43So we're closing in on the WBC middleweight title fight.
05:46Quincy Taylor's last loss may have not.
05:48He won a decision to Jorge Vanka.
05:50He's 11-0 since with 10 knockouts.
05:53A devastating body puncher who told us this is a make-or-break fight.
05:57Comes off the torn ACL of the left knee.
06:00And understandably, Holmes told us he'll try to make Taylor move around a lot and test his mobility.
06:05Third man of the ring, Richard Steele.
06:07The bell for round one, scheduled for 12.
06:09Right off the bat, you see that huge brace that Taylor has.
06:12You don't see a fighter with a brace like that.
06:14That's a big, big brace.
06:16Bobby, I wonder how much mobility that will cut out.
06:18Just the brace itself.
06:19That's pretty big.
06:20You know, I've used a brace like that, too, because I tore one of those ligaments in my knee, too.
06:23I had the surgery last April.
06:24And, you know, the brace didn't help me or hurt me in the ring.
06:28It didn't hinder me too much.
06:29You almost forget it's there.
06:30But, nevertheless, it could be a factor.
06:32The injury occurred when Taylor stepped in a hole while jogging.
06:36But he feels, after extensive rehabilitation on the knee, that he is 100% ready to go.
06:42Feels that it will not hinder his mobility.
06:45We shall see.
06:46Holmes feels, because of his height and reach advantages, he will try to make this a distance game.
06:51But, added, I'm also a good body puncher as well.
06:53Well, and he said he loves to play chess.
06:56This is a chess game he's going in here.
06:58He's going to walk around, move around, and he's doing that right off the bat.
07:02He's doing exactly what he said.
07:03Move around.
07:04Give him all kind of different looks.
07:05Play chess with him for a while.
07:07Something you'll notice, too, it's two southpaws right now.
07:09Holmes is boxing in a southpaw stance.
07:11Tall southpaw boxer against a shorter southpaw slugger.
07:14But also, Quincy Taylor can box.
07:17Both said that patience is key here.
07:20But, Holmes added, I'm so overanxious for this fight.
07:22Every time I walk past something, I tap it.
07:25Yeah, he was tapping the desk.
07:26He was tapping my knee.
07:28He was hitting everything while we were interviewing.
07:30He was very funny yesterday.
07:31Very light.
07:32But really dying to get to this fight.
07:35Both engaging personalities.
07:37Taylor told us, bottom line, Holmes doesn't have the experience.
07:41He hasn't fought the type of fighters he's fought.
07:44You know, Quincy Taylor, you might think, being the shorter of the fighters,
07:47and maybe not quite as quick as Holmes, would want to press this fight a little more.
07:50Make Holmes work.
07:51Make him move.
07:52Draw him into a little bit of a street fight, especially since he has the big power.
07:55Well, he's letting him do whatever he wants to here in the first round,
07:58because this is the throwaway round.
07:59Neither guy's going to do anything except that Holmes is going to do exactly what he said.
08:03See if he can play mind games with him, run around, stay on his toes.
08:08He's done all of that.
08:09But there's been no action.
08:11So this feeling out process in the final seconds of round number one, scheduled for 12.
08:18Taylor, the champion in the blue trunks, Holmes, the challenger in the way.
08:24Taylor watches tapes of old fighters and studies strategy.
08:27He said it's like chess.
08:28He'll use his wits.
08:30See, this is a non-action and hard to judge around,
08:33except that Holmes did what he wanted to, and the other guy didn't.
08:36So you have to give it to Holmes.
08:37Nobody did anything, but he did what he wanted to do, dance around, make the guy chase him.
08:41It's his round.
08:42That's the way he wanted to fight.
08:44But if you really looked at it, it's an even round.
08:46Neither one did much.
08:48So round one is coming to a close, final 15 seconds.
08:53Holmes looking to work the jab to Southport, going at it for the WBC Middleweight Championship here in Las Vegas.
09:28Let's do this.
09:34Curtis Cooks giving good advice, the master of the jab, and his time is the welterweight champion.
09:39Get that off his toe.
09:39You got to nail it, nail it, nail it, check the shot.
09:43You're fine, Quincy, you're fine, baby.
09:45Come upstairs with the jab.
09:46Don't go into the fight, come upstairs.
09:48And when you throw that lazy shit, Quincy, you got to get set.
09:50Because if you're going to throw the lazy shit, just make your mind.
09:52Here it comes, beam, beam.
09:53Okay, give me a beam, beam, beam, now, okay?
09:55Okay, take a deep breath.
09:57Second door, please.
09:58Suck it up.
09:59Second door.
09:59Second door.
10:00Second door.
10:01Second door.
10:01Second door.
10:02Second door.
10:03Second door.
10:04Second door.
10:06Round two.
10:08Coming off the first round of Not Much Action.
10:11You mentioned Curtis Cooks, former welterweight champion, very intelligent boxing man, recently
10:15inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
10:17He had an educated jab, and he knew how to repeat it, and he repeated that instruction about
10:22ten times.
10:22Let's see if that repetition had gotten through to the champ, and he starts that jab upstairs.
10:27He tried to land it underneath, and it wasn't working.
10:30Taylor, normally a slow starter, doesn't usually heat up until around the fifth round.
10:35By the middle rounds, he usually starts to add up points and wear his opponents down.
10:40Ohm said he's trained for a distance fight.
10:42He said, I'm conditioned for 25 rounds, and when I asked him what's his best punch, he simply
10:48said, both hands.
10:49He's very confident.
10:51Looking to box, Taylor keeps his distance with his long reach.
10:57Taylor goes in with the right jab now, both working the jab, looking to set up the left.
11:03This is very much a cat and mouse chess match here, and for right now, it's going to actually
11:07add to the challenger's advantage.
11:09He's a longer range fighter, a little quicker, he's got the reach, and stays outside, likes
11:13him, doesn't want to get into a firefight, and right now, Quincy Taylor is not making
11:17him do it.
11:17So, in effect, what we had said is that Holmes is making him fight his kind of fight, which
11:23is a chess game.
