JOSH TAYLOR tends to a motorbike. He maintains it, cleans it, starts it up to keep it running. But he wonโt ride it. Not until his boxing career is over.
โItโs not worth risking your career that youโve been working hard for,โ he said. โYou might get knocked off, break your wrist, break your arm, break your shoulder or break your leg. Thatโs your career.โ
โI still have got a motorbike but I havenโt been on it for about two years now,โ he added. โIโve put the bikes away until the boxingโs finished.โ
Some of his earliest memories involve motorbikes. Heโs been riding them since he was a child. As he grew older he began to compete. โI raced motorcross myself. I was pretty good. I just never had the money to be really competitive,โ he recalled. โItโs just never ending, itโs a never ending money pit. Guys at the top end have got sponsored bikes, maybe two or three bikes and a lot of money behind them and teams giving them stuff. You just canโt compete with them.โ
But he notes, โI was pretty good. By the end of the season I was getting top fives in a field of 40. So I was doing alright, I think I got a couple of thirds on a standard engine. I think I only had my suspension done and that was it. Because I was so light the suspension was too hard for meโฆ I was getting top fives and top threes out of a field of 40 bikes, so I was doing alright.โ
These were thrilling events. โItโs not like a grid set up like in Formula One, in motorcross youโve got a line and it narrows down into the first corner. Youโve got 40 bikes in a line going into the first corner so that can be quite daunting,โ he said. โBut at the same time going as fast as you can and jumping the big jumps, itโs adrenaline, adrenaline and the only thing that comes close to that rush is boxing and thatโs the same kind of rush I get in boxing, the same adrenaline. You get the fear. You get the nerves. You get the excitement all in one and itโs just a great feeling, you know, itโs brilliant.โ
Back then Taylor was a small, angry man. Before he got into boxing he was a 15-year-old weighing less than 48 kilos. He was tiny. Growing up in Prestonpans, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, he remembered, โI had what you call โwee man syndromeโ. I used to stick up for myself. I wouldnโt let people bully me or anything.โ
โYou had to look after yourself. If you got picked on, you had to look after yourself,โ he said. โI never had any big brothers or big cousins look after me and I was the tiny one in my year as well soโฆ I would always find myself in wee scraps.โ
โI had to defend myself because they thought it was easy pickings because I was so small,โ Taylor said with a smile. โIf I got knocked down Iโd get back up and say letโs go again, letโs go again, until I won. I always did that.
โGuys would [think] Iโm not fighting him again, Iโll be fighting all day.โ
He has grown, into a leading super-lightweight contender, but he still has that edge. The โwee man syndromeโ isnโt too far from the surface. In his last contest for instance, his opening bout in the World Boxing Super Series, Ryan Martin, who lost tamely in seven rounds, appeared to sense it. Taylor said, โIโm not scared of anybody. I donโt think intimidation tactics work on me. The fighting instinct takes over when people try to intimidate me. It doesnโt work. There seems to be a switch in there.โ
The machinations of Ivan Baranchykโs team in the build up to their May 18 clash for the IBF super-lightweight title at Glasgowโs Hydro have also drawn his ire. It is a World Boxing Super Series semi-final so should essentially have been a done deal. But the Belarussianโs manager publicly distanced his fighter from the event before reconciling with the Super Series. Taylor takes a dim view of such antics.
โWhen I do get in there and if I hurt him, I am going to jump on him and I really will punish him for this.
