THE THRILL SEEKER
George Gigney meets a fighter who is no stranger to an adrenaline rush
Meet one of the brightest young stars in boxing, Edinburgh’s Josh Taylor
WHEN a boxer retires, they usually go one of two ways. They will either settle down, look back on a career of thrills and relax or, alternatively, they will search for a replacement to the rush of fighting. Scottish super-lightweight Josh Taylor is going to do the latter.
In fact, what he intends to do in retirement won’t just match the adrenaline high of boxing, it will eclipse it. He first walked into a boxing gym 10 years ago at the age of 16, but his heart pines for something else.
“I’ve always been into motorbikes since I was a kid, I’ve been on bikes since I was five years old,” he tells Boxing News.
“I was on bikes before I could play football, before I could kick a ball I was on a motorbike. My dad used to ride motorbikes so I’ve been around it all my life. That’s probably my first passion, but then I found out I liked a bit of a fight as well. I always liked to fight when I was a wee kid.”
Born in Edinburgh, Taylor loved his sport and was a decent footballer with Musselburgh Windsor. His propensity for more intimate competition guided him toward taekwondo, a discipline his uncle was a master of, and he earned a black belt and became British champion as a youth.
However, he was always around bikes. His father James races them in motocross and it didn’t take Josh long to become a full-blown petrolhead himself.
“I love the bikes, it’s a great hobby of mine to switch off from boxing,” he continues.
“I don’t go out on them so much anymore in case I fall off, injure myself, break my arm or my leg and that’s my career over. I still got to the races and watch my pals who are into the racing as well, I help my dad with his bikes as well, fixing them up. It takes my mind off the boxing and keeps me fresh.”
It’s only recently that Taylor has kept himself off two wheels, and he admits Barry Mcguigan – the former featherweight ruler who has taken the Scotsman under his wing – always ensures he isn’t riding them.
Instead, the two bikes Taylor owns stay locked away for the most part, but Josh still gets his fix by fine-tuning them whenever he gets the time. He also plans on carving out some time this year to assist his father as he competes in two Scottish legs of the Clubman Superbike series.
“I’ve still got two bikes but the last time I went out on one was probably about a year ago, now I just put them away,” he says.
“I look after them, keep them clean, start them up every now and again but I don’t risk going out on them. If I do go out on it it’ll be with my dad so he makes sure we go on a nice run and keep it safe, because I’m a bit of a speed freak [laughs]. I like to go flat out, jumping and all that. I keep away from them now though. Once I retire, then I can go back to them”
After a couple of years as an amateur boxer, Taylor went to the Commonwealth Youth Games and earned a silver lightweight medal. Having initially taken up the sport as a way to keep fit, the prize wrapped round his neck made him realise he could take it quite far.
He won silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and represented Team GB at the 2012 Olympic Games. Two years later he won Commonwealth gold and turned over with Cyclone Promotions in 2015. Fittingly, his progression has been rapid. His debut came in Texas on the undercard of stablemate Carl Frampton’s world title defence against Alejandro Gonzalez Jnr. He also boxed on Frampton’s pay-per-view meeting with Scott Quigg last year before heading up a card of his own in October. He took on seasoned pro Dave Ryan for the vacant Commonwealth title (with three amateur Commonwealth medals, he had to go for the professional version) live on Channel 5, turning in a career best performance to stop Dave ➤
in five rounds. When Boxing News catches up with Taylor, we are sat in one of the many rooms in Team Frampton’s suite inside the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. It is a few days out from Carl’s rematch with Leo Santa Cruz, and Taylor is boxing on the undercard.
“It’s the first time I’ve properly been here, it’s crazy just walking down the strip and seeing everything. It’s f***ing huge, it’s mental,” he says.
“With me, with it being so close to home – as in, being part of the same camp – I see Carl training in the gym all the time, he’s a good friend of mine now and seeing his face up there makes me think ‘if he can do it, I can do it.’ There’s no reason I can’t be in his position one day, so it gives me extra motivation to train even harder and to watch him, learn from him and hopefully one day it’s my face on the MGM fighting for a big title.”
