HYPER ACTIVE
Josh has arrived – and he could become^our No.1 sportsman if he wins this
Josh Taylor is no longer just hype. He has arrived. TheO2Arena on Saturday will not just be another fight for this charismatic lad from Prestonpans. And it’s not just a world title fight either. Thisis the biggest boxing match on British soil in 2019 and arguably one of the top three fights on the planet. Scotland doesn’t have many genuine world class sportsmen or women. We’ve got the two Andy’s, Murray and Robertson, but after that? Good luck digging out a top 10. But Taylor is about to join the list. Perhaps right at the very top. That might sound like more hype but it’s not. We’re dealing in facts now with this fighter.
He already owns the IBF world light welter weight title. If he beats Regis Prograis on Saturday night he’ll need to reinforce the mantelpiece in his new house.
Taylor can walk out of the O2 as IBF and WBA champ. He’ll also own the prestigious Ring Magazine belt and be crowned World Boxing Super Series champion. It’s mind blowing what’s up for grabs and it will catapult Taylor into immediate legendary status and up there with the best pound-forpound fighters on the planet. And all in this is just his 16th fight as a pro. A fair few of us have been banging this drum for long time. Taylor’s triumph as an amateur at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 was at on of fun but everyone felt that night in the Hydro was only just the start. It would have been a high point for most careers but it has already become a footnote for a boxer who’s rise to the top has been so rapid the guys who’ve been charting his progress have sufferedfrom the bends. Every single challenge that has come his way he has passed with flying co lour s. In hi s first 1 5 fights he has beaten three former world champions, another undefeated American world title challenger and become one of only five British world title holders. Prograis this week will be the toughest of the lot. He’s regarded as the best in the division with Taylor rated second – but that is up for serious debate this weekend. It’s a genuine 50/50 contest but there’ s a sense of destiny around the Scot right now. Even in the build up there has been something different about him
If Josh beats Regis next week he will need to reinforce the mantelpiece in his house
this time. Taylor’s wit is as quick as his jab but he has been deadly serious in the last month. There’san anger a n d a g g r e ss i on i n h i m , w it h a h i nt o f nastiness. Thisis one of the nicest guys in sport but he has tapped into a dark undercurrent ahead of this one. There’svenom being stored up for Prograis. ThemericanA has sensed it as well. He turned up all chummy in Glasgow when Taylor picked apart Ivan Baranchyk to w in t he IBF crown. But the Scot was having none of it . Prograis seemed reluctant to put his hand in the cage and there have been signs of nerves from the likeable New Orleans man these past few weeks.
He has been on a UK mission to make his name over here. Fair play to him, he has popped up everywhere from Buckingham Palace to school sports days.
But Taylor has largely kept his head down, quietly plotting his path to unification. He knows this is massive. Ev e r y o n e i n b o x i n g k n ow s it a s wel l . No Scot has ever been a headline act in a pay-per-view contest in the UK until now. Sky have been taking the P out of their PPVs in recent times and even f logging Derek Chisora’s heavy weight clash with David Price is a cheek given they are both tier two fights at best. But Taylor is top tier and worth every penny. Just think, the SFA had the brass neck to charge £27 to watch Scotland play ing a bunch of students and engineers at Hampden last week. Fight fans can spend less than a score to see history on Saturday night. No one can afford to miss it as the Taylor express lands in London and it will be full steam ahead.