A Closer Look at Josh Taylor

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Scotland has a great presence in the world; we believe that we have given it so much and asked very little. At least that is how we see it.

If we look at our sporting prowess, then it is hard to find much as we have some world title contenders and performers in the likes of Andy Murray and… erm Ricky Burns and ah… well… Jaime Murray… and OK we struggle.

It is therefore rather special when we find a gem. Now the current buzz and hype is around one young fella, who happens to hail from Prestonpans, near Edinburgh.

When you have a man from across the water – Northern Ireland and not the USA – telling you that HE thinks this young boxer happens to be on a very simple curve, heading towards world title honors, you know your eyes do not deceive you and you can start to believe your ears.
Barry McGuigan alongside coach and son, Shane McGuigan may be biased but two minutes worth of watching Josh Taylor, 9-0, 8 KO’s and you can see if you are a blind person; Taylor is the real deal.

Fighting as a super lightweight, the Tartan Tornado, shall be back in the ring on the 8th July, in Glasgow against a mouth from the south in Ohara Davies, 15-0, 12 KO’s. It is for the Commonwealth belt that Taylor won in 2016.

Taylor has defended that belt already in March of this year, against Warren Joubert and stopped him in the 6th round, retaining the belt and keeping up the momentum. It was a performance that showed the maturity in his fists. He worked the far more experienced fighter down until the inevitability was a stoppage that meant he retained his belt.

That march upwards had started before the amateurs when he became a junior Taekwondo champion. He became bored with that sport so transferred to boxing where he won silver at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008, a silver at the full Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010 and then a gold Commonwealth medal in front of the Scots crowd in 2014. This was after distinguishing himself by becoming a member of the 2012 London Olympics squad and boxing for the UK in the World Series of Boxing in 2013.

Since turning pro, Taylor’s career has been a fascinating climb over just 9 fights. It has included him going over to the States and boxing on the Carl Frampton/Leo Santa Cruz undercard. By his own high standards, he underperformed that night but still won whilst soaking up an atmosphere that will stand him in good stead if he ever gets on such a big bill again; according to the McGuigan’s he will be headlining them soon enough.

Seeing his trajectory, it is sometime shard to know when to pitch him into bigger and tougher fights. The problem for Taylor is he is fast becoming a name whilst being a tad short in experience. But when a fight comes along that will make him, he should stand up and take it.

At the beginning of July, he will face his biggest opponent to date in such a fight as Ohara Davies is supremely confident, well fancied and unbeaten against better professional opponents than Taylor. This was another fight made through social media as both boxers goaded each other online before it became a reality. It is a marquee fight and is yet another example of the best facing the best and refusing to avoid them – what we love to see.

Davies, who has always had a lot to say about his opponent, kept his mouth firmly shut at the press conference in Glasgow before allegedly ending up rolling around with Taylor away from the glare of a camera! Davies had made his way to the press conference alone and without his Matchroom handlers – much has been made of that fact. Some within Taylor’s camp suggesting that his backroom team are scared he has taken on more than he can chew with Josh Taylor. They believe that the lack of support shows that his promoter has realised this is a fight worth a great deal financially and it might be a temporary cash out for Davies rather than one he has a chance of winning.

The McGuigans may be no strangers to hype and promotion but Shane thinks Taylor is certainly the real deal. Touting him as closer to being a complete fighter than Davies, he thinks that Davies is coming for a shock. They way in which Taylor has beaten the opposition in front of him is scary but Davies has been no slouch. His record includes retiring the much respected Derry Matthews, a man who fought for a world title twice.

You certainly get the impression that Taylor is going to be a sensation and with such confident backing we could see him fighting for a world title in 2018. though Davies has not been the only fight that Taylor has been interested in fighting. The passing of the baton from old to young has been mentioned in the way that Ken Buchanan took on Jim Watt and Alex Arthur fought Ricky Burns, and so we have been hearing about Taylor’s desire to face Ricky Burns.

It’s all a bit awkward for Burns as he is a gym mate of Davies. He has been skulking at conferences and events to show his support for his gym partner but not alienate the Scottish crowd who are looking forward to his return at some point in the future – fighting one hell of a lot better than he did last time out. Burns has been part of the hype around Davies as he has waxed lyrical about how good he is, in the gym. There are fireworks being described and therefore fireworks expected.

If Burns has been fulsome in his praise for his gym mate, the McGuigans have been even more so for their man. Taylor will hope that he can get into winning double figures by dispatching this troublesome Southerner.

This being Scotland it would not be fitting to avoid the unfortunate accident that comes with Josh Taylor. Taylor is well aware that he can take the punishment as was attested to when he came out of hospital after being put in there by his 13 year old cousin. Teaching her to play golf, Taylor was the unwitting victim of a freak accident as her follow through caught him square in the jaw, smashing it in, ironically, 13 places. 7 weeks in hospital followed and surgery has left a horseshoe scar on his face; a defeat against Davies would leave a bigger scar and he shall be determined that will not be happening!

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