US promotional powerhouse Top Rank have announced the signing of Josh Taylor, the unified WBA and IBF super-lightweight world champion and one of the rising stars in the sport. Cyclone Promotions dispute him signing an agreement with another promoter but Taylor has stated publicly that he has terminated his contract with Cyclone. The move to Top Rank brings him into the same promotional stable as Jose Ramirez, the WBO and WBO super-light titlist. Previously Taylor spoke to John Dennen about precisely what his ambitions in the sport are.
ITโS a mystery, sometimes, the way that boxers just know how to cope. One eye, badly swollen, was shutting closed and Josh Taylor still had rounds left in his furious world title clash with Regis Prograis at the O2 last month.
โRound eight, round nine was when I really couldnโt properly see,โ Taylor recalled. โThe last three rounds I was fighting with one eye. So all the boxing went out the window. I had to change the way I was fighting as well. I couldnโt even see my own jab going in. I was getting hit with shots in the last couple of rounds that I couldnโt see coming.
โIf you canโt see it coming, thatโs when you really have a problem. I had to change the way I was fighting, moving around a little bit more. And keep him on the left side so I could sort of see him.โ
โIt was just on instinct what I was doing. The last round and a half it was just instinct. I could see he was there but I couldnโt see his whole body,โ Taylor laughed. โSo I was just fighting on instinct, heart and determination.โ
It was an extraordinary fight to unify the WBA and IBF super-lightweight world titles. It was Taylorโs breakthrough moment with supporters from all over the country coming to London to cheer on the Scotsman.
โI was looking at everyone thinking f****** hell man, I wish I had my camera, if you could see my view now,โ Taylor remembered.
โThis is unbelievable, to see the whole arena,โ he continued. โThe kind of images Iโll never forget.โ
Despite the turmoil, Taylor had a new state of mind for this particular contest. โI felt zero nerves at all, I was so calm, I was so collected. I didnโt feel I was going for a fight. I felt so calm. I soaked it all in it was brilliant,โ he said.
In the fight Taylor had to deal with adversity, in his training camp before his world title unification the champion also had to cope with the shock of bereavement. His partnerโs father, a close part of Joshโs family, died suddenly. Away from home in training, Taylor couldnโt grieve fully, he had to retain focus on the most important fight of his life.
โIt was really sudden, a real shock,โ he told Boxing News. โI couldnโt really be there emotionally for her, which is s*** for me.โ
โI couldnโt stay on the phone too long, I was getting upset myselfโฆ I had to block it out. I couldnโt be there for her.โ
โYouโve just got to get on with it,โ he explained. โSay to yourself letโs keep going. One thing he wouldnโt have wanted me to do was sit and get upset, sit and mope around. Heโd have been the one saying to me get up and get going. I used that mentality to do it.โ
Taylor dedicated the victory to his memory. In the weeks after the fight he has been able to return his full attention to family life and can wait before plotting his next moves in 2020. โTheyโve all been tough fights so I think Iโm due a wee bit of a break,โ he said. โI think this is the perfect time for me to relax and just be normal for a while.โ
Itโs no secret what Taylorโs ultimate ambition is. He wants to take on Jose Ramirez, the holder of the WBC and WBO belts, for all four world titles and the undisputed crown. โI would love it to be in Scotland, in Edinburgh Castle,โ he suggests. โThat would be iconic.โ
But he notes, โI think the more lucrative fight will be over in the States, Vegas or New Yorkโฆ Go over there and fight for big money, but if we get it in Scotland, happy days.โ
Ramirez is fighting Viktor Postol, a former champion and former Josh Taylor victim, on February 1 in China. Naturally the Scotsman is targeting the winner. โI think itโs a good fight. I think Ramirez [wins]. I boxed Postol about 18 months ago. Heโs only had two fights since then. Iโd expect Ramirez to come through that,โ Josh said. โHopefully he [Postol] has still got plenty of fight left in him but Iโd expect Ramirez to come through. If not, the rematch with Postol, why not?
โI donโt think itโll be a walk in the park but I think [Ramirez] will come through.
โWhoeverโs got the belts thatโs who I want to fight.โ
While he waits for that showdown, he might well have to make a mandatory defence. The contender for his IBF belt would be Thailandโs Apinun Khongsong, not a glamorous opponent but a must-win nevertheless. โEvery fightโs the same,โ Taylor said. โEvery fight is a world title fight. Especially now that Iโm unified champion. Everyoneโs going to want to take these beltsโฆ Itโs up to me to keep them, to keep hold of them, and keep my dreams which is to become undisputed champion.โ
Itโs remarkable though that already, in just 16 professional contests, Taylor has unified world titles. It marks him out as the new star in British boxing and probably, pound-for-pound, the finest fighter in the country right now. โBetween myself and Callum Smith,โ mused Taylor.
โItโs unbelievable,โ he continued. โIโm just a wee guy from Prestonpansโฆ Getting invited here, there and everywhere, itโs been brilliant.โ
He is following in the footsteps of fellow Scot, boxing legend and near neighbour Ken Buchanan, who dropped by to see Taylor and his titles a couple of weeks ago. “The first [Scotsman to unify] since Ken Buchanan over 50 years ago, itโs unbelievable,” he said. “Two guys from the same area reallyโฆ Heโs from Edinburgh, Iโm from Edinburghโฆ Itโs crazy how similar our stories have been. Itโs great.”