MAN WITH A PLAN
Taylor crunches numbers with his new trainer as he maps out route to world domination
THE appliance of science leads to the discovery of vital truths. Ben Davison may only be a week or two into working as the new trainer of Josh Taylor but already his methods of deconstructing styles and fights have unearthed two elements of the Scot’s make-up that will have to change if he really wants to rule the world.
First up is his physical shape. Davison believes WBA and IBF super-lightweight champion Taylor is destined to unify the 140lb division as a result of WBC and WBO belt-holder Jose Ramirez being tailor-made for him, but believes he will have to work hard to carry his power into the welterweight category that contains the real superfights further down the line.
He also points out that there is definite room for the Prestonpans fighter to build up greater accuracy with his jab.
Davison has built his reputation on crunching numbers to isolate weak points and shape tactical strategies and is clear on the major technical alteration he has to zone in on with the 29-year-old.
Where he is blessed is that he has WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, another southpaw with excellent movement, working as a training partner with Taylor at their base in Ricky Hatton’s gym on the outskirts of Manchester.
What Taylor lacks, Saunders possesses in abundance. Likewise, Taylor excels at the things Saunders needs to improve.
They are already comparing notes, swapping ideas, and that chemistry has Davison purring over what more the three of them could achieve together.
‘You can’t read everything from stats, but they can show some things,’ said the 27-year-old, who also helped lead Tyson Fury back to the heavyweight big-time before splitting ahead of his rematch win over Deontay Wilder.
‘If you look at the stats, Billy Joe, another southpaw, is world class when it comes to the connect rate on his jab. Look at his mid-to-short range connect rate on the stats and it is not world class.
‘Josh’s connect rate with his jab is not world class. But you look at his mid-to-short range connect rate and it is up there. I believe it is in the top five in the world.
‘It’s funny. We have two of the best southpaws in the world and their strengths and weaknesses are the opposites. So, they can help each other.
‘Already, they are stopping after sessions and asking each other how they throw certain shots. They’ll gel and learn things from each other. It is clear to me what areas I want to bring out in Josh and in Billy Joe.’
Stats, of course, have become an industry in themselves within football. Davison, a former amateur boxer, used to play with current English League Two side Stevenage Borough and believes bringing them into the ring offers fighters solid evidence his methods work.
‘It’s not that big in boxing, but it is something I like to do,’ he said. ‘It is easy for me to sit back and say: “Ha! I improved Tyson Fury”. But if there is no evidence, how can you prove that?
‘I can say Deontay Wilder threw twice as many shots against Tyson as Wladimir Klitschko did, but Tyson got hit with less. Tyson’s connect rate offensively was better, too.
‘I spend a lot of time studying fights. I told myself I wouldn’t watch a fight without a pen and a notepad — just to be able to stop fights, wind them back, note down what happened and have reference points.
‘If I am watching opponents, I can send over details to Josh, for example, to let him know why we’ve worked on things — to show examples of that working against opponents you potentially will be facing.
‘It just helps fighters understand the reasons.’
Davison, of course, may not be in Taylor’s corner for his clash with IBF mandatory challenger Apinun Khongsong at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro on May 2 should a Vegas superfight between Saunders and Mexican star Canelo Alvarez be agreed for the same day.
However, he is already planning for that winner-takes-all match-up with Ramirez and looking further down the line towards a welterweight category that currently boasts the likes of Errol Spence Jr, Terence Crawford and Manny Pacquiao.
‘I believe the Ramirez fight to unify the division is a good fight for Josh stylistically,’ said Davison.
‘I believe for him to step up in weight and be more effective at the weight above, which is what we want to do after unifying this division, there will have to be some work put in physically.
‘Ricky Hatton was a monster at light-welter, but not quite as effective at welterweight. Josh has got the frame, but he would have to add to that frame to be as effective at that weight.
‘You are against bigger men, so it comes down to the IQ as well. Josh has been able to physically dominate his opponents at juniorwelterweight, but, at welterweight, he will have to be able to nullify them a little better and know when to nullify them and when to use his physicality.
‘It is about developing all-round, really, but you cannot see the ceiling for his potential at the minute. I can’t anyway.’