CONAH Walker has come on leaps and bounds in recent years but is now tasked with a tough test in his first outing as British champion, where he meets the fast-starting Liam Taylor.
Walker, 15-3-1 (6 KOs), bounced back from defeat to Kane Gardner to pull off the upset and halt Cyrus Pattinson in 2023, before stopping Lloyd Germain and then losing a controversial decision to Lewis Crocker last June.
However, victory over Lewis Ritson earned the Wolverhampton-based brawler a shot at the British welterweight title earlier this year against ‘Horrible’ Harry Scarff.
After 10 rounds, Scarff looked to have an unassailable lead. Walker dug deep and found the equaliser in round 11 to turn the tide and knock Scarff out, claiming the Lonsdale belt in memorable fashion.
On Saturday, Walker’s worth as a champion will be evaluated, as he kickstarts his reign against 34-year-old Liam Taylor, 28-2-1 (14 KOs), who fights for the Lonsdale Belt for a second time.
Taylor challenged Chris Jenkins for the same title back in 2019 and scored an early knockdown against the British champion. That fight was brought to a close due to a head clash in the fourth round, resulting in a technical draw.
‘Dynamo’ would then outpoint Darren Tetley before suffering a second-round stoppage defeat to David Avanesyan, but since then has put together a five-fight winning streak.
During that stretch, Taylor has knocked out both Martin Harkin and Sam O’maison. Although the fact that he has not gone beyond the sixth round since overcoming Tetley does draw concern, particularly against someone who grows into fights such as Walker.
Conversely, Taylor floored Tetley twice within their opening three rounds, and has scored an additional six knockdowns in the 26 rounds that have followed that bout.
As a result, if Walker starts slowly as he did against Crocker and Scarff, don’t be surprised to see Taylor take advantage and put him on the deck.
CONAH WALKER VS LIAM TAYLOR FIGHT PREDICTION
Despite just six stoppages to his name, the turnaround of form for Conah Walker has coincided with him beginning to throw more spiteful shots and grind down his opponents. Three of his last four wins have come inside the distance.
A competitive first half of the fight may see the challenger ahead on the cards and having dropped the champion. Walker can ride out the storm, take control of the contest during the second half and put Taylor away between rounds 9-12.
