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Nick Parkinson
Josh Taylor begins his World Boxing Super Series campaign against Ryan Martin on Saturday, hoping it will finish against another American in Regis Prograis.
Prograis, the No.1 seed in the eight-man tournament that is in its second season, defeated England’s Terry Flanagan unanimously on points in his quarterfinal bout last weekend.
Prograis (23-0, 19 KOs), 29, who is from New Orleans but trains in Houston, faces WBA world super-lightweight champion Kiryl Relikh (23-2, 19 KOs), 28, of Belarus, in the semifinals.
The winner of Taylor-Martin will progress to a semifinal against new IBF champion Ivan Baranchyk (18-0, 11 KOs), 25, of Russia, who stopped Anthony Yigit (21-0-1, 7 KOs), 27, of Sweden, on a cut in the seventh round, also on Saturday.
Taylor (13-0, 11 KOs), 27, is favourite after an impressive start in the professional ranks and outpointed former world champion Viktor Postol in his last outing in June.
Edinburgh-born Taylor, who trains in London with coach Shane McGuigan, will also have the benefit of home advantage against Martin (22-0, 12 KOs), of Cleveland, when he walks out at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Taylor will defend the WBC Silver super-lightweight title, a secondary belt to the governing body’s world title held by American Jose Ramirez, and is hoping to meet Prograis in next year’s final for the WBA and IBF world titles.
“Everyone is calling for me to fight Prograis, a lot of people want to see that fight and it would be absolutely brilliant if we met each other in the final,” Taylor told ESPN.
“They’re all good fighters and I’ve got a hard fight coming up myself, but Prograis is the one people are talking about.
“This has come at the perfect time in my career as I’m coming into my own now.”
Taylor, who failed to win a medal at the 2012 Olympics as an amateur in the same Great Britain team as current world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, is from east Edinburgh, not far from the Muirfield golf course which has hosted the Open on numerous occasions.
Taylor played golf in his youth and has a scar on his face after being hit in the face by a golf club aged 10. The injury needed 90 stitches and left an indelible mark on Taylor’s left cheek, but as a smart boxer he usually avoids much punishment.
The Tartan Tornado has recently been named the British Boxing Board of Control’s Boxer of the Year and earned comparisons to Edinburgh’s best ever boxer, Ken Buchanan, now 73, who reigned as world lightweight champion from 1970 to 1972.
“Just being mentioned in the same breath as Ken is special but I’ve not done anything yet in the game to be compared myself to what he did,” Taylor told ESPN.
“He was undisputed world champion, British champion and European champion. He fought all over the world.
“That can’t be capped, but it’s very special to be mentioned in the same sentence as him and Ken has said to me he thinks I’ll be world champion one day. He gives me advice when I see him about. It was nice to get the British Boxer of the Year award, but I’ve not done anything yet.”
Taylor who is promoted by Cyclone Promotions and managed by former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan, floored Postol in the tenth round but says he feels better prepared this time around due to a bit of privacy.
“Overall I’m more settled than before my last fight,” Taylor told ESPN.
“I’ve got a flat and I’ve got all my stuff and clothes there, my girlfriend comes down regularly to see me and I’m happier going into this fight than the last one.
“Last time I had a hotel room for 14 weeks and sometimes I wasn’t finishing training until 10 at night, travelling home and then sharing a room with Lee McGregor [the British bantamweight champion]. I just needed my own space and I didn’t have any problems with Lee, he’s great lad, I just needed my own head space.”
Taylor noticed how his gym-mate George Groves enjoyed the competition, until getting knocked out in the final by fellow Englishman Callum Smith and losing his WBA world super-middleweight title in September.
It was enough to convince Taylor to enter the tournament rather than go for a shot at WBC champion Ramirez after beating Postol in a WBC final eliminator.
“In this competition I have three fights and get the chance to win two world titles in a year,” Taylor told ESPN.
“In boxing that can take 18 months to two years to do and then the champion might keep you waiting. This way I’m getting three fights and two belts and paid well.
“The production, the lights, the music, it all looks great and I’m really looking forward to being involved.”