Norris Finishes Curry, in Fight and Career : Boxing: Former champion is knocked out in eighth round. Taylor gains a split decision.

The ghost of Donald Curry past flashed across the twilight desert sky Saturday night, ripping lefts and rights and every so often stunning Terry Norris.

But the body that belongs to Donald Curry present eventually could stand the pace and the punches of Norris no longer, and in the eighth round, Curry, once called the best fighter in the world, lay flat on his back, staring vacantly at the gathering stars and knowing that his time as a world-class fighter had passed.

“I did the best job I could possibly do,” Curry said. “I’m closing it out. That’s it for me.’

Norris, the World Boxing Council super-welterweight champion who sent Sugar Ray Leonard into retirement earlier in the year, withstood the occasional heavy blows from Curry and knocked the challenger out with seven seconds left in the round.

In a second title fight, World Boxing Assn. welterweight champion Meldrick Taylor pounded Luis Garcia of Venezuela relentlessly for 12 rounds in what seemed a one-sided fight, but had to settle for a split decision, a victory that once again brought up questions about boxing.

The WBA is based in Venezuela. Lou Duva, Taylor’s manager, publicly questioned all week whether a controversy was brewing.

A computer count of the punches showed Taylor landing 408 clean blows. Garcia landed 240 punches.

The first championship fight had no such controversy. The end began with a left jab from Norris that straightened Curry. A right hand followed, staggering Curry. A split-second later, another right hand pounded Curry’s head and as the former champion’s knees hit the canvas, a third punishing right from Norris--an illegal punch but a fight-ender nonetheless--slammed Curry’s head onto the canvas. His body slumped a second later and he rolled onto his back.

At the count of eight, Curry raised himself onto one elbow. But as referee Chuck Hassett’s count reached 10, Curry fell back again, eyes closed and blood streaming from his nose.

He did not get up for 30 seconds.

Norris, 151, is 28-3 with 15 knockouts. He is only 23.

In each round, including the eighth and final round of the scheduled 12-rounder, Curry rocked the heavily favored Norris with lone punches, never able or willing to follow them up.

And each time, Norris responded with flurries that sent Curry, 154, backpedaling.

Curry, 29, said before the fight that he would say goodby to boxing if he lost. His record is 33-5.

In the second fight, Taylor went against a virtual unknown in Garcia, who had a 21-0 record with 17 knockouts while fighting almost exclusively in Venezuela.

Taylor dominated nearly every round with blazing hand speed, snapping Garcia’s head back with flurries almost at will. Garcia responded to each flurry with his own combinations, but few seemed effective against Taylor, who either ducked or blocked most of the punches.

There were no knockdowns and Garcia never appeared hurt. In the 12th Taylor landed a blinding left-right combination that had Garcia retreating, and he rocked Garcia again in the closing seconds with a heavy left hook.

Two of the three judges, however, saw a very close fight. Rodolfo Maldonado of Panama scored the fight for Garcia by a margin of 117-114. Niffe Quintana of New Mexico gave Taylor the fight by a score of 115-113, and Fritz Werner of San Diego scored the fight 118-112 for Taylor. The Times scored it 119-111 for Taylor.

“He was a good challenge for me,” Taylor said of Garcia. “It was a very tough fight, but a great fight for me.”

Taylor refused to criticize the judging.

In the opening round, Taylor’s hand speed seemed to confuse Garcia as Taylor’s fists thumped against his head and Garcia did not counter-punch effectively.

Garcia did better in the middle rounds, responding to Taylor’s flurries with his own. But in the final four rounds, Taylor dominated.

Taylor is 27-2. Both fighters weighed 146 3/4.

In a preliminary bout, lightweight Gabriel Ruelas of Arleta returned to the ring after a 13-month layoff because of a broken elbow and was pushed to the limit in winning a unanimous decision over Pedro Mendoza of San Diego. Ruelas is 22-1.