11:24That's exactly what he wants to do.
11:25That's exactly what he said he was going to do, and he's doing it.
11:29Neither fighter has been down in his career.
11:32Holmes doesn't cut.
11:35Taylor, the champion, in the blue, very good chin, very confident, calm, relaxed style as
11:41we hit the midway point, round two.
11:43At 32, a seasoned veteran.
11:45He's worked very hard to get to this point to be champion.
11:50Right now, Taylor's got to make challenger pay.
11:52Can't let him just sit outside at his own whim and just jab when he wants to jab, not
11:57jab step.
11:57He's got to make him pay.
11:58Make him miss some of those jabs.
11:59Not just pick him off and block him, but counter him, bang him.
12:04Keith Holmes, rated number nine by the WBC out of Washington, D.C.
12:08His only loss in 1990, a six-round decision to Ronald Hammond.
12:14He's 28-1 with 18 knockouts.
12:16The action picks up a little bit.
12:18You hear the Keith Holmes corner off to our left.
12:22They wanted him to peck and move, and that's what he's doing.
12:24He's not staying there to get hit.
12:25He's moving away.
12:29Keith Holmes, his first world title shot.
12:33Has won 21 in a row.
12:37Oh, nice jab.
12:38Nice hard jab on the part of Keith Holmes.
12:42Holmes says his strength is his ability to outthink his opponent.
12:45He's the thinking man's fighter.
12:47He able to box and use his reach to set people up and drop them with the left hand.
12:52Now, the question is, can you keep this up for 12 rounds?
12:55He's already doing good the first two.
12:56Can you keep this up?
12:57This is really magic right now.
13:01Good finish to the round for the challenger, Keith Holmes, in the White Chalks.
13:05Here's a whack with the left, a straight left hand.
13:08That was like a ten.
13:09Yeah, we'll be back there.
13:11All right, come on.
13:13You feel right?
13:14Okay, you're doing fine.
13:16Doing fine.
13:17Just don't get killers, okay?
13:19You understand?
13:19Mm-hmm.
13:20Okay, don't get killers.
13:21Give him an ice pack on the top of his head.
13:23Top of his head.
13:24There we go.
13:25How you feel, man?
13:26Great.
13:26Don't gamble and see how hard he can punch you.
13:29You understand what I'm saying, man?
13:30Keep your eyes on him just like you're doing.
13:32Keep your jab working just like you're doing.
13:34When you have to, move.
13:35You understand?
13:36Mm-hmm.
13:36Okay?
13:36Don't be no sitting duck, okay?
13:38You know he's laying on one of those legs, on that left leg, okay?
13:41All right, so let's see you move, move, move, move, move, and jab, jab, jab, jab, jab.
13:45Here you see two southpaws, which means both of the right hands are their lead punches.
13:49And what they're doing is they're jabbing each other.
13:51Right now, this jab is being the more effective.
13:53Keith Holmes is getting the jab done.
13:54When they both jab each other, it's basically a mirror image of two right-handed fighters.
13:59You're watching both sticking the jab to each other.
14:01Right now, Holmes is being more effective with the jab.
14:03There you see it again.
14:05That jab is winning the fight.
14:06Although right now, it's not winning by much.
14:10Excuse me.
14:10He's won both rounds.
14:12Not by much.
14:13But the thing is, he's doing what he wants to do.
14:16That's his game plan.
14:17And the corner's interesting.
14:18Boger said, don't try to find out how hard his punch is.
14:20It's a nice way of saying don't get hit.
14:22Yeah, Claude Boger leading the way in the Holmes corner, telling him not to gamble.
14:28But the challenger, Keith Holmes, coming off a very fine second round.
14:33He finished with a very good straight left.
14:38Incidentally, those names sprinkled on the trunks of Keith Holmes, you can see,
14:43are the names of relatives who have passed away, paying tribute.
14:49Quincy Taylor in the blue, the champion.
14:52Taylor's got to close the gap and make Holmes pay.
14:54When he misses, he's going to make him pay.
14:55He's got to work that body and come up underneath.
14:57Throwing the uppercuts, throwing the hooks.
14:59Quincy can punch with both hands.
15:00He's got to use them both.
15:06Again, a very vocal corner to our left, Keith Holmes.
15:10Holmes out sticking and out slicking.
15:13Quincy, I don't know how much of this Quincy's going to have to wait before he gets started.
15:17If he waits for the fifth round, he will have dug a nice little hole for himself.
15:24Well, the Holmes corner is enjoying it.
15:26They like the fact that he's sticking that jab.
15:28Here's a little right hook by Quincy Taylor, but he didn't have full impact on Holmes' face.
15:33That's the first time he's gotten in that close to have an effective punching inside,
15:37which was neutralized because the other guy came back with exactly the same thing that Keith Holmes.
15:42So, it was a standoff exchange.
15:44He can't keep this range.
15:46This range is going to be completely to Keith Holmes' advantage.
15:48Both fighters trying to set things up with their jabs, but have mostly stayed at a good distance from each
15:55other.
15:56Well, distance, speed, and size is what Holmes has got.
16:00He's much taller, and he can fly back, and the other guy can't catch him.
16:05And maybe not on a bum leg.
16:06That leg is not helping him.
16:09Holmes with the 7-inch reach advantage.
16:11Does feel the height and the reach will be the difference here tonight.
16:14Taylor feels the experience will be the difference.
16:16Now, Taylor digging to the body.
16:17There are a couple nice body shots in.
16:19There's a counter by Holmes.
16:21Quincy's just not throwing enough punches right now.
16:23He seems to be a little flat.
16:24There's a nice counter left hand.
16:25But that's what he's got to do.
16:26Make a miss and counter.
16:27He seems to have a great deal of frustration right now.
16:30He wants to get into the shootout, and it's not coming.
16:33For the first time in these three rounds, a Holmes stopped for a moment in front of him and didn't
16:38move away.
16:39His corners screamed, move!
16:40Because that's his thing.
16:42Don't stay there to get hit.
16:43Move away.
16:44Well, see, now he's moving, and he's doing nothing while he's moving.