Frampton’s face is plastered all over the MGM’S plush interior and the Vegas strip while highlights of his first meeting with Santa Cruz play on big screens dotted around. Vegas isn’t known for its subtlety, but it provides Taylor with plenty of motivation. So far, his path has been similar to Frampton’s; after a terrific amateur career, he was scooped up by the exceptionally passionate Mcguigan and, like Carl, is trained by Barry’s son Shane [inset]. Taylor also appears on Showtime’s broadcast of the Frampton-santa Cruz card in America. “It’s good, but I tend not to focus on all that stuff,” he claims. “I prefer to focus on being the best I can be, putting on a good performance. I don’t focus on being on telly, I focus on being the best but telly’s a bonus, it’s great to get my name out there. It’s brilliant, but I don’t take anything from it, I take it in my stride and it just makes me want to put on a better show.” When Lee Selby’s IBF featherweight defence is scrapped from the bill, Taylor’s fight is bumped up and suddenly the stakes become higher. He would go on to outpoint a particularly tough Alfonso Olvera over eight rounds – the first time he has been taken the distance in his eight-fight career – and admit afterwards that it was not his best performance.
He tried too hard to impress at times and, after wobbling Olvera early in the fight, was too eager to find the finish. But it was his third paid American outing and yet more exposure of his rather special talent, not to mention an unparalleled experience.
Indeed, experience is something he’s surrounded by. Beside Barry and Frampton, Taylor rubs shoulders with George Groves and David Haye, who are also trained by Shane.
“I’m really relaxed, it’s a relaxed camp, everybody’s really chilled out so it’s easy to switch off and just not think about things when you’re out of the gym,” he muses.
“They’ve been on the big nights, it’s experience that’s invaluable, hearing their tips and their stories. It’s great. Also, my amateur background, we’ve been to the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games twice, I get used to the media and stuff so it’s stands me in good stead for things like this.
“I’ve boxed all over the world, I’m pretty relaxed about being away from home for a long time because I’ve done that as an amateur. I was in Sheffield Monday to Friday every week of the year and I’d go away for training camps months at a time, so I’m used to being away from home, it’s just second nature. I’m comfortable with being away, it doesn’t faze me at all, I actually like being away, it’s a luxury for me to be home.”
His next outing comes this weekend as, once again, he tops a bill on national television. The fight itself, against unfancied Warren Joubert, is not a huge deal on paper but it’s a sign that Josh is treading a path to stardom that few have the fortune of travelling on.
THERE’S NO REASON I CAN’T BE IN FRAMPTON’S POSITION ONE DAY. IT GIVES ME EXTRA MOTIVATION”
“I’d like a couple more defences of my Commonwealth title, get some more development, get more rounds in and then maybe even be knocking on the door for domestic titles, I’d love to fight for the British title and then maybe the European,” he says. “Knocking at the door at fringe world title level.
“Domestically it’s starting to heat up. Tyrone Nurse is British champion and there’s four or five of us nipping at his heels and wanting a shot at the title, there are loads of good fighters out there, Robbie Davies Jnr, Ohara Davies, Jack Catterall is a good fighter as well. Obviously [WBA champion] Ricky Burns as well, that’s a fight I’d love, an all Scottish showdown, later this year. I just need to take one step at a time and keep winning, keep progressing.”
There’s a glint in his piercing eyes as he reels off those names. His words remain respectful but underneath his measured composure is a fighter who cannot wait to be let loose on his domestic peers.
The tall southpaw is not one to get ahead of himself, despite his proclivity for speed. Tearing round a track or down a country road on a motorbike is one thing, but boxing requires a little more nuance.
“I’d fight him [Burns] right now but it’s all about timing and I’ve got to earn my chance, I’ve got to earn my stripes for a world title,” he says.
“But if I got picked to fight him tomorrow, I’d be confident in my ability to beat him. I massively look up to Ricky Burns, I’ve never called him out. He’s a great fighter, he’s put Scotland back on the map for boxing, he’s bringing big shows up there but at the same time if I get drawn up against him, I’m confident I’d beat him. “I don’t like calling people out, but if the timing’s right, the situation’s right I’ll fight anybody – ask any fighter and they’ll tell you the same thing. I genuinely would fight anybody and I won’t call people out, but I’m wanting these fights.”
At this rate, it might not be long until he gets them.
IF I GOT PICKED TO FIGHT RICKY BURNS TOMORROW, I’D BE CONFIDENT IN MY ABILITY TO BEAT HIM”