$10m prize and two world belts don’t faze Josh
TWO world titles on the line. A guaranteed $10million prize pot for the champion. And the first steps towards unifying the super-lightweight division.
Even among boxers, for whom self-confidence has never been a finite resource, the riches offered in the World Boxing Super Series should surely set a few nerves jangling as they enter the ring.
But for Josh Taylor, the concept of pressure — or, heaven forbid, actually losing to any of the other seven contenders in his weight class — does not appear to have registered on his consciousness. If anything, he has never been more relaxed.
His last fight, a unanimous points decision win over Ukrainian former world champion Viktor Postol in June, put paid to any worries about living up to his tag as favourite for this year’s WBSS super-lightweight title.
The victory was his first experience of going the full 12-round distance in his 13 professional fights, all of which he has won with 11 of them arriving by knockout.
‘I’m not really fussed about any of the opposition,’ he said ahead of his November 3 WBSS quarter-final bout with American Ryan Martin at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro. ‘I think I can beat any one of them in this division. They’re very tough fighters but I’m fully confident I’m going to come away with that trophy.
‘I don’t feel any pressure for this fight. I felt more for my last fight because I knew if I won it I’d get a shot at a world title against (WBC world champion) Jose Ramirez.
‘This fight I don’t feel any pressure. I’ve proved myself at world level and believe in myself now. I’ve no doubts that I’m going to win this fight.’
Claiming the WBSS title, and its associated windfall, is by no means a straightforward task, with the other contenders representing the cream of their division.
To get his hands on the Muhammad Ali Trophy, Taylor must first put his own WBC Silver belt on the line against Martin’s undefeated record, while one of two world champions — America’s Regis Prograis and Kiryl Relikh of Belarus — will likely await him in the final.
And admirable though his statements of intent are, Taylor knows only too well that nerves are never fully dealt with.
With no guarantee of a world title shot entering the Postol bout, and the prospect of being relegated down the ranks had he lost, the 27-year-old admits the occasion almost got the better of him.
‘If I didn’t win that fight, I thought I wouldn’t get to the world title. It would have taken another couple of years to get back into contention.
‘I was just putting pressure on myself, telling myself I have to do this, do that.
‘It showed in my performance — I was trying too hard, I couldn’t get my boxing going.
‘I’ve now proved to myself I can do it, I’ve ticked the boxes and removed any queries. I’ve got all the ingredients I need.’
The Postol win, also at the Hydro, allowed Taylor to relax and enjoy his boxing. He describes himself as being in the best shape of his professional career.
Moving to London to train with Shane McGuigan, son of Barry, played no small part in the East Lothian fighter’s new-found serenity either.
For the 14 weeks of his training camp leading up to Postol, Taylor’s living situation consisted of a shared hotel room, 40 minutes by train from his gym.
‘It was a wee bit frustrating, the last camp,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I wasn’t getting back until ten at night. I wasn’t able to eat anything, everywhere was shut.
‘I was just always a bit frustrated and, with the pressure of the fight as well, that played into my performance.
‘Now, I’ve got my own space and can cycle down to the gym in ten minutes, it’s much better.’