16:47He got hit a couple of counters, and he stepped out.
16:49And now he's not doing anything.
16:50Just moving on the outside, moving.
16:51You can't win the fight by moving backwards.
16:53If you move backwards and the other fighter moves forwards and nothing happens, the aggression at least gets a little
16:58edge.
16:59Less than 10 seconds remaining in the third round.
17:05Keith Holmes, who began fighting in the amateurs at 14.
17:13Better.
17:14Better.
17:16I got it.
17:17Yeah.
17:19Here, let me take him off.
17:26Listen.
17:27You're doing better now.
17:28You're doing better.
17:29You're starting to get your rhythm.
17:30You're starting to get your rhythm.
17:31Okay?
17:31You feel good about this thing?
17:32Yeah.
17:32Okay.
17:33Okay.
17:33Okay.
17:34Go to work on him just a little bit now.
17:35Let him get cocky.
17:37Let him get cocky.
17:38You got to get him down off his toe now.
17:39Okay?
17:40You're doing good.
17:41But you got to just throw a few more shots.
17:42A few more points.
17:44Inside.
17:44Bing, bing.
17:45Inside.
17:45Dig.
17:45What's the team digging that?
17:46If he hit his elbows, that's okay.
17:48I want you to hit it.
17:49Okay?
17:49So he get your ring.
17:50Okay?
17:51Yeah.
17:51Catch his nose.
17:52Another rinse?
17:54Another rinse?
17:54No, I'm on.
17:55Okay.
17:55Want to swallow some?
17:56Hmm?
17:56Want to swallow some?
18:01Let's roll.
18:01Let's roll.
18:04Keith, Keith, Keith.
18:05Put him in combinations.
18:05Didn't move.
18:06Combinations didn't move.
18:07Come on.
18:07Here we go.
18:08Round four.
18:09Scheduled for 12 for the WBC Middleweight Championship.
18:12The champion, Quincy Taylor, on the right of your screen in the blue trunks.
18:16And Keith Holmes, the challenger in the white trunks.
18:19Quincy Taylor credits trainer Curtis Cox with his success.
18:24He says, Curtis, just let me be myself.
18:26Taylor says that sometimes he's too careful.
18:28That's his biggest weakness.
18:30He's posing when he should be funny.
18:32He admits to having problems with slick, moving boxers.
18:36And Keith Holmes is just that.
18:37Yeah, he's had some problems already with him.
18:39Well, you see now already he's starting to get into the body.
18:41Get landed.
18:41Two clean shots of the body there.
18:42His last run, he started to land with the counters.
18:44The overhand left.
18:45A couple of body shots he dug in.
18:47Started to slow down Holmes a little bit.
18:49Not that Holmes has had any blistering pace.
18:51Taylor won his first 10 fights, 9 by knockout,
18:54then lost to a young, up-and-coming boxer by the name of Terry Norris in 1988.
18:59A 10-round decision.
19:00But he and many people, many boxing experts,
19:04feel that Taylor has really improved since that defeat.
19:06He's added power.
19:10There's that jab again by Quincy Taylor hopping around,
19:13coming off the torn anterior cruciate ligament
19:16in the left knee while jogging and jogging into a hole.
19:19What is that special slip blow?
19:21That was a little south of the border.
19:23There's a nice left hand over the top,
19:25right behind, followed it right up with a nice shot.
19:27Got away with it.
19:28Richard Steele letting it go.
19:30Yeah, he didn't have the angle.
19:33Quincy fighting much, much better this run.
19:35At the beginning, at the end of that last round,
19:37looked like he really picked up with the counters.
19:39And now it looks like he's getting the reins.
19:41Ann Holmes has quit dancing and moving away from him.
19:43That's exactly what Curtis Coles in his corner said.
19:45He said, you're starting to find the reins.
19:46He said, you feel good about this?
19:47And he said, yeah, yeah.
19:48And he said, he's got the reins down now.
19:52Taylor has been dubbed with the nickname Baby Tyson,
19:56but he's very modest about his knockouts.
19:59He doesn't consider himself a big puncher,
20:01even though he's got the 22 knockouts and 21.
20:04The action heating up again as Keith Holmes comes in.
20:07Boring in on Quincy Taylor, who fights his way out.
20:10Good exchange.
20:11Taylor counterback nicely sat inside and waited,
20:13although he got caught with a nice clean left uppercut from Holmes.
20:16Boy, that was a cannonball left uppercut, too.
20:19Oh, boy.
20:20Keith Holmes looking sharp here.
20:21He's the challenger.
20:23Right uppercut by Keith Holmes.
20:25Right into the stomach.
20:27Give him a second warning.
20:30Holmes on the attack.
20:32If ever there was a time for stopping and fighting for Quincy Taylor,
20:36now's the time.
20:37Richard Steele just gave a second warning to Holmes
20:39for possible low blows.
20:41He's got to be careful.
20:44You know, Quincy looks a little flat right now,
20:47a little bit confused,
20:48but he looks a little flat, a little weak,
20:49although there you see some nice power.
20:52But he got hit a real good shot, Bobby.
20:54He took it well.
20:55He just got hit another good shot.
20:57Final seconds, round four,
21:00as Holmes continues to press the attack,
21:03but Taylor is game.
21:06Left hook there by Holmes at the bell.
21:31I need you to go to work there for me.
21:35I'm working for you.
21:36You work for me.
21:37Come on.
21:38That's a good shot.
21:39You took about three or four good shots in there.
21:41I need to pick it up.
21:42You need to pick it up.
21:43You have to take this motherfucker.
21:44This is a good sequence by Holmes.
21:46Let's watch him pop it.
21:47He's been around too long.
21:47We ain't got hit hard yet.
21:48There's the shot.
21:50That's the shot that Bobby was picked out the right uppercut
21:53that landed right.
21:54Now, let's look at two.
21:55Now, Bobby, look at that.
21:56We're watching later on.
21:57It's super slow on.
21:58You see now Holmes starting to come in a little bit,
22:00and Quincy waiting to counter,
22:02throws nice two digs to the body.
