Josh Taylor Aiming For Greatness

Scotland’s undefeated WBA & IBF super-lightweight champion Josh ‘Tartan Tornado’ Taylor (17-0, 13 KO’s) is aiming for further glory at welterweight should be achieve victory over his fellow super-lightweight champion (WBC & WBO) Jose Ramirez on May 22nd.

Taylor is 30 years old and as an amateur he won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Youth games in 2008, silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and then the gold medal at the same competition four years later in his home country of Scotland (Glasgow, 2014). Before turning to boxing at 15 years of age, Taylor was a junior taekwondo champion – the scot has clearly always had a liking for combat.

Josh Taylor and Charlie Flynn raise the Saltire after their medal-winning performances. Picture: SNS — Josh Taylor with Charlie Flynn after winning gold medals at the 2014 commonwealth games – Image: SNS

In comparison to the majority of boxers in the professional ranks, Taylor has been fast tracked to championship level. In only in his 15^th pro fight, he challenged Ivan Baranchyk for his IBF Super-Lightweight title, which he won via unanimous decision. In his first title defense, Taylor faced Regis Prograis in a unification bout and won the WBA title to add to his IBF crown. This was followed by a successful mandatory IBF defense against Thailand’s undefeated Apinun Khongsong and in only his 17^th fight – Taylor is scheduled to fight Jose Ramirez for the all four belt in the Super-Lightweight division, to become undisputed champion.

Whilst he mustn’t overlook Jose Ramirez, legacy and greatness is on the mind of the Scottish world champion as he told SkySports, ‘After this (Ramirez fight) it will be to move up to 147lbs and chase a second weight world title to really cement my reign in the history books’

Big names create big fight nights and adds further creditability to a boxer’s legacy, and Taylor has his eyes set on two champions that he both respects and one he idolises; ‘To share a ring with my hero Pacquiao? That would be brilliant. How many people can say they shared a ring with their hero and beat them? Not many’

Manny Pacquiao is the only eight division world champion in boxing history – Image: Nicky Loh/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Asked what he likes about Pacman, ‘Everything about him, he’s funny, he sings, he puts on a Scottish accent, his fighting style, he’s a people’s champion, a really nice person, he gives money to feed people. He’s an absolute gentleman and his fighting style is ferocious, a southpaw with fast hands who can fight like hell’

‘I’ve achieved the goal I set out with, to become world champion, becoming undisputed and two-weight world champion were further out, more farfetched dreams.. Crawford? Of course he’s on my radar. It would be a massive fight; two undisputed champions fighting’

Terence Crawford takes promising Olympic medalist Shakur Stevenson under his wing - Los Angeles Times — Former undisputed Super-Lightweight Champion & current WBO Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford – Image: Nati Harnik / Associated Press

‘These are all longer-term goals, all I’m thinking about now is Ramirez and winning those four belts. He’s the unified world champion so you have to give him respect. He is a good come-forward fighter who makes people work, he grinds people down.

‘He is a pressure fighter who keeps it tight, puts the pressure on, tries to break them down, overwhelm the,. He comes for a fight. It’s a different kind of fight to Regis Prograis tactics-wise’

‘I see a lot of things in Ramirez’s games that I can expose’ Taylor told SkySports

May be an image of 2 people and text that says "TK TOP RANK RANK -SPT THE BEST JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS IN THE WORLD FIGHT HERE JOSE RAMIREZ WBC/WBO CHAMPION JOSH TAYLOR WBA/IBF CHAMPION"