BOXING Q&A

Josh Taylor Interview by Matthew Nash

‘I want to leave a legacy as a great of British boxing’

Britain’s 30-year-old WBA and IBF super-lightweight world champion faces a unification clash with WBC and WBO king Jose Carlos Ramirez on May 22 in Las Vegas

Is this the fight you have been waiting for?

It is – it feels like everything has fallen into place at the perfect time. I feel like I am coming into my prime and everything happens for a reason. The time is now for me and I want to put on a very strong performance.

Was it hard to fight just once last year after becoming world champion?

I came into the pandemic with great momentum behind me after the Regis Prograis win in October 2019 and then everything came to a grinding halt. It was quite frustrating not to be able to keep going.

Are you just glad elite sport has been allowed to continue

during this lockdown?

I’m pretty active anyway but if I wasn’t able to train, I’d be sitting indoors staring at four walls. I’ve been lucky that while I’ve been training near London I’ve been able to get out and have nice walks, see nature, that sort of thing.

Are you a fighter who thinks a lot about your legacy?

I’ve got that bit between my teeth now and something to focus on. I want to be the first boxer from the UK to be a fourbelt world champion. I want to leave a legacy as one of the greats of British boxing. Undisputed world champion is what I want.

Are you thinking about a move up to welterweight later this year?

Once I win this fight, there’s not much else to do at the weight so the natural progression for me is to move up to 147lb and try to become world champion there and really cement a legacy for myself in the sport as a two-weight world title-holder.

Manny Pacquiao is your idol, isn’t he? Would you like to box him in the future?

I even named my dog Manny! He’s my hero and his fighting style is unbelievable. He’s a humble champion, the people’s champion, he is like a god back in the Philippines (he is currently a senator) and the only eight-weight champion ever in boxing. I’d love for us to fight.