22:04Nothing real clean, nothing real big.
22:06His pace is still ready to pick up and heat up.
22:08So round five as Quincy Taylor comes out.
22:12Pretty good round for Taylor
22:13as he connected both to the body and the head of Holmes,
22:15who also scored with a couple of uppercuts of his own,
22:18as he just saw.
22:19Well, the best thing is that Holmes went on the offensive
22:21after that great shot that you saw in the slow motion replay.
22:25He went on the offensive for the first time,
22:27was attacking, and he was attacking full out.
22:29It was a time for Quincy to stop and fight toe-to-toe,
22:32but he didn't.
22:33Now, you see a little role reversal here
22:35as Quincy's moving on the outside,
22:37and in comes Holmes.
22:41I think Holmes is beginning to feel
22:44that the tide is rolling his way
22:46after that offensive round he had,
22:48and they told him in the corner,
22:49go get him, go take care of business.
22:52Keith Holmes in the white, 28-1, 18 knockouts.
22:57Quincy Taylor in the blue, 26-3 with 22 KOs.
23:01Taylor is the champion.
23:03And again, Taylor working the body.
23:05Yeah, he's still looking to work that body.
23:07You can see Holmes certainly the taller,
23:09the thinner of the two,
23:11very lean in the ribcage area,
23:13but right now he's fending off those body shots
23:15with no major problems.
23:16Yeah, those body shots are hitting elbows and arms.
23:18They're not hitting the body.
23:19I mean, so those are not counted as big body blows.
23:23They're not slowing Holmes down.
23:25The judges, David Chung of Korea,
23:28Dave Brown of Canada,
23:29and Chuck Ciampa of Las Vegas.
23:30Got an educated right jab as Holmes.
23:33He just keeps popping.
23:34One, two, three.
23:36Fun.
23:39Still trying to get that right uppercut to the body
23:41and that right hook to the body.
23:42They go toe-to-toe here in the center of the ring,
23:45both wailing away.
23:46See, this is the fight Taylor wants.
23:48Right now he's not getting,
23:49he still hasn't got a problem in his range now,
23:51but this is the fight he wants.
23:52Holmes connecting with a right uppercut in that sequence.
23:56Big right hook and left hand.
23:57Furious exchange.
24:03Taylor now showing the head movement,
24:05right up bobbing and waving,
24:07and trying to counter.
24:08Let's see what that wild left hook is telling.
24:10A lot of shots landed from both fighters,
24:13and that was a good, even exchange.
24:16Tough, tough exchange for both fighters.
24:18But it's Taylor's favorite.
24:19Taylor can punch much harder.
24:20Yeah, the two bigger shots were landed by Taylor,
24:23the two right hooks,
24:23but he's getting snuck with those little quick, sneaky shots.
24:26And there are many of them, Bobby.
24:28This guy's punching in bunches.
24:29He is punching.
24:31Holmes is punching very nicely in combination.
24:33That's what I'm talking about.
24:34Bring him back up.
24:35That's right.
24:36Again, a good short, crisp uppercut by Keith Holmes.
24:39Two of them uppercuts.
24:40Come on to the body.
24:41They want him to throw to the body and the head.
24:44Not to go one and done.
24:46To follow it up in the Holmes corner.
24:52Now, Holmes looking to spin Taylor around
24:54with a quick combination.
24:56And he came out with a three-punch combination
24:58after trying to spin him around, not being able to.
25:01As we head for the call in round five,
25:04as Taylor finishes with a left hook to the head.
25:07And to the body.
25:08What a flurry.
25:09Stay into the body, Steve.
25:10He's trying to stay down to the body,
25:11maybe a little too much.
25:13Now he's getting behind again,
25:15just when it looked like he was coming on.
25:17He's working good.
25:18Five down, seven more to go.
25:20Okay, we're going into the six, okay?
25:21All right, take a deep breath.
25:22Give me a bucket, babe.
25:23Take a deep breath.
25:25Feel okay?
25:25Look good.
25:26Look good.
25:27Here we go.
25:29That's what he did.
25:31Stay focused, too.
25:31Do me a favor,
25:32drag his face a little bit with your towel.
25:34Please.
25:37Take a deep breath.
25:38Take a deep breath.
25:39Drag his face to the towel.
25:41Stay focused.
25:45Keith.
25:46Keith.
25:46Huh?
25:46Keep in mind on your work, okay, man?
25:48Okay.
25:49You understand what I'm saying?
25:49Right.
25:50Let's take a look at that toe-to-toe action.
25:54Now, there's a wild miss by Taylor.
25:56Back comes Holmes,
25:58and each of them are connecting in their own way.
26:00So it's kind of an even exchange,
26:02but Taylor should have come out of there the winner
26:04because of his hard punches,
26:05but he didn't.
26:07And it's round six,
26:09a physically taxing round on Keith Holmes,
26:12round five.
26:13And for the first time of the fight,
26:15Taylor and Holmes going toe-to-toe
26:16and fighting inside.
26:18Now, round six,
26:19scheduled for 12
26:19for the WBC middleweight title.
26:21And on the inside there,
26:23when they get head-to-head
26:24and they start punching,
26:25countering, counter-punching back,
26:27working the body, working the head.
26:28Some of those punches are blocked
26:28and some are clean.
26:29It's very subtle.
26:30And the scoring here,
26:31very important,
26:32very close fight,
26:33very, very difficult to score this year.
26:37And it's always an adventure here
26:39in lovely Las Vegas.
26:41As far as the score.
26:42Now, this one's going to be hard,
26:44hard to tell what you like,
26:45you know,
26:46because these are hard rounds to score.
26:50Keith Holmes walking in,
26:52working that jab,
26:53two southpaws for the title.
26:56You always wonder if it's as difficult
26:58for another southpaw
26:59to find a southpaw in front of him
27:00as it is for an orthodox fighter.
27:01Good combination by Taylor.
27:03Well, we asked the fighters that question,
27:05Bobby, in our morning roundup.
27:07They both said no.
27:08It evens things out.
27:09It's just like being even up.
