Could this be Britain's greatest ever boxer?
Hear me out on this - Josh Taylor is hoping to achieve something very special; PLUS Fury and Joshua finally spin the wheel and make the deal...
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Undisputed ambition
THE LONG READ
This May plays host to one of the biggest fights of the year, a contest which is likely to happen in front of actual fans and already has boxing devotees buzzing. Am I referring to Canelo-Saunders? No - although both fights might end up landing in Vegas, the latest Alvarez megashow will inevitably be a bigger event at a grander scale. Unlike Alvarez's Cinco de Mayo challenge though, this one is for undisputed glory.
On May 22nd, Scotland's Josh Taylor puts his WBA (Super), IBF and The Ring magazine Super Lightweight (a/k/a Junior Welterweight) titles up against Jose Ramirez, the reigning WBC and WBO champion of the same weight class, in a bout for completely supremacy of the division.
At a time when British fighters are suffering high-profile setbacks on the regular on both sides of the Atlantic, 'The Tartan Tornado' has a chance to make history by becoming only the second man to achieve total welterweight dominance in the four-belt era - and he will be doing it in just his 18th professional contest. In terms of Brits, Lennox Lewis is the only other undisputed boxer from these shores of recent times (although at the time the WBO was not considered one of the majors). With Joshua-Fury for all the heavyweight titles finally confirmed and looking like it will go down in June, Taylor has the chance to create his own legacy before the glamour division’s best. Ramirez cannot and should not be overlooked, however Josh has outstanding skills, an excellent resume and can rightly be confident that he will be able to take the glory. Becoming an undisputed world champion would be a huge achievement, especially in his 18th professional fight.
Taylor has even loftier aspirations if he can deliver in May though - he then wants to move up and conquer possibly the most stacked division in boxing.
This is rarefied air for any boxer, but even more so for a British fighter on the world stage. If you are judging boxing careers purely on fight records, Taylor’s early achievements compare favourably with any of the true icons of British boxing at the same stage of their pro journeys.
After 17 fights, Lennox Lewis had been in some good scraps but was still British and European Heavyweight champ; Joe Calzaghe was the British Super Middleweight holder and two years off his big break at world level; Ricky Hatton was building up a strong fan base five years away from his big moment against Kostya Tszyu for world honours; Tyson Fury had beaten Derek Chisora but was mainly toiling against journeymen, far away from the bright lights of the world title tilts; Naseem Hamed, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Carl Froch - none had got even close to being a unified world champion with the chance to achieve undisputed status in their chosen weight class. Looking further back, Taylor is aiming to be the first Scottish fighter to unify a division since Ken Buchanan 50 years ago.
Of course, legacy cannot be dictated solely by the data and is judged by the full body of work. Anthony Joshua became IBF champion in his 16th pro fight, earlier than so many Brits who had preceded him, and just one bout later than Taylor. AJ’s maiden world title win felt like more of an opportune exposing of a weak champion though, in the form of Charles “I walk this earth like a god” Martin, and saw the megastar Olympic gold medallist take on the role of new champion learning on the job. Taylor’s maiden world strap, the IBF crown won in the semi-final of the 2019 World Boxing Super Series against Ivan Baranchyk, felt more like an organic progression in his career and solidified his status at the top of the division.
Although Anthony Joshua is now an industry in himself, with an increasingly impressive portfolio of fights under his belt, from a sheer boxing perspective even the drama of his win over Wladimir Klitschko in April 2017 doesn't for me compare to Taylor's phenomenal points win over the supremely talented Regis Prograis in the final of the WBSS in October 2019. The victory saw him become unified Super Lightweight champion, and set up his run at becoming undisputed. This was a fight of brutal artistry, contested at the very highest skill level which in years to come will increasingly be acknowledged as a true modern classic. Prograis offered incredibly stiff resistance to Taylor and a rematch at some point in the future is a can’t-miss thriller.
