A dash of drama at the weigh-in as advance party roars Tartan Tornado towards his date with destiny

THERE was something guttural and unmistakably Scottish about the roar which rang out around Canary Wharf yesterday lunchtime. It was almost as if a latter-day William Wallace and an enthusiastic advance party had decided to strike at the heart of London’s Central Business District.

This was only the weigh-in for Josh Taylor’s eagerly awaited world title unification bout tonight against Regis Prograis of New Orleans over the way at the O2. But the atmosphere tingled in a manner which suggests visitors to this futuristic dome in London’s docklands and the millions watching at home on pay-per-view are in for something very special indeed when the main event gets under way some time after 10pm.

Getting two men to stand on the scales in turn and get their photo taken for a head-to-head shot isn’t the kind of set-up which naturally screams drama.

But there was some intrigue ahead of this super lightweight match-up which sees both men’s perfect records, the WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine titles on the line, as well as the Muhammad Ali trophy. This giant golden creation – previously only won by cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine and English super middleweight Callum Smith – stood in the centre of the floor at the glitzy surroundings of the Wintergarden, close enough for these two world champions to reach out and touch.

The drama came when Prograis tipped the scales at 10st 1oz, and was forced to try again without his garish Bermuda shorts and with only a towel to cover his modesty. He eventually made the weight for super lightweight at 9st 13 and 15 oz.

Taylor, regardless of some speculation that he was struggling to make the weight – something the lean Scot never struggles with – came in six ounces lighter at 9st 13 9oz, even with his tartan breeks on.

All had been good natured between this pair when Prograis larked about in a kilt as he visited the SSE Hydro to see Taylor crowned world champion against Ivan Baranchyk of Belarus but familiarity seems to be breeding contempt.

Having aimed a jibe at his adversary for having the temerity to wear sunglasses indoors during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, yesterday Taylor used those struggles to make the weight to suggest he was “dead on his feet”.

The Scot may share a drink in his time-honoured fashion with his opponent when it is all over tonight but there was little disguising the loathing between these two men as they jawed at each other and had to be separated after the head-to-head pictures.

“I always make the weight easily,” said Taylor. “He looks dead on his feet and he will get planted on Saturday night. I am ready to fight, I am relaxed and I cannot wait to do a number on this mouthpiece. He is going back to America with his tail between his legs.”

Prograis, a cool customer on a three-week tour of duty in the UK, which has seen him visit St James’ Park and the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, seemed a little rattled here.

“I am good, it was just a miscalculation,” he said. “I am just going to beat the s*** out of him. It will be a bloody fight. His coach Shane [McGuigan] will throw the towel in because he will quit.”

There was also a roar for former three-weight world champion Ricky Burns, who looked good when making the weight at 9st 8lb 8oz, with his opponent Lee Selby coming in an ounce lighter.

Whether the vocal advance party translates into a giant invasion force tonight for a bill which also sees a heavyweight showdown between Derek Chisora and Derek Price, the headline act has the purists purring.

Scotland has had some greats of the boxing world in the last 50 years but Taylor has it in his power to become the first Scot to concurrently hold two world titles since his idol Ken Buchanan defeated Ruben Navarro in 1971 to add the WBC lightweight crown to his WBA title.

Barry McGuigan is adamant that he more than deserves to be in that company.

“Without a doubt he is in the same class as guys like Ken Buchanan and just look how long it has taken him to get there, just 15 pro fights,” McGuigan said.

“Look at the amount of super lightweight unification matches in this country – it has never happened before. With the WBA, the IBF, the Ring Magazine, the WBSS Ali Trophy, all on the line, it is absolutely huge but it is what Taylor was made for.

“Fighters can get lost but he is a purist’s fighter, a real fighters’ fighter. I would love to see more of the casual fans get to see him and get to know him. He is a fabulous person and a great kid. This is a big test but I believe he will pass it with flying colours.”

Prograis has a perfect record from his 24 pro fights with 20 of them coming by way of knockout. But he hasn’t fought outwith the USA, and as Taylor delicately put it, he feels he “has padded his record” by knocking out “binmen”.

By contrast, the Scot has been fast-tracked and tested every step of the way, not least by veteran Ukrainian Viktor Postol. McGuigan is wary of the power in Prograis’ punches but he can’t see past his man.

“This is a massive occasion, the highlight of Josh’s career so far but I believe he was always destined to be here,” said McGuigan. “Prograis is definitely the heaviest puncher he has ever fought. But Josh has trained assiduously and is in great condition. He will have to be clever and brave and use that intelligence, use his boxing brain then show what he is made of. Stand in the punching distance and let his shots go.”

