Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BISH BASH JOSH
Lenny using World Champ Taylor as inspiration for his players’ scrap for the title
NEIL LENNON last night warned his Celtic fighters to take a leaf out of Josh Taylor’s book and refuse to take a backward step tonight in the title scrap.
The Parkhead boss wants his defending champions to produce another lethal display against St Mirren.
Lennon saw Josh Taylor rocket to the summit of the boxing world last weekend just hours before his team delivered a blistering knockout of their own to floor Aberdeen.
Taylor was left blinded for three rounds after his left eye closed over at the end of his win over Regis Prograis in London.
But Lennon (right) has warned his players to keep theirs wide-open in Glasgow’s East End as they look to slap the Saints.
He said: “Our home form has been terrific this season, but we are not getting carried away.
“We have to focus solely on beating St Mirren. Supporters will go there with expectations of a foregone conclusion. We can’t think like that.
“These are the type of games that can be dangerous, especially when your form is going so well.
“You take your eye off the ball and all of a sudden you are dropping points, so it’s really important we approach the game in the right way.
“We are in a good place. It doesn’t last forever, so we have to try and enjoy it and maintain it as long as we can.
“I’m thrilled. When you look at the win against
Lazio with the quality of the game and the whole experience, that gave them a huge psychological lift going into Sunday and there is no sign of fatigue.
“They played brilliantly and it was an emphatic victory.
I don’t think many teams could have lived with us. “That’s a great sign for us and it’s important we try to keep that momentum going now.
“If you start getting complacent or if you start thinking it’s easy or if you start coming off it then, one, you will be out of the team and, two, there will be a lot of questions asked about you.
“So it’s important you maintain that will to win and desire and intensity week in and week out.” Will to win epitomised Taylor’s boxing performance at the O2 Arena and the Celtic manager was thrilled for the Prestonpans
fighter having gotten to know him during his time as gaffer at Hibs.
He said: “He came into East Mains a few times as he’s a big Hibee and, obviously, Shane and Barry Mcguigan are his managers.
“He’s very talented and it was a helluva fight. People have been talking about Josh for a long time since he won the Commonwealth gold medal.
“Mcguigan has been singing his name from the rooftops since then more or less since he turned professional and he’s turned into an unbelievable fighter.
“It was Fight of the Year against Prograis.
“He’s a credit to himself and his country and there will be some more big fights to look forward to now.
“I was at his fight at Meadowbank and I was really pleased for him. Also for Barry as he was my hero growing up.
“It’s great that Scotland have a World Champion again and he looks good.”