Josh Taylor (boxer)

Josh Taylor (born 2 January 1991) is a Scottish professional boxer. He is a unified light-welterweight champion, having held the WBA (Super), IBF, and Ring magazine titles since 2019. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth light-welterweight title from 2016 to 2017. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and gold at the 2014 edition.

Josh Taylor
Taylor (left) after winning a silver medal for Scotland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Dehli
Statistics
Nickname(s)The Tartan Tornado
Weight(s)Light-welterweight
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach69 1⁄2 in (177 cm)
NationalityScottish
Born (1991-01-02) 2 January 1991[1]
Prestonpans, Scotland
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights17
Wins17
Wins by KO13
Losses0
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Scotland
Commonwealth Games
2014 Glasgow Light-welterweight
2010 Delhi Lightweight
Commonwealth Youth Games
2008 Pune Lightweight

As of December 2020, he is ranked as the world's best active light-welterweight by BoxRec and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. With 13 of his 17 wins coming by way of stoppage, he currently has a 76% knockout-to-win percentage.[2]

Amateur career

Taylor was a junior taekwondo champion, and turned to boxing at 15. He spent a short time at Meadowbank ABC and then moved onto Lochend ABC under coach Terry McCormack of Edinburgh.[3] Taylor won a silver medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where he was beaten by Thomas Stalker in the lightweight final by 11–3.[4]

Following the European Qualifying Event in Trabzon, Turkey, the ACB Lochend boxer qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, losing to number two seed Domenico Valentino in the round of 16.[5] Taylor became the first lightweight Scottish boxer to qualify for the Olympics since Dick McTaggart, who won a gold medal in Melbourne in 1956 and a bronze in Rome at the following games.[6]

He reached a Commonwealth Games final again in 2014,[7] this time at light-welterweight. Taylor won the gold medal, defeating Junias Jonas of Namibia in the final.[8] Taylor also represented the British Lionhearts at the World Series of Boxing.[9]

Professional career

Taylor started his professional career in June 2015, signing with Barry McGuigan's Cyclone Promotions, and was trained by Shane McGuigan.[3][10][11] Taylor made his debut in July 2015, defeating Archie Weah with a second round technical knockout (TKO).

In his seventh fight, Taylor picked up the Commonwealth light-welterweight title by beating Dave Ryan with a fifth-round stoppage. Ryan went down twice over the course of the bout. Ryan had previously held the title between 2014 and 2015.[12] Taylor won his first seven fights by knockout (KO). His KO streak came to an end against Alfonso Olvera, who went eight rounds with Taylor at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 28 January 2017. Taylor won the fight by unanimous decision (UD) with scores of 79–72, and 78-73 twice. On 24 March Taylor defended his Commonwealth title for the first time, beating Warren Joubert with a sixth-round TKO, after hurting him several times with left hooks. Joubert went down in round six and his corner threw in the towel.[13]

Taylor vs Davies

On 8 July Taylor faced WBC Silver champion and fellow unbeaten prospect Ohara Davies. The two had previously taunted each other on Twitter. Taylor would also be defending the Commonwealth title.[14] Taylor dominated the fight and stopped Davies, dropping him once in round three and twice in round seven before the referee halted the contest.[15]

Taylor vs Vázquez

Taylor defended his WBC Silver title against former lightweight world champion Miguel Vázquez on 11 November at the Royal Highland Centre.[16] Although Vázquez' style seemed to pose problems for Taylor in the early rounds, Taylor wore him down as the fight went on. Vázquez went down in round nine from body shots, and he failed to beat the count. This was Vázquez' first stoppage loss.[17]

On 18 January 2018 it was confirmed that Taylor would defend his WBC Silver light-welterweight title against veteran Humberto Soto on 3 March 2018, at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.[18] On 24 February 2018 it was revealed that Soto had sustained an injury whilst training meaning he had to pull out the fight. On the same day, Winston Campos was announced as his replacement.[19]

Taylor vs Postol

In June 2018, Taylor fought former WBC light-welterweight champion, Viktor Postol, gaining a UD win in a twelve-round fight, meaning that he was placed in the mandatory position to fight WBC light-welterweight champion, José Ramírez.[20] The fight took place at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow.[21]

World Boxing Super Series
Main article: 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series – Super lightweight division

On 30 June 2018, it was announced that Taylor would join fellow light welterweights Ryan Martin, Terry Flanagan, Regis Prograis, Eduard Troyanovsky, Anthony Yigit, Ivan Baranchyk and WBA champion, Kiryl Relikh in the eight man tournament.

