Olympic gold medalist Meldrick Taylor stopped John...

Olympic gold medalist Meldrick Taylor stopped John Wesley Meekins after 7 rounds at Atlantic City, N.J., to retain the International Boxing Federation junior welterweight title.

Meekins (20-2-2), of West Hempstead, N.Y., couldn’t answer the bell for the eighth round because his right eye was closed, and there was a bad swelling under his left eye and a cut over the left eye.

Taylor (21-0-1), of Philadelphia, has won 9 straight fights and has recorded 15 knockouts in his career. He was cut over the left eye by an accidental head butt in the second round, but cut man Ace Marotta kept the gash from becoming a factor.