AUSSIE BOXER SHANNAN TAYLOR HANGING ON
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 29 Nov 2011
Australian boxer Shannan Taylor is hanging on according to a report by Tim Barrow of the Sydney Morning Herald following erroneous reports that the fighter had passed away.
Barrow reported that Taylor remained on life support in a critical condition late last night after being admitted to Wollongong Hospital in the early hours of yesterday.
Friends had said the World Boxing Federation middleweight champion was relaxed and happy on Saturday and his trainer Nudge Mieli said he was as fit as he had been in years.
The 39-year-old Taylor was scheduled to face Garth Wood in Melbourne in February and was reportedly looking forward to the fight.
Meli said the news of Taylor?s being on a life support system was a shock even as he noted ''Shannan's been training so hard. He's boxing better now than he has for some time.''
Most reports on Taylor?s condition speculated that it was a result of drugs or alcohol with some suggesting it was both. There were conflicting reports with some radio stations, socialmedia and internet sites mistakenly reporting that Taylor had passed away.
Australian great Jeff Fenech lamented the evil influence of drugs and alcohol on his old friend and charge. Taylor admitted to having a drug problem early last decade but had long since got his career back on track.
Fenech was quoted as saying ''He got led astray last night, the alcohol led him astray, the evilness in drugs and alcohol led him astray.''
Taylor was regarded as a powerful puncher who first made a name for himself when he battled ''Sugar'' Shane Mosley for the WBC welterweight title in Las Vegas in March 2001. Mosley was regarded at the time as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and stopped Taylor for the first time in his career with a sixth-round technical knockout.
Mosley posted on Twitter ''Hope God will bless him with his life back and a speedy recovery.''
Taylor has won 52 of his 65 fights, including 37 by knockout. In 2009, Anthony Mundine won the vacant WBA international middleweight crown from Taylor in a unanimous points decision at WIN Entertainment Centre. Mundine said ''My prayers go out to him and his family and hopefully he can pull through.''
Taylor recovered from his loss to Mundine when he won the WBF middleweight and IBF Pan Pacific middleweight titles over Thailand's Sintung Kietbusaba at the Snakepit last month.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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