Taylor vs Martin

At a gala held in Moscow, Taylor selected to fight Ryan Martin in the quarter-finals. Taylor dominated the fight with Martin throwing few punches. In the seventh round, Taylor landed a flurry of punches that staggered Martin which resulted in referee Victor Loughlin stopping the fight.[22]

Taylor vs Baranchyk

Taylor won his first world title, the IBF light-welterweight title, by UD against Ivan Baranchyk in Glasgow on 18 May 2019. Taylor scored two knockdowns in the fight.

Taylor vs Prograis

Taylor won a unification bout against WBA (Super) light-welterweight champion Regis Prograis by majority decision (MD) in the final of the World Boxing Super Series at The O2 Arena in London on 26 October 2019.[23] The fight was shown live on Sky Sports Box Office. Two judges scored the fight 117–112 and 115–113 in favour of Taylor while the third scored it a draw at 114–114. Taylor lifted the Muhammad Ali Trophy as the winner of the 2018-19 World Boxing Super Series – Light-welterweight division along with the vacant Ring magazine title.[24]

Taylor vs Khongsong

In his next fight, Taylor defended his WBA, IBF and The Ring light welterweight belts against undefeated Thai challenger Apinun Khongsong. Taylor did not waste any time, dropping and stopping Khongsong in the first round with a brilliantly placed body shot. The time of stoppage was 2:41.[25]

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
17 fights 17 wins 0 losses
By knockout 13 0
By decision 4 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
17 Win 17–0 Apinun Khongsong KO 1 (12), 2:41 26 Sep 2020 York Hall, London, England Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring light-welterweight titles
16 Win 16–0 Regis Prograis MD 12 26 Oct 2019 The O2 Arena, London, England Retained IBF light-welterweight title;
Won WBA (Super) and vacant The Ring light-welterweight titles;
World Boxing Super Series: Light-welterweight final
15 Win 15–0 Ivan Baranchyk UD 12 18 May 2019 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Won IBF light-welterweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: Light-welterweight semi-final
14 Win 14–0 Ryan Martin TKO 7 (12), 2:21 3 Nov 2018 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: Light-welterweight quarter-final
13 Win 13–0 Viktor Postol UD 12 23 Jun 2018 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title
12 Win 12–0 Winston Campos TKO 3 (12), 0:44 3 Mar 2018 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title
11 Win 11–0 Miguel Vázquez KO 9 (12), 2:30 11 Nov 2017 Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title
10 Win 10–0 Ohara Davies TKO 7 (12), 2:25 8 Jul 2017 Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland Retained Commonwealth light-welterweight title;
Won WBC Silver light-welterweight title
9 Win 9–0 Warren Joubert TKO 6 (12), 1:27 24 Mar 2017 Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland Retained Commonwealth light-welterweight title
8 Win 8–0 Alfonso Olvera UD 8 28 Jan 2017 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US
7 Win 7–0 Dave Ryan TKO 5 (12), 2:45 21 Oct 2016 Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland Won vacant Commonwealth light-welterweight title
6 Win 6–0 Evincii Dixon RTD 2 (8), 3:00 30 Jul 2016 Barclays Center, New York City, New York, US
5 Win 5–0 Miguel Alberto González Mena TKO 1 (6), 1:33 14 May 2016 Ice Arena Wales, Cardiff, Wales
4 Win 4–0 Lyes Chaibi KO 2 (6), 1:40 27 Feb 2016 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
3 Win 3–0 Daniel Cosmin Minescu TKO 1 (4), 0:45 20 Nov 2015 Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2 Win 2–0 Adam Mate TKO 1 (6), 1:25 16 Oct 2015 Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
1 Win 1–0 Archie Weah TKO 2 (6), 1:53 18 Jul 2015 Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, US

