Josh Taylor and the search for boxing’s next superstar
In an exclusive interview, the Scottish world champion speaks to Jack Rathborn about recognition, ambition and a dream fight against Terence Crawford at Edinburgh Castle
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Your support makes all the difference.The sweat trickles down the flushed cheeks of Josh Taylor on his terrace in the Canarian sun. The Scottish light welterweight world champion, enjoying some rare respite between sessions, is contemplating everything that he has achieved.
It’s the beginning of a new chapter, eight months since a majestic, yet brutal display to defeat Regis Prograis and unify the light welterweight division, bringing him ever closer to securing his legacy as Scotland’s greatest fighter.
The last few months have been frustrating though, with lockdown preventing the 29-year-old from linking up with Tyson Fury’s former trainer, Ben Davison, following a split with Shane McGuigan after switching promotional allegiance to Top Rank.
But work is now underway after the pair hastily jumped on a plane to Spain after the country reopened its borders. And while the enormity of what is yet to come excites Taylor, he can’t help but admit there has been a relative lack of acclaim since making history in 2019.
“I think I’m a little bit underrated, yes, I’d say so,” Taylor tells The Independent, having started to prepare in Fuerteventura for a return to the ring in September.
“There are not many fighters who have done what I’ve done: 16 fights, world champion in 15 fights, unified world champion in 16 fights, The Ring Magazine, IBF, WBA and the Ali Trophy winner.
“My last four opponents were all world class opponents with a combined record of 94-1. I do feel like I’ve not got the credit I deserve. I should be a little bit more recognised, but I’m not fussed.
“I think I should be deservedly in the pound-for-pound list already, just off my last four fights. But that’s one of the reasons why I went with Top Rank. I knew [Jose] Ramirez, [Terence] Crawford and other big names were with Top Rank. So there shouldn’t be any boxing politics getting in the way. I’m in this business to fight the best and be the best I can be.”
The simplistic approach of Davison, having guided Fury back to the pinnacle of the sport, immediately appealed to the ‘Tartan Tornado’. The IBF and WBA world champion maintains the youthful trainer, 27, is “wise beyond his years” and “very knowledgeable”.
After outlining positive signs in a blossoming new fighter-trainer relationship, it’s not long before Taylor switches focus towards the mouthwatering prospect of facing Crawford, the WBO king at 147 pounds and pound-for-pound great. It is now a plausible meeting in 2021 with both fighters tied to Bob Arum and no end in sight to the promotional squabbling that has denied Crawford a shot against the other welterweight champions.
“If I got offered the Crawford fight right now, and everything was right, the right amount of time to train, I’d take it right now,” Taylor maintains. “I believe I could beat him.
“It’d be an upset for everybody else, but not for me. I believe I’ve got the talent to beat him. If that fight came around, then why not? I’d go straight for it.
“I’ve got unfinished business at 140, and I want to fight Ramirez, or the winner from Ramirez vs Viktor Postol, and be the next undisputed champion in Britain. But if that fight comes around, so be it, I have every confidence I’d win it.”
Promoter Kalle Sauerland maintains a certain fondness towards Taylor after overseeing his rise throughout the World Boxing Super Series and insists his unwavering attitude gives him a great chance against the Nebraskan.
“I think Josh has only reached 60 per cent of his potential,” Sauerland tells The Independent. “He’s the most successful fighter in Scottish history and has a good few years to go. I think he will, and hopefully being from Scotland doesn’t hinder this, be one of the very best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet.
“He has so much fire in him and I’ve spent a lot of time with him – what a pleasure. There was no difference in him from the first fight to the last fight, his attitude was the same. He’s Mr Normal. There are shades of Ricky [Hatton], as a personality, a people’s guy, likeable and easy to work with.
“I see him having real chances against Crawford. He can bang with both hands, he’s awkward, he’s tough and gritty. I see him winning that fight, he’s all wrong for Crawford.”
Sauerland’s claim about Taylor’s stature in Scotland is clearly something that motivates both the fighter and the man, as his eyes light up upon hearing the name of former undisputed lightweight champion Ken Buchanan. So while there is an appetite to grace Madison Square Garden or the resorts of Las Vegas, where time stands still, the potential to bring elite boxing back home, which could elevate him to superstar status, appeals now more than ever.
Despite commanding seven-figure purses, memories of a tough upbringing in Prestonpans, situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh, vividly remain. It was after swapping Taekwondo for the sweet science as a 14-year-old that his journey truly began. Taylor would slowly harness what he describes as “wee-man syndrome” and “a temper that had the breaking strain of a kitkat” alongside untold late night bus rides back home from the city.
Now though, 15 years after first walking into a boxing gym, Taylor has the potential to unite a city or even the country during divisive times.
“That’s the reason I chose Top Rank, I wanted the option to have these big fights in Scotland,” Taylor insists. “I don’t want that to ever be off the table. I have a burning desire to fight in Edinburgh Castle or in one of the stadiums there.
“There are no indoor arenas in Edinburgh, so the pinnacle would be Edinburgh Castle or Easter Road – that would be class.
“If I get the Ramirez or Crawford fights, I don’t want that to be off the table. I think I’ve got the best of both worlds now, I’m dreaming of going to America under the bright lights, Las Vegas or Madison Square Garden, and I think I’ll do that, but I also want to bring the big nights back to Scotland as well.
“You could put King Kong in front of me at Edinburgh Castle and there’s no way he’d beat me. I just think having a fight in the castle is a one-off. If it doesn’t happen with me I don’t think it’ll ever happen, so I really hope it does.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, a beautiful summer’s night, it would be fantastic and one for the history books.”
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