The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Rising Scots star Taylor ready to move onto global
Taylor ready to move on to world stage, claims promoter McGuigan
Rising star Josh Taylor takes a huge step up when he takes on Mexico’s former world champion Miguel Vazquez at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh on Saturday November 11.
Former world champion Barry McGuigan, who is promoting the fight, acknowledged that the match-up was a big risk but he is confident the Scot – nicknamed the Tartan Tornado – will beat the former long-reigning IBF world lightweight champion.
McGuigan argues that East Lothianborn Taylor is one of the best super lightweights in world boxing and the promoter said the Scot successfully stepped-up in class in his last fight in Glasgow in July.
Then, the 26-year-old stopped the previously unbeaten Londoner Ohara Davies. And that, argues McGuigan, proves that Taylor is ready to move on to the world stage.
Scotland’s undefeated WBC Silver and Commonwealth super lightweight champion puts his title on the line in the promotion at Ingliston, which has 3,000 seats.
Since turning professional in July 2015, McGuigan said Taylor has lit up the British professional boxing scene with a series of scintillating performances.
He has also set the record for the least number of bouts taken to win a Commonwealth belt.
Taylor has already boxed in each of the home nations as a professional, as well as three times in the USA on big world title bills.
The Scot has also boxed live on Showtime in the USA at the home of boxing, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
In the opposite corner this time from Guadalajara, Mexico, is 44-fight veteran Vazquez, is one of the most experienced fighters in world boxing.
The former world champion reigned for five years as he defended his title all over the world.
The 30-year-old has beaten a number of unbeaten opponents in the past, including Bredis Prescott, Denish Shafikov, Leonardo Zappavigna and Mercito Gesta, the last three of which were world title defences.
Vazquez has only ever been beaten by the best, such as Saul Alvarez and Timothy Bradley and the Mexican told a press conference in Edinburgh that he is not jetting thousands of miles to Edinburgh to go home empty-handed.
McGuigan said the scene is set for an action-packed encounter between two world class super lightweight boxers, with the winner of this intriguing contest one step closer to a world title shot.
Tickets for the fight, billed as Risk v Reward and which will be screened live on Channel 5, are on sale from Friday from £40. Around 300 VIP seats ringside are priced at £125.