AISLE BE ALL SET FOR BIG ONE – TAYLOR
SCOTLAND’S ring king Josh Taylor is preparing to say “I do” on a whole heap of fronts this year.
Not only will the bells be tolling when the undisputed world lightwelterweight champion defends all four of his belts against England’s Jack Catterall at the Hydro on February 26.
They will also sound out when he ties the knot with fiancee Danielle, a match-up that could have a big impact on his upcoming fight schedule.
The Tartan Tornado also has the tantalising prospect of becoming a two-weight champion by facing unbeaten WBO welterweight beltholder Terence Crawford after Taylor’s promoter, Top Rank’s Bob Arum, announced he has enough cash to convince the American to put his title on the line.
Taylor, 30, said: “This year we’re probably only going to get two, maybe three fights.
“I’m getting married in June, so I’ll have the bout in February, have a couple of months off and then it’s my stag do and the wedding.
“With luck, 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 Catterall fight and then hopefully a big one later in the year too.”
Relatives plus rising Covid cases and costs have combined to KO the chance of a Las Vegas wedding, however.
Taylor added: “We’re getting married here.
“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. She’s very close to them, so we couldn’t get married without them being there.
“I’ll be staying here for the stag as it’s too much hassle to get everyone abroad these days with PCR tests and the rest.
“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!”
First, though, Taylor has to beat Catterall to ensure the Crawford fight goes ahead.
The Scot said: “He’s standing in the way of me going for my other goals.
“If it doesn’t go well, then there’s no point thinking about what happens afterwards.”
Unfortunately, Taylor’s dream of headlining a show at Edinburgh Castle has been sidelined.
He added: “It’s looking very much like Easter Road instead now. That would be great as it’s my 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.
“I’d still like to fight at the Castle one day but they just don’t seem to be playing ball very much.
“They don’t seem as keen, so I’m looking at Easter Road now.
“The Castle would have been iconic with the ring in the middle of the esplanade, 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.”