“Prograis is confident because everyone he has beaten has been done in the distance but he has never fought anyone like Taylor before.

“They have both fought three world champs but if you look at who Taylor has fought, they all had far more ambition, they wanted to win. The others acquiesced to Prograis’ wishes.

“He has never fought here before. He is a fish out of water. I believe 100 per cent that Taylor will beat him up.”

JOSH TAYLOR said last night he would be honoured to become only the third winner of the Muhammad Ali trophy for the winner of the World Boxing Super Series.

Only Ukrainian cruiserweight Oleksandr Usyk and English super middleweight Callum Smith have lifted the spectacular gold trophy in a competition which is only in its second full series, and Taylor would be privileged if his name ended up on the list of winners in the Super Lightweight division.

“I didn’t start boxing very young but when I first started getting into boxing it was all about the greats like Muhammad Ali,” said Taylor. “I would be delighted to lift the trophy which bears his name. I have dreamed and visualised winning this tournament and trophy from the second I signed up.”

Alex Arthur fully expects Taylor to beat Regis Prograis in tonight’s much-anticipated World Boxing Super Series super lightweight final.

Former WBO super featherweight champion Arthur got IBF title holder Taylor involved in the sport 13 years ago and is adamant he will add Prograis’ WBA belt to his collection at the O2.

Arthur said: “They’re both very confident, you can see it in both their eyes. That’s what makes for such an exciting fight.

“I’m not being biased but when you look at their physical attributes I see a one-sided fight. I might be wrong but I’m very confident I’m right. Josh is taller and has a longer reach, he’s got a better head on his shoulders.

“I believe his temperament works for him and he hates losing at anything, I’ve known him since he was a kid and I know what he’s like.

“He’s faster, I think he’s a harder puncher than Prograis and I think he has better overall experience.”

FINALLY, after weeks of nursing my back, I managed to climb back on to my bike this week for a proper session.

It’s just my indoor bike but it’s a step closer to getting back outside and into a training programme just in time for winter.

Those of you that have read the last few columns will know I have been struggling with my mental strength of late.

I realised a lot of this was because I was chasing a goal that didn’t sit well with my values.

When I first met Dr Steve Peters the first thing he asked me was “who is David Smith”?

I replied: “He is an athlete”.

But he said: “No, that’s what you do but it’s not what defines you.”

So I went away to discover who I was. This was a pretty revealing experience and it answered lots of the why around what I do.

So when I spoke a few weeks ago about “have-to” goals and “want-to” goals it was very much about aligning those goals with your values.

My goal as an athlete is to win but over the last few weeks I just felt like my values now differ from the UK Sport programme where the mentality is to win at all costs.

I still really want to be an athlete but I also want to enjoy my training and life. I started to ask who am I trying to win a medal for?

All these thoughts swirled around in my mind even more when I read about Marieke Vervoort, who was an incredible athlete, but also an incredible person.

I could tell you how many medals she won as a track athlete or that she competed in Kona at the world championships Ironman, but what really moved me was how she chose to live her life and to ultimately end it.

She did it on her terms. Vervoort was diagnosed with an incurable spinal condition when she was just 21, and this condition slowly deteriorated over the years leaving her in unmanageable pain.

I might have experienced spinal cord-related pain myself but I still can’t imagine what she went through.

Sport for Marieke seems very much like my relationship with sport. It wasn’t just about winning medals, but an escape, a sense of freedom, something more than sport. It was a way of living life with a purpose that wasn’t defined by your disability.

As I sit in the sporting club in

London looking out of the window on this wet Friday morning I think of how Marieke’s love of sport kept her going until she had it taken away.

Something she said hit me harder than anything I have read recently.

“Other people stop with their sports because they say they don’t want to do it any more. I have to stop because my mind says yes, go further, you still can do it. But my body cries, says help, stop training, you break me.”

This is exactly where I am on my journey with cycling. My mind is telling me I can do it, but with a body in pain and the pressure of knowing that if I don’t win a medal I will be dropped from the team, I have reached a point where I want to take control.

During my time in hospital one of the main things I learned was that the hardest thing for people was when you lose your independence. Needing someone to wash you is a pretty hard place to be mentally, and I kind of feel like that with sport right now.

I try to think what it must have been like for Marieke who, a few months after winning medals on the track in Rio, was planning her own death through euthanasia in her home country of Belgium.

In a talk last week I told people to squeeze every last bit of their life, to live with a passion and a purpose. So I am going to listen to that message and I am going to leave the British Cycling team.

I am leaving not to just protect my mental health but to align my goals again with what my values really are.

So what does that mean?

It means I will find my own coach, bikes, and ultimately ride and race for me. I will do things my way from now on.