Taylor’s career has been an opportune demonstration of how to effectively fast track an elite prospect, despite promotional issues along the way. An excellent amateur who made it to the Olympics in 2012 (losing in the quarter finals, the exact same round as his future opponent Ramirez) and took gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games for Scotland, Taylor was moved quickly rather than rushed when he joined the pro game. His 10th contest against fellow prospect Ohara Davies brought Taylor to the attention of a larger audience, with a fractious build up in advance of a headline fight on terrestrial TV in the UK. Taylor showed real class in dominating Davies, ending the bout in the seventh, and was soon moved up to facing world-level contenders. He was then entered in to the World Boxing Super Series against the best of the Super Lightweight division in just his 14th fight.
Many of the greats of British boxing’s past went on to achieve incredible things later in their fighting lives. Lennox Lewis, for so long castigated as a paper champion by the American media after being literally handed the WBC Heavyweight title, went on to prove his supremacy amongst the heavyweights of the time; defeating every boxer he ever faced and becoming the last undisputed champion of boxing’s glamour weight class. Fury and Joshua, who have grown in to the dominant heavyweights of their era, will be competing later this year to confirm a new undisputed champ of the prize division in what might be the highest-grossing fight in history. Joe Calzaghe is often referred to as Britain’s best ever, delivering numerous huge nights for UK boxing and becoming that rarest of things - a world champion retiring undefeated. Taylor hasn’t hit the highest heights…yet.
If all goes to plan though, Josh Taylor will get the chance to attempt possibly the toughest assignment a British boxer has ever faced. Should he win on May 22nd, he would be keen to move in weight to look to conquer the all-star Welterweight division, whether now or in the future. There lies WBO champ Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford - as things stand the only man to unify the four top Super Lightweight belts before he moved up in weight. Crawford is a true pound-for-pound ranking topper who, at least for now, shares Top Rank promotional allegiance with Taylor. Just imagine vast waves of Scottish fans trecking over to Vegas for Taylor vs Crawford - it would be huge.
The same division also houses WBC and IBF king Errol Spence, ANOTHER one of the finest active fighters in the sport, who - like Crawford - is also undefeated. Welterweight is a shark tank at the top of the division, with Crawford and Spence at the peak of a loaded roster which also includes the likes of Yordenis Ugas, Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and even the mercurial Manny Pacquiao. Josh Taylor winning a world title in such a stacked weight class, backed up by what he has already achieved, would match up against anything British boxing has ever seen.
The size of the potential task is truly mammoth, and cannot be overstated. Josh is up for the challenge though, one which could make him a major worldwide superstar attraction. “After this (the Ramirez fight) it will be to move up to 147 pounds and chase a second weight world title to really cement my reign in the history books. Crawford? Of course he’s on my radar. It would be a massive fight - two undisputed champions fighting…To share a ring with my hero Pacquiao? That would be brilliant. How many people can say they shared the ring with their hero and beat them?” he noted recently.
Although Taylor has intimated a preference to move up in weight if he defeats Ramirez, there is another intriguing future clash which might take place at his current weight division that could build up Josh’s legacy before this. In the likely instance that Teofimo Lopez moves up from his current division, then ‘The Takoever’ has made it clear Taylor is an opponent he wants, with Josh responding in kind and making it clear he fancies the task against the man who so clearly defeated Lomachenko last year. After that win, Lopez is rightly considered one of the hottest young stars in the sport, but Josh Taylor would be a fearsome test for him. A victory for Taylor in a major event would add a huge amount of lustre to the mystique building around the Scotsman.
If he can pull all or even just large parts it off, the achievements would rank highly across the history of British boxers on the world stage. Even if he were to fall to defeat at any stage along the way, something which there would be absolutely no disgrace in, he still has an opportunity to put in heroic performances in high profile environments which would further enhance his reputation amongst the very elite of fighters to ever emerge from these Isles. As Lennox Lewis and so many others have ably proved, you can very much lose fights in clinical fashion and still become an all-time great.
Now don’t get me wrong - there are is a lot of water to pass under the bridge in the coming years for this to all come off. But Josh Taylor having this mapped out in front of him is still incredibly exciting, with some fantastic fights in the offing. His career has been refreshing in an era where many other top level prospects spend years being paid handsomely to pick up meaningless wins which do nothing but pad their records. The speed with which he has gone from potential to dominant champion puts many other fighters who regularly proclaim their greatness to shame.