27:11And both of them kind of like
27:14to fight another southpaw.
27:16Yeah, Taylor said he's looking
27:17to perfect his style against southpaws
27:20as opposed to the conventional right-handers
27:22in our meetings with them yesterday.
27:25And Keith Holmes was too busy
27:27tapping himself on the table.
27:29And getting off one-liners.
27:31He was funny.
27:33If this doesn't work out,
27:34he's got a future.
27:34He's a stand-up coming.
27:35There seems to be a little bit of a snap,
27:37a little bit of speed and sting
27:39off of Holmes' punch right now.
27:41He's just kind of throwing it out there.
27:42Taylor got a nice combination in.
27:44Right now,
27:45Holmes seems to be taking a round off.
27:47Yeah, this round is not his offensive round
27:49like the last two have been.
27:50I think he's looking to regroup.
27:51He got a lot of wind knocked out of him
27:53in that fifth round,
27:54as you can see in the corner.
27:56And he's just trying to hold on here
27:58and get his wind back.
28:01And Taylor looking to take advantage
28:02of that situation.
28:03Just missed with that left uppercut, Taylor.
28:06Taylor looking much stronger right now.
28:09He's coming back.
28:11Combination to the head of Taylor.
28:13Taylor's got an excellent chin.
28:16He has never been down.
28:18The same for Holmes.
28:19Taylor, again, pouring it on
28:22with combination to the head.
28:24Abandoning the body work for the moment.
28:29Whatever advantage Holmes had
28:30at the beginning from dancing
28:32and popping and moving away is gone.
28:33He's throwing it away.
28:34He's now standing in front of him.
28:36And when you stand in front of Taylor,
28:37you can expect some punishment.
28:39Taylor has lured the challenger Holmes
28:41into a slug fashion.
28:42There's a straight left by Quincy Tanner
28:45that landed.
28:46There's a beautiful hook
28:47within the left hand behind it.
28:48There's another left hand.
28:49That's what he's just sitting inside
28:50waiting for.
28:51Get to range and he found it.
28:53That was the punch of the night.
28:54Quincy Taylor with the left.
28:56The tide is turning.
28:58All of a sudden,
28:58it's becoming more of the champion's fight.
29:00More clear cut, I should say,
29:02of the champion's fight.
29:03Final seconds, round six.
29:15That's the way to work, son.
29:16Now you're working.
29:17Now you're working.
29:18Take it easy.
29:18Give him the map.
29:19He's out of here.
29:22Deep breath.
29:22Deep breath.
29:23Suck it up.
29:23Give me a suck it up.
29:24Get some man in.
29:25Stop.
29:26Atta boy.
29:28Here.
29:29French your mouth right now.
29:30Okay, that's six down,
29:31six to go, all right, Keith?
29:32All right?
29:33You know what you got to do, though?
29:34You got to pick it up on the inside.
29:35You're getting a little too lazy
29:35on the inside on us, okay?
29:37All right?
29:37You got to get busier on the inside,
29:39okay, man?
29:39Left upper cut of work.
29:40You understand what I'm saying?
29:41Now let's take a look at the beautiful work of the champion here.
29:44As they approach, they get in close.
29:47Now look at that punch.
29:48See that right hand right over the top,
29:50and it's stinging Holmes.
29:52Holmes is not fighting as hard.
29:54Let's take another look at that, Bobby.
29:56It's more clear.
29:56Yeah, the body shots were starting to work, bro,
29:58and you see him inside.
29:59He's waiting.
29:59There it is.
29:59The hook and then the straight left hand right behind it.
30:02Holmes tried to duck out of the way,
30:03but it was too crisp and too quick
30:05for him to actually get out of the way of it.
30:07He's waiting inside, timing him.
30:08He's got his rhythm.
30:09Well, it's round seven.
30:10Halfway through the fight,
30:11the champion has started to take control.
30:14Isn't it funny that in Holmes' corner,
30:17they're playing that mathematical game,
30:19they're saying that's two rounds down,
30:20only ten rounds to go.
30:21Yeah.
30:21I mean, I don't want to know that.
30:22I want to know there's only two rounds left to go.
30:25Ten have gone by.
30:26That could be discouraging.
30:28Oh, that's a six round.
30:29Six more to go.
30:30What?
30:31Six more of this?
30:32That leads you to believe
30:32that they worry about the conditioning
30:33or that maybe the fighter's worried about it
30:35here in a championship fight,
30:36and it does prey on the minds of young fighters
30:38that extra two rounds,
30:39those championship rounds.
30:40And so far,
30:41that torn ACL situation
30:43has not been a problem
30:45for Quincy Taylor
30:47as it was not against Julian Jackson.
30:48This is the jab picking away
30:50as Keith Holmes
30:50trying to set up the left.
30:52Those are nice jabs,
30:53three nice jabs.
30:53They weren't hard,
30:54but they sure got the champion off his form.
30:57Look at this.
30:58Nice body shots.
30:59That's a perfect example
31:01of working their body,
31:02double to the body,
31:03double to the head,
31:03come right back on top.
31:05Holmes shakes his head
31:06in Taylor's face
31:07as if to say,
31:07you didn't hurt me,
31:08which usually means the opposite.
31:10And either way,
31:11he swore points.
31:13Yeah.
31:13Either way,
31:15he's starting to take command
31:16as Quincy Taylor.
31:17The champion's fighting
31:18with a lot more brillo,
31:20with a lot more energy.
31:21And he seems confident.
31:23The other guy seems to be
31:24getting a little...
31:26waiting for Taylor.
31:28Quincy Taylor,
31:30born in Tyler, Texas,
31:31lives in Dallas.
31:33Invited several of the Dallas Mavericks
31:36to the fight tonight,
31:37hoping that his buddies,
31:39Jamal Mashburn and Jim Jackson,
31:41will show up to help cheer him on.
31:44Just missed with that right hook.
31:46Taylor, back comes Holmes.
31:48There's a nice combination
31:49by Holmes.
31:49Holmes is now trying to do
31:50a little bit of counterpunching back,
31:52doing exactly to Taylor
31:53what Taylor's been doing to him.
