Three fights and a wedding on the to-do list for Taylor
Four-belt champion on tying the knot and ruling the ring in 2022
JOSH TAYLOR will be calling out a name in the summer, but it won’t be Terence Crawford, Gervonta Davis or Errol Spence Jr.
Instead boxing will take a backseat for once as the selfstyled Tartan Tornado gets married to long-term partner Danielle Murphy.
Taylor will honour one commitment next month when he defends his four superlightweight belts against mandatory challenger Jack Catterall at Glasgow’s Hydro, before sticking to another when he walks down the aisle in June.
That will disappoint boxing fans who had hoped that the Prestonpans fighter might vacate his titles following a successful defence against Catterall and then move up to 147lbs to pursue a summer super-fight against the likes of Crawford or Spence.
Instead, the 31 year-old revealed he plans on fighting only two or three times this year and will take an extended break from the sport following his bout with Catterall on February 26.
“This year we’re probably only going to get two, maybe three fights in,” said the 18-0 southpaw. “I’m getting married in June so I’ll have the fight in February, have a couple of months off and then it’s my stag do and then the wedding.
“Hopefully after that I’ll look to get out in September or maybe November. Wishful thinking would be to get out three times if I can stay in the gym and get fit but certainly twice. First it will be the Jack Catterall fight and then hopefully a big one later in the year too.”
Las Vegas was where
Taylor became the undisputed champion of the world when he defeated Jose Ramirez last May but he and Murphy will be tying the knot closer to home.
“We’re getting married here,” he confirmed. “We were going to go abroad but her granny and grandad are a little bit older now so they’re not up for travelling any more and she’s very close to them so we couldn’t get married without them being there.
“We’re staying here for the stag as well as it’s too much hassle to get everyone aboard these days with PCR tests and the rest. It’s a massive expense that I don’t expect people to pay. So we’ll be in Scotland or down south – I don’t even know. I’ve left all that to my best men. Just tell me the date and I’ll turn up and get abused!”
Boxing won’t be far from Taylor’s mind, however, even during his voluntary break. He knows big fights lie further down the line if he can take care of Catterall meaning there can be no slip-ups on his Glasgow homecoming.
“It’s a very exciting prospect [looking at possible future opponents],” he added. “I 100 per cent believe I’m winning this fight against Jack. He’s standing in my way of me going for my other goals. If it doesn’t go well then there’s no point thinking about what happens afterwards.
“He’s desperate to become
the first Englishman to become undisputed champion and will fight his heart out to try to do that. I have to make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near that. I have to make sure I get him out of the way first.
“It’s taking on the Auld Enemy! That atmosphere will be brilliant, with the bagpipes and all that stuff. It’s always good when the Scotland vs England thing comes together.
“The Hydro is my home arena as I’ve had a lot of success there since the Commonwealth Games; the Ivan Baranchyk, Viktor Postol, Ryan Martin and Winston Campos fights. I’m delighted to be coming back.”
Taylor still has other destinations he wants to compete in before he hangs up the gloves, including the world-famous Madison Square Garden.
“I would have preferred the Ramirez fight to have been in New York as there’s a massive Scottish and Irish contingent there. They have a day for the Scottish marches and the rest of it. So it would have been
brilliant to have fought there. Hopefully we can get back there at some point in the future.”
An outdoors fight in Edinburgh is another itch he is keen to scratch. Easter Road, the home of his beloved Hibs, looks the most likely after Edinburgh Castle continue to show little interest in welcoming the hometown hero.
“It’s looking very much like Easter Road now. That would be great as it’s my football team and they’re very keen to have me there. It’s a better venue as it’s fan-friendly, they can get a drink and enjoy themselves.
“Everyone’s not there for the boxing all the time, they’re out for a night out and the castle doesn’t allow alcoholic drinks. I’d still like to fight at the castle one day but they just don’t seem to be playing ball very much. There are conversations being had but they don’t seem as keen.
“The castle would have been iconic with the ring in the middle of the Esplanade and the whole place lit up and getting piped into the ring with fireworks going off! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity event and amazing for Scottish sport. Hopefully it can happen one day but I won’t lose sleep over it if it doesn’t.”
Taylor may have one final public outing before he starts to prepare for his stag do and wedding. “If I have a successful defence against Catterall, I’d love nothing more than to go out at Hampden before the Ukraine game to show off my belts.”