MELCHIOR TAYLOR
HONOURED
By Everard Gordon
Midweek Sports
July 12, 2000
Page 9
Meet
Melchior Taylor - Trinidad and Tobago's premier boxing
referee. Indeed, he is probably the
most respected referee in the Caribbean.
Melchior was recently recognised by the Port of Spain City Corporation
and awarded a plaque in honour of his service to the community.
Taylor's
life has been almost like a novel as he progressed from his humble beginnings
to his present comfortable state.
He
was born in Queen Street, 71 years ago, and went to school at Nelson Street
Boys' School, then one of the finest elementary schools in the country and the
producer of many of the country's most outstanding citizens.
He
related that because his family was poor, he left school at 13 years of age and
first worked at Salvatori as a cash boy for $2.50 per week. He continued to improve himself and
eventually was a shareholder and director of Joe da Silva, a company in
Frederick Street, opposite the Town Hall.
His
working life closed at Amar, where he worked with Robert Amar, who is married
to the sister of Taylor's wife, Sita.
He
remains happily married after 30 years and attributes his good health and
happiness to the solidity of his marriage.
He has two daughters and five grandchildren who live in Canada and whom
he visits regularly.
Like
most young boys, he began lifting weights at age 14 to beef up his body and by
age 18, was successful in the middleweight division. He won middleweight titles between 1946-48 and represented
Trinidad and Tobago against Barbados, in Barbados, in the 165-pound class and
won.
By
then, feeling his oats, he got into Greco-Roman Wrestling and met the late Ray
Apollon, who encouraged him to become a referee. He was then a short step away from his real calling, boxing
referee.
Taylor
credits Juan Reece, another stalwart in both wrestling and refereeing boxing
matches, and George Cumberbatch, a very experienced referee, with encouraging
and shepherding him through his introduction to refereeing boxing.
It
is now history that between 1968 and presently, he has been consistently one of
the most respected referees in the region.
He was the first local to handle bouts at Las Vegas and has done several
at other cities in the USA.
He
has officiated in eight world championship bouts and countless Commonwealth,
Fecabox and local championship bouts in countries from Trinidad to Thailand and
in more than 300 bouts in and around the Caribbean.
He
remembered a title bout in Bangkok at which champion and challenger came to the
ring on elephants and at which the ring number cards were carried by a monkey.
What
is even more satisfactory is that the World Boxing Association has stated:
"Trinidad boxing official, Melchior Taylor continues to command respect as
a high quality adjudicator in world boxing."
He
has demonstrated the value of sport in shaping one's life and that with
discipline and sacrifice one's goals can be achieved.
He
says he owes his good health to the fact that he never smoked, eats sensibly,
avoiding red meat, exercises regularly and lives a very contented family life.
As
an exemplar in our society, especially to the young achievers, the Mayor and
Council of Port of Spain commend Melchior Taylor for his contribution to the sport
of boxing.