I really will look to be doing a number on him. If I hurt him, Iโll jump on him and Iโll try and put him away,โ the Scotsman said cheerfully. โYou canโt sign up to a tournament and a contract, then win a title then decide youโre not playing anymore. You canโt do that.โ
โItโs completely ridiculous,โ he continued with intent. โTo a lot of people heโs a coward [but] it seems to be his managerโs playing all the games and doing all this stuff, you know, trying to pull him out and not wanting to come to Scotland and all that carry on. But I think itโs tough tattie, as they say in Scotland. Youโre going to have to. You signed up to it, youโre going to have to come. Itโs been a little bit frustrating not knowing whatโs going on. But the goal stays the same. Train hard. Work hard. Spar hard and get as fit as I can, as strong as I can.โ
Taylor is also unimpressed with the conduct of Regis Prograis, who boxes WBA super-lightweight champion Kiryl Relikh in the other Super Series semi-final this weekend. โHe kind of irritates me a wee bit. His arrogance. His cockiness becomes arrogance. I donโt think itโs confidence, itโs arrogance,โ Taylor said. โHe calls himself a world champ and he isnโt a world champ and he walks about with his two belts over his shoulder.
โI could call myself the Silver world champion for f**kโs sake. Iโm not world champion because [Jose] Ramirez is [the WBC] world champion. So why is he calling himself world champion? But he isnโt.โ
Taylorโs sole focus is on becoming a genuine champion, winning one of the major world belts. He expects to do just that on May 18 fighting for the IBF title. โI really do think Iโm going to win this tournament and I do think Iโm going to win this belt in this fight and I think Iโm going to do it in style,โ the Scotsman says. โ[Baranchyk] can box and keep tight but eventually heโll come forward and throw his big swinging punches and get wild.
โItโll suit me but if he tries to box me, itโs even better. Because thereโs no way heโs going to outbox me. Iโm too tall for him. Iโm faster than him and I think I can hit just as hard as him as well. I think I can outfight him as well. I think I can beat him in every department.
โI canโt wait. Itโs my big shot at getting a title, becoming a world champion – my dream. Iโve always spoken to you about it and said I will do it. So Iโm grabbing this opportunity with both hands.โ
The next part of the dream would of course be winning more belts. โIโd love to become [Scotlandโs] first undisputed world champion since Ken Buchanan, that would just be awesome,โ he reflected. โTake the belts back to Scotland and show him them.โ
Buchanan, even at 73 years old, still comes into Lochend, Taylorโs former amateur club in Scotland, to do some training. โI see Kenny a lot back home, when I go home,โ Josh said. โHeโs still got the moves there and he comes in and gives me bits of advice.โ
โMistakes that heโs made outside of the ring as well,โ he continued. โYou get all the fight stories as well. I just love listening to himโฆ In those days they were warriors. They donโt make them like that anymore.
โThey were real fighters back then.โ
Real fighters take fights. Itโs a lesson Baranchyk or at least his team could learn. For his part Taylor insists he would never back down from fighting anyone. Even if the peerless Vasyl Lomachenko were to step up to a fourth weight class, Taylor would gladly take him on. โHeโs not got any challengers really. Mikey Garcia, thatโll probably be the one that heโll chase I think but he might come up to 140lbs as well. Iโd love to get in the ring with him,โ Taylor said.
Years ago, he almost met the Ukrainian in the World Series of Boxing, the quasi-pro league for Olympic style boxers. โI was supposed to fight him in the WSB. I had to pull out because I smashed my hand up, I broke my hand against [Domenico] Valentino,โ he said. โI wanted to fight him but you canโt fight a guy like that with one hand.โ
It is a fight heโs thought about. โYou canโt stand off him because he comes at you and changes his angles. [Youโve got to] go at him and f**king push him. Really just break him down, just go for him and keep on top of him. Youโve got to be physical with him, use the size, the strength, get on top of him and just keep breaking him down really.โ
โI was up for it,โ he added cheerfully. โIโll fight anybody. Iโll fight my own shadow.โ
Heโs waiting to ride his motorbike again, waiting until his fighting days are done. But he loves the thrill of boxing. Beyond winning multiple titles, becoming undisputed or being hailed the next great Scottish fighter, Taylor just wants to see how far his talent can carry him. โI just want to become world champion and be the best that I can be. Iโm not interested in topping anybody elseโs records,โ he says. โI just want to be world champion and see how far I can take it.โ