31:55Left hook there by Taylor
31:56off the top of the head.
31:58Taylor looks like he's zeroing in.
31:59Bobby looks like he's getting the range,
32:01and those punches are coming so close.
32:03Taylor's zipping punches in there.
32:05You know what?
32:06Neither of them are landing
32:06tremendous amounts of clean punches,
32:08but Taylor's punches are a little more,
32:10and they're a little harder.
32:11So he's winning the rounds with that.
32:12If they land the same amount,
32:14he's got the bigger, cleaner blows.
32:15That's going to matter.
32:16Quincy Tanner making his first title defense,
32:19a title he won last August,
32:21a six-round TKO of Julian the Hawk Jackson
32:23in his first world title shot.
32:25This is the first title shot
32:26for Keith Holmes in his six-plus year career.
32:32There's the jab of Holmes,
32:33but misses to the left,
32:34follows it up with the right cross.
32:37That was a nice combination.
32:38Now here comes Taylor right back.
32:41Sometimes the best offense he puts together
32:43is right after he's been hit.
32:44Good dunk under move by Holmes
32:46and follows it up with an uppercut,
32:47but Taylor getting the best of that sequence.
32:54All right, all right.
32:56Deep breath.
32:59Deep breath.
33:20Here's Holmes' good sequence.
33:22Just when it looks like he's blowing the round,
33:24he comes back.
33:25That's all.
33:27Quincy Taylor right there.
33:29But usually after an exchange,
33:30he comes right back.
33:33You see it again.
33:34It's a nice work to the body and to the head.
33:36He slips.
33:37Actually, this part right now is
33:40young Keith Taylor.
33:41He's doing it.
33:41Keith Holmes doing what he's supposed to do with the jab.
33:43The jab's been working for him for the whole fight.
33:46Holmes' corner shouting at him,
33:48hey, you have to go to work.
33:49This is a title fight.
33:50Round eight.
33:51Good start to round seven by Keith Holmes
33:54as he doubled up with his jabs early,
33:56but he couldn't sustain the attack
33:57in the second half of the round.
34:00Quincy Taylor, on my card,
34:01is in just about pulling this fight even.
34:04And from here on out,
34:05it's going to be the championship causeway.
34:06And that's where Quincy Taylor is good.
34:09I have Quincy Taylor ahead by a little bit.
34:11And right now, he seems to be dominating
34:12with his strength and with his bigger, better punches.
34:15Right now, it's still on anybody's fight.
34:17Let's not forget, we have a lot of rounds ahead of us.
34:19We have five full rounds.
34:20That's a lifetime in this game.
34:22Oh, yeah.
34:23They're well within range of each other.
34:24They're neck and neck.
34:26This fight's still up for grabs.
34:28As Keith Holmes certainly knows
34:29because they probably said seven down, five to go.
34:33Now it's the time you want to hear those.
34:35From four on, you want to hear it.
34:37It is round eight.
34:39Things slowing down just for the moment.
34:44But a lot of action here.
34:46Quincy Taylor picking things up midway through the fight
34:48and assuming the control.
34:50Can Holmes come back?
34:52See, Holmes needs to keep that jab working.
34:53He can't just throw it out there in a token fashion.
34:56He's got to snap it.
34:56He's got to make it.
34:57Sting.
34:58He's got to make it count.
34:58And forwards in combination.
34:59Oh, he lets Taylor do that.
35:01He's going to get beat.
35:02And a very impressive fallaway straight right hand
35:05by Quincy Taylor.
35:11What Holmes was doing before was popping that jab
35:14and then coming in with combinations,
35:15he stopped doing.
35:16Now the jab is coming in.
35:17It's not popping in,
35:18and he didn't follow it with combinations.
35:20But let's Taylor come back and take the play away.
35:24Less than a minute 30 remaining in round eight.
35:28Again, the Holmes quarter to our left,
35:30urging Keith on.
35:31Taylor missing with those long bonds.
35:37Holmes fighting right now like he's a little more desperate,
35:39like he's got a little more of a vicious intent behind him.
35:42But again, he just slacks off and just lays back.
35:46He's got to keep that up.
35:47Keep going forward with that jab.
35:48Use it to set up.
35:49Crisp combinations to make Taylor work.
35:54They've done a lot of borderline punches,
35:56low punches,
35:56and Richard Steele hasn't said anything.
35:59Neither fighters complained once.
36:00One dirty look in the direction of Richard,
36:03but nothing.
36:04Bobby, Keith Holmes has been stung,
36:06perhaps stung like he's never been hit before
36:08in his career.
36:09That might have something to do
36:10with his keeping of distance here.
36:13In all honesty, Quincy Taylor,
36:15to me right now,
36:15still does look a little flat.
36:17He doesn't look like the Quincy Taylor
36:18that I've seen in the past.
36:20Not quite as crisp,
36:20not quite as strong.
36:21That combination is more Quincy-esque.
36:25That was strong.
36:26That was strong,
36:28that combination on the part of Quincy Taylor.
36:30And Holmes walking right into it,
36:32looking to get offensive,
36:33but at the wrong time.
36:37Taylor now with a lot of confidence.
36:40You can see it in the head move.
36:41Well, he's starting to lay in the punches
36:42a little bigger, too.
36:44Even what Holmes does,
36:45he can't fend him off.
36:47He can't really hurt him.
36:49So that's it for round eight.
36:51Right now, let's go over to Jim Gray.
36:53All right.
36:54Thank you very much, Steve.
36:55I am here with Bernard Hopkins.
36:56He is the IBF middleweight champion.
36:58Earlier today,
36:59he defeated, knocked out,
37:00Joe Lipsey in the fourth round.
37:01Lipsey was taken to the hospital.
37:03We're told that he is all right.
37:05Congratulations, Bernard.
37:06And would you like to fight the winner
37:07and unify the title?
37:08Yes, I would like to fight the winner
37:09of this championship bout here.
37:11That's why I'm here.
37:13Have a hand's eye on who won this fight.