Pay-per-view bouts
Pay-per-view bouts in the United Kingdom
DateFightNetworkPay-per-view buysSource(s)
26 October 2019 Josh Taylor vs. Regis Prograis Sky Box Office 176,000 [26]
Total sales Sky Box Office 176,000

Personal life

Taylor has been a supporter of Hibernian F.C. since he was a child.[27]

In December 2019, Taylor was arrested and charged with behaving in a threatening or abusive manner due to an incident whilst partying in Edinburgh. After being asked to leave a nightclub, he said a bouncer's "nose ring is gay", and referred to the bouncer as a "gay-looking cunt" and a "big orange-looking cunt".[28] Taylor later pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and was fined £350. He said on Twitter afterwards, "I whole heartedly apologise for my stupid actions. It has been a rollercoaster of a year for me, becoming unified world champion and on this occasion I've taken it too far."[29]

See also

References
  1. "Biography Preview". AIBA. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  2. "Josh Taylor - News, Record & Stats, Next Fight & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  3. "About Me". Josh Taylor Boxing.
  4. https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/boxing/tom-stalker-class-apart-taking-3393283
  5. Davies, Gareth A. "London 2012 Olympics: Boxer Josh Taylor crashes out after 15-10 loss to number two seed Domenico Valentino". The Telegraph. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  6. "Scotland's Josh Taylor secures London 2012 boxing spot in qualifiers". The Guardian. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  7. Glasgow 2014: Josh Taylor into the 64kg final with unanimous win, BBC Sport
  8. Dirs, Ben (2 August 2014). "Glasgow 2014: Northern Ireland win first golds as Scots also shine". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  9. "Josh Taylor - British Lionhearts". Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  10. "Josh Taylor: Commonwealth gold medallist targets success as pro". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  11. Lewis, Jane (14 October 2015). "Bio". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  12. "Josh Taylor outclasses Dave Ryan for first title success". 21 October 2016 – via www.bbc.com.
  13. "Scotland's Josh Taylor sees off Warren Joubert to defend Commonwealth title". 24 March 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
  14. "Davies vs. Taylor set for 7/8 in Glasgow".
  15. "Taylor stops Davies in Glasgow".
  16. "Josh Taylor vs Miguel Vazquez set for November 11".
  17. "Josh Taylor Knocks Out Miguel Vazquez in Ninth Round".
  18. "Josh Taylor to meet Humberto Soto in Glasgow". 14 October 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  19. "Josh Taylor to defend title against Winston Campos after injury to Humberto Soto". 24 February 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  21. "Josh Taylor aims to keep it perfect against Viktor Postol". The Independent. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  22. "World Boxing Super Series: Josh Taylor beats Ryan Martin to book semi-final title shot". 3 November 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  23. "Boxing: Josh Taylor beats Regis Prograis on points to unify IBF & WBA super-lightweight titles". BBC Sport. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  24. "Josh Taylor outpoints Regis Prograis via majority decision, wins WBSS 140-pound final and Ring title". The Ring Magazine. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  25. "Josh Taylor blasts out Apinun Khongsong in one round, targets Jose Ramirez". The Ring. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  26. "Weekly viewing summary (Sky Box Office Events buys between 21 October 2019 and 27 October 2019)". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  27. "World champ Josh enjoys special day at Hibs". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  28. "Josh Taylor pleads guilty to racial abuse". The Independent. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  29. "Josh Taylor pleads guilty to racist and homophobic abuse of nightclub doorman". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
John Wayne Hibbert		 Commonwealth light-welterweight champion
21 October 2016 – January 2018
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Glenn Foot
Preceded by
Ohara Davies		 WBC Silver light-welterweight champion
8 July 2017 – May 2019
Vacated		 Vacant
Title next held by
Jose Zepeda
World boxing titles
Preceded by
Ivan Baranchyk		 IBF light-welterweight champion
18 May 2019 – present		 Incumbent
Preceded by
Regis Prograis		 WBA light-welterweight champion
Super title
26 October 2019 – present
Vacant
Title last held by
Terence Crawford		 The Ring light-welterweight champion
26 October 2019 – present
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