Bernard Taylor | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | June 26, 1957 | |||||||||||||||||
| Other names | The B.T. Express | |||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Featherweight Super featherweight | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) | |||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 69 in (175 cm) | |||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 51 | |||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 45 | |||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 22 | |||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| No contests | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Bernard Taylor (born June 26, 1957) is an American former professional boxer. As an amateur, he won a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games and a silver at the 1975 Pan American Games.
Taylor had an incredible career as an amateur boxer, compiling a record of 481–8. Taylor qualified for the 1980 U.S. Olympic team but was unable to compete due to the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott. In 2007, he received one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes. [1]
Taylor turned pro in 1980 and was undefeated in 18 fights when he was given a shot at Panama's Eusebio Pedroza for the W.B.A. featherweight championship of the world. The fight took place in Taylor's hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina in October 1982. After building a lead in the first ten rounds of the fight, Taylor faded down the stretch and had to settle for a draw. Three years later, Taylor was still undefeated in 34 fights (33-0-1) when he was given another shot at the WBA featherweight championship. This time, the champion was Ireland's Barry McGuigan, who had dethroned Pedroza 3 months earlier. Taylor failed to come out for the 9th round, and lost via TKO. After several years and a couple of lengthy layoffs, Taylor earned a 3rd opportunity at a world championship against IBF junior lightweight champion John John Molina in 1993. Taylor again came up short via TKO in the 8th round. He retired following a loss in his next bout in 1994. Taylor did manage to win the NABF featherweight and the USBA junior lightweight titles, coming from behind to stop Calvin Grove in the latter fight.
Eusebio Pedroza was a Panamanian boxer who held the WBA and lineal featherweight championship from 1978 to 1985, having defended the title against 18 different contenders, more than any other boxer in featherweight history. His cousin, Rafael Pedroza, was a world champion also, in the junior bantamweight division, although Rafael's reign as world champion was short-lived. Eusebio Pedroza died one day before his 63rd birthday.
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57 kg (1951–2007) | |
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