37:16Quincy Taylor looks like
37:17he's controlling the pace right now.
37:19He's being a champion in this,
37:20being cagey.
37:21But I'd like to have the opportunity
37:22to fight the winner of this fight
37:24to unify the title.
37:25And that's what the talk is now
37:26between Don King
37:27and my promoter, Butch Lewis.
37:28And I think that it'd be a good thing
37:30for boxing people.
37:31Bernard, thanks for joining us.
37:32Congratulations on your fight.
37:34All right, let's go back to Steve.
37:35All right, Jim.
37:36And the feeling is mutual,
37:37as Quincy Taylor told us yesterday.
37:40Give me a good rap.
37:41I need a good rap.
37:41Let's go, Quincy.
37:42Come on.
37:42He wants to unify the title, too,
37:44and meet Bernard Hopkins
37:45or the WBA champ,
37:46Shinji Takahara of Japan.
37:48Well, should this fight
37:49go as it's going right now
37:51and Taylor retains his title,
37:52that would be a blazing good fight
37:54because Bernard Taylor
37:55put on a magnificent
37:56punching exhibition today
37:58and these are two hard punches.
37:59And he beat
38:00a hard-punching southpaw.
38:02They went at it.
38:03That was the war.
38:04All right, round nine.
38:06Keith Holmes' quarter imploring him.
38:08You've got this guy in a hole.
38:10You can't sit and not throw punches.
38:12Go to work.
38:13Act like you want to win the title.
38:16Well, he better wake up.
38:18We're starting to fall behind now
38:19and as we creep up on those late rounds,
38:22you get to a point of no return
38:23in the point system
38:24and that makes things very difficult,
38:26especially in a championship fight.
38:29Yeah, you better be far ahead on points
38:31if you're the challenger
38:32coming into any championship fight.
38:35Especially Las Vegas.
38:36Especially here.
38:37He's fighting a survival fight right now,
38:39not a winner fight.
38:39He's not coming in to take the title.
38:41Good for the title.
38:42He just looks like he's glad
38:43to get through these rounds
38:44and that's not the way to win the title.
38:52Oh, now goes Taylor.
38:54A right hook and Taylor out of nowhere
38:56winds up on the canvas.
38:58They were both on right hooks at the same time
39:00and down with Taylor.
39:01103 in.
39:03To round number nine.
39:06You okay?
39:06What a turnabout of events.
39:09Keith Holmes with a vicious right hook
39:11that floors the champion, Quincy Tanner.
39:13Can he finish him off now?
39:15Quincy does not look great.
39:16He's not hurt real bad,
39:17but he doesn't look good.
39:20Taylor on wobbly ground.
39:22The champion.
39:23Two got a challenger.
39:24He could punch himself out.
39:26This is going to bring him even in a fight
39:27if he doesn't knock Taylor out.
39:29Keith Holmes going for the finish.
39:31Oh, it's over.
39:32It's over.
39:33Uh-oh.
39:34Uh-oh.
39:35Stop in that fight.
39:36They stopped the fight that quick?
39:37I cannot believe.
39:39I cannot believe that.
39:40That is...
39:41No, that is not...
39:42That's a title you just took away
39:44when he was...
39:45It didn't even go down.
39:46Richard Steele's had some tremendous scrutiny
39:48over the recent times,
39:49and I'll tell you what,
39:50that's going to be a big one.
39:51Well, Richard goes along
39:52and has a year or two
39:54a perfect referee,
39:55and then every once in a while
39:56he makes one of these boo-boos,
39:58and you just look at him,
39:59and you say,
39:59gee whiz,
40:00I mean,
40:00that wasn't hardly any kind of beating
40:02to stop a fight
40:03and hand a title,
40:05especially when the other guy
40:06was already ahead.
40:07Quincy ahead.
40:07I don't know.
40:09Controversial always seems to follow
40:10Richard Steele around,
40:12and it happens here once again
40:14where...
40:15There weren't big punches.
40:16There were just pity-pat punches.
40:17There were a lot of them.
40:18Fellas.
40:19Some of them were being blocked,
40:20and I'll tell you what,
40:21I think he didn't give
40:22Quincy Taylor a chance,
40:23and I just think
40:24it was a bad stoppage.
40:25Fellas,
40:26we're on Showtime.
40:26Need I remind you,
40:27the Bermuda Triangle
40:28of crazy decisions
40:30and crazy fights.
40:31This is crazy, Bobby.
40:32Crazy.
40:34Keith Holmes
40:36hugging his kid.
40:39What a dramatic,
40:40compelling turnaround.
40:44And it is very emotional there
40:46between Keith Holmes
40:48and his daughter.
40:50That is going by Troy.
40:54Tremendous right hook
40:55by Keith Holmes.
40:57Take another look.
40:58Let us take a look
41:00at this knockdown.
41:02It came from nowhere.
41:03They were trading punches,
41:04and it's a very clean right hand.
41:07They both throw right hooks.
41:08One lands first.
41:09They use the momentum
41:09of the other fighter,
41:10and down he goes.
41:11It's Rocky Marciano
41:12and Archie Moore.
41:13They both threw the same punch,
41:14but only one landed.
41:15You watch it.
41:16As they both go to throw,
41:17there's down,
41:18both go to throw right hooks.
41:19Here you go, bam.
41:20One lands and one misses.
41:22Perfection.
41:23When you're coming into each other,
41:24it doubles the impact.
41:25Let me take a look at it
41:26in super slow bone,
41:27because this is what you call,
41:29if there is such a thing
41:30as beauty,
41:30a beauty of a punch.
41:34Completely naked.
41:35There was nothing in front of it
41:37to block it and land it
41:38just as he was throwing his.
41:40That counter punch
41:40with the punch
41:41knocks you down.
41:42I did not think
41:43he got up in such bad shape,
41:45nor did I think
41:45that he was in bad shape
41:46when he was taking that assault.
41:48I didn't think
41:48he was in that bad of shape.
41:49I didn't think
41:50he was in that bad of shape.
41:51He obviously wasn't
41:51completely clear.
