SET TO RULE THE WORLD
Taylor will topple ‘The Beast’ then be favourite for WBA title, insists Arthur
EVERYTHING we know about Josh Taylor says he’ll do what it takes, push himself further than ever before, leave no ounce of effort unspent in pursuit of a first world title.
And then? He’ll pick himself up and do it all again. For the rest of his life, he may well look back on 2019 as a year to cherish and celebrate.
The Scot has the talent to deprive Ivan Baranchyk of his IBF super-lightweight belt, whenever the fight is actually arranged for.
Victory over Baranchyk in the World Boxing Super Series semi-final would then put Taylor in a final against either Kiryl Relikh or Regis Prograis — with the WBA title at stake.
According to one of Scotland’s most popular former world champions, Taylor should be favourite to beat all-comers.
Alex Arthur believes Baranchyk, despite his fearsome nickname of ‘The Beast’, will be outclassed by the Prestonpans pugilist taking part in just his 15th pro fight.
Relikh, an outsider in his semi, might prove awkward. But what of New Orleans fighter Prograis, who is many pundits’ pick of the bunch?
‘Regis Prograis is just a shorter, slower version of Josh,’ Arthur, the former WBO super-featherweight champion, told Sportsmail. Even the most well-founded prediction can be upturned by a lucky punch or an unlucky clash of heads, of course.
And, no matter how deep you dig into records, regardless of how many fights you watch on film, the one incalculable — how Taylor rises to the challenge of a first crack at a world title — is liable to render any forecast less than reliable.
Arthur, drawing directly on his own experience of beating Koba Gogoladze in Wales back in 2007, explained: ‘When it’s a world title, there is no tomorrow.
‘It’s different when you’re fighting for, say, a British title. There’s a wee bit of you that thinks about living to fight another day.
‘When I won the world title, I was in trouble in round four, cut up pretty badly.
‘The cut around the right eye meant I had blood running into my eye and couldn’t see properly. There was a cut on my cheek, so I was swallowing blood.
‘But I remember the faces of my guys in the corner. They were all looking at me, then looking at each other as if to say there was no option but to stop the fight. I remember turning around to Terry McCormack, who was my No 2 in the corner, and shaking my head.
‘There was no way I was going to let them stop this fight because of a cut.
‘I had another couple of bad rounds after that but persevered and persisted, knowing I could grind the guy down — and that’s what happened.
‘But I left something in the ring that night. And, sadly, I never quite recaptured it.
‘You have to remember, I was 170 fights deep into my boxing career that night.
‘I’d been fighting since I was ten and had put my body through a tremendous amount. So, aye, something was left in the ring that night in Cardiff. Sadly, I never got it back.
‘I had reached the mountain top and there was nowhere left for me to go.’
It feels as if Taylor has been fighting world title ‘eliminators’ for more than a year now. Because he has.
Every time we were told the 28-year-old was just one more fight away from The Big One, something seemed to push the shiniest prizes just out of reach.
This time, though, the shot at the brass ring is for real. Everything he has done in his short professional career, all the experience gained in a long amateur life that included two Commonwealth Games, will be needed.
‘It’s remarkable to get a shot at a world title in just his 15th pro fight,’ said Arthur. ‘He’s really been fast-tracked.
‘But he’s no spring chicken. He’s actually getting a bit long in the tooth!
‘I don’t mean anything bad by that. What I’m saying is that, even though he’s not had so many pro fights, you can still call Josh an experienced fighter.
‘He started late but had a long amateur career. So he’s an experienced campaigner.
‘It’s an interesting fight, the Baranchyk one. And I keep hearing people say this isn’t going to be a walk in the park, that it will be a really tough fight.
‘I don’t believe it. I actually don’t think this is difficult for Josh. It’s not that hard a fight.
‘Why? Because I think he’s only really troubled by guys like Viktor Postol, guys who can stay out of reach and won’t get counter-punched.
‘Josh finds it tricky against guys who won’t overreach, meaning he can’t do all that great inside work with his heavy hands.
‘Not many can outbox him. But one or two can do it for a spell.
‘Baranchyk, though, is a one-dimensional fighter. He’s physically very strong and obviously he’s world-class, a world champion. But his attributes don’t mesh well with what Josh brings to the fight.
‘I think he’ll get through. And then it’s down to the winner of Prograis against Relikh.
‘I commentated on Relikh when Ricky Burns beat him a few years back and I thought he was very good, just a bit inexperienced back then.
‘Prograis? I’ve taken a bit of stick on social media for saying this. But I think Regis Prograis is a shorter, slower version of Josh Taylor.
‘That’s not just patriotism speaking. I genuinely think Josh is better than Prograis in every department.
‘If he wins the semi-final, then you’d have to think the final will be in the States.
‘That would be amazing, a Scot fighting for a world title in one of the big American fight venues. It’s been a while since that happened.’