41:52I think he was
41:53in a little bit of trouble,
41:54but I'll be honest with you,
41:55I didn't think
41:55he was in that bad of shape.
41:56I didn't think
41:56he was warning and stoppage.
41:57Well, we're all excited,
41:58so let's get unexcited
41:59and let's look at it,
42:00Bobby Coley.
42:01Surgically,
42:02let's see if he really
42:03should have stopped that fight.
42:04There's a lot of misses going on.
42:06That's a good stiff punch.
42:07That's a miss.
42:08There's another miss.
42:09There's a glancing shot.
42:10There's nothing solid in there.
42:12And he was even fighting back.
42:14See, he's standing well.
42:15He's not sagging against the ropes.
42:17Let's look at it again.
42:19Now, what you got to focus is...
42:21There's a missing jab.
42:21That's glancing.
42:23That one's right on the neck.
42:25You know, that miss
42:26that's over the top of his head,
42:27that's glancing.
42:28I mean, he's starting to throw a punch.
42:30I'm just looking.
42:31I can't see a good, clean shot.
42:33There's no whiplash involved.
42:35There's no real power being put on.
42:38Or the fact that he is so stunned
42:40that he has no control over himself.
42:42There's no, you know,
42:43this face where you look like
42:44you're knocked out.
42:45Oh, that's a shame.
42:46Although Taylor assumed control midway,
42:48Holmes was up by 2-2-1
42:50on the judges' scorecards
42:51going to round nine.
42:52To Jimmy Lennon Jr. for the announcement.
42:56Ladies and gentlemen,
42:57we have a time of 1 minute 43 seconds.
43:01In round number nine,
43:03our referee in charge,
43:04Richard Steele,
43:05stops the contest.
43:06He's the winner
43:06by way of technical knockout
43:08and the new WBC middleweight champion
43:12of the world,
43:14Keith Holmes.
43:19So, an upset,
43:20Keith Holmes
43:20in his first world title shot,
43:22rated number nine,
43:24surprises Quincy Taylor
43:25for the WBC middleweight title.
43:27Let's go over to Jim Gray.
43:29All right.
43:29Thank you very much, Steve.
43:31Keith,
43:31Keith,
43:31if we can talk to you
43:32for just a moment,
43:33tell us about the right-hand shot
43:34that you hit him with.
43:36Well,
43:36I seen it all day
43:37in my corner
43:38with telling me
43:38to throw it,
43:39throw it.
43:39And I was just trying
43:40to weigh him down
43:41a little bit
43:41because he's a very experienced
43:43fighter.
43:43Great fighter, man.
43:45And I was just trying
43:46to, you know,
43:47wait for the right moment.
43:48And it came.
43:49Did you feel as though
43:50you were way behind
43:51in the fight
43:51and you needed
43:51a punch like that?
43:52No.
43:53Well, Sterling,
43:54my manager,
43:55Sterling McFerris,
43:55came up to the corner
43:56and told me,
43:57you know,
43:57this is a world title fight.
43:59You know,
43:59don't be in there bulljive.
44:01I got to dig deep
44:02and get it
44:02because I got a ticket
44:03from this guy.
44:04You know,
44:04and I,
44:05you know,
44:05after he went down the steps,
44:07I thought about it
44:08and I dug deep.
44:10Let's bring in
44:11the former champion
44:11right here,
44:12Quincy.
44:13Did you feel as though
44:14the fight should be stopped?
44:15Well,
44:16I feel like I could continue,
44:17you know,
44:17but, you know,
44:18Rich Deere,
44:18you know,
44:18he's trying to be safe
44:19to all the fighters
44:20and stuff,
44:21so I can't,
44:22I can't,
44:22you know,
44:22I ain't the referee,
44:23you know,
44:23but I feel like
44:24it was too early,
44:25but he caught me
44:25with a good shot.
44:26It was just a flash
44:27knockdown,
44:27a good shot.
44:28I take no credit
44:29from him.
44:29That was a pretty shot
44:30he caught me with.
44:30I caught me with my hands
44:31down and a good shot.
44:32He caught me with
44:33a really beautiful shot.
44:34Did you feel as though
44:35you were in complete
44:35control of this fight
44:36until then?
44:36I feel like I had
44:37pretty much control
44:37until that shot came,
44:38came about,
44:39you know,
44:40when he caught me
44:40with that shot,
44:41that was,
44:41that was the shot.
44:43I take no from him,
44:44he caught me
44:44with a beautiful shot.
44:45They probably seen
44:46something that my
44:46corner didn't see
44:47and he caught me
44:48with a shot,
44:48probably had my hands
44:49down,
44:49so he caught me
44:50with a nice shot,
44:51so there wasn't
44:52no joke about that.
44:53It was a beautiful shot,
44:54nice shot he caught me
44:54with.
44:55All right,
44:55Quincy,
44:55let's ask Richard Steele.
44:56Richard,
44:56why did you stop the fight?
44:57He seemed as though
44:58he could continue.
44:59Well,
45:00who said that?
45:01Well,
45:02that's my observation
45:02and the observation
45:03of the three announcers.
45:04Yeah,
45:05well,
45:05I thought that he had
45:06enough.
45:06I just,
45:07he doesn't have to be
45:08flat on his back
45:09for me to call the fight.
45:10It doesn't have to be,
45:11you know,
45:12I think that he has
45:13a lot of fight left in him.
45:15I think that he can
45:15always come back
45:16and give him another day.
45:18That's my story.
45:19Okay,
45:20Richard,
45:20we appreciate your time.
45:21Let's go back
45:21to Steve Alpert.
45:23All right,
45:24there he is,
45:25the new champion,
45:26Keith Holmes,
45:26as the WBC
45:27middleweight title
45:28changes hands again.
45:29A short reign,
45:30only about seven months
45:32for Quincy Taylor
45:33who had ideas
45:34of unifying the title,
45:35but now he's out
45:35and Keith Holmes
45:36is in
45:37as the new
45:38WBC
45:39middleweight champion.
45:42The first.
45:45And a quick look
45:46at the tail of the tape.
45:48They are each 27 years.
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