Before any of this plan can be seriously considered though, Josh Taylor needs to pull off the victory in May in Vegas against Ramirez.
Although I am picking Josh to take the win on May 22nd, I do think Ramirez is being undervalued in some circles, with the booking odds widening on a weekly basis and even some pros predicting an easy night’s work.
Much weight is being given to their shared opponent, Viktor Postol, a former world champion who has since taken on a role more akin to a gatekeeper to the elite in recent years. Whereas Taylor won a close but clear UD and dropped Postol in their meeting, Ramirez struggled more with the Ukranian’s methodical style and eked out a tight majority decision verdict which some thought controversial. Based on this alone, the obvious summation to make is that Josh has a clear edge, however boxing is rarely that straightforward. Whereas Taylor’s bout with Postol took place before a rabid Hydro crowd in Glasgow back in 2018, Ramirez’s win against the same opposition came last year in Top Rank’s crowd-free Covid bubble at the MGM Grand after over a year of inactivity. I am not sure that the comparison on this occasion is fair.
This is also Taylor’s first major test under new trainer Ben Davison, whereas Ramirez has been with the highly experienced Robert Garcia for a number of years now. It will be fascinating to see how Taylor approaches Ramirez’s pressure fighting style, and whether the Scot will look to outbox the American or if he could be drawn in to a firefight, something which could suit the American. I still expect Taylor’s supreme natural ability and complete skill base to shine through on the night, but this is a potentially captivating fight.
If he is successful on May 22nd, the possibilities are almost endless. Truly legendary status awaits.
MORE FROM DOUBLE DUTCH BOXING…
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THE BOXING AGENDA
Quick takes on the biggest, best and most interesting stories in boxing…
ESPN reported yesterday that Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have FINALLY signed the contract for a two-fight deal to decide the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Although no venue or date came with the same announcement, the plan is for BOTH fights to take place in 2021. A couple of things: it does feel slightly odd to announce a second bout before the first has even taken place - surely the fervour will die down somewhat if there is a completely dominant winner or it ends up being a stinker? - and there is a certain sense of uneasiness about the fact that fairly major details do still need to be ironed out. Without a venue confirmed, how can there be a fight? I will feel much more comfortable once the show has a place to call home. It has begun to feel a bit like we have been talking about this fight being close forever, but let’s try to stay positive. If we can get two blockbuster fights out of this in 2021, it would be massive for boxing, no doubt about it. What happens in the actual fight(s)?; there will be plenty of time to go in to far too much detail on that in due course. For now though, why don’t we join Tyson for a nice glass of Glenfiddich…
The boxing cognoscente were served up a treat this past weekend in the form of Juan Estrada-Roman Gonzalez II for the WBA (Super), WBC and Ring Magazine Super Flyweight titles. The phenomenal skill level on offer across all 12 rounds was a sight to behold, with an incredible 2,500+ punches thrown throughout the contest, and this will undoubtedly be in contention for fight of the year. The ability of Gonzalez to maintain what to me felt like a slender advantage throughout the majority of the fight was hugely impressive, however the judges saw it differently. Estrada took the split decision, with a terrible card (there does seem to pretty much always be one) of 117-111 for Estrada proving particularly difficult to fathom for the boxing pros. In a rare moment of clarity from boxing, the judge who lodged that card has now been suspended pending an investigation. Not even poor judging could take away the sheer brilliance of this fight though, and it feels inevitable that the trilogy bout will be going down relatively soon.
After Triller’s blockbuster purse bidding to stage his next fight - covered in some detail in the last edition of Double Dutch - unified Lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez has made it clear that he believes he will soon be a free agent and won’t be honouring the remainder of his agreement with current promoter Top Rank. Said Lopez: “I see myself as this fight or my next fight as a free agent. There’s so much proof for me to get out of this Top Rank contract, they gave me the golden ticket. They dug a bigger hole than they needed to.” Whether this proof - pertaining to an email sent by Top Rank top brass Todd DuBoef - is sufficient for Lopez to successfully get out of his contact remains to be seen. I am not a lawyer and neither, as far as I’m aware, is Teofimo. He is without doubt one of the brightest young stars in the sport though, so this will be a fascinating story to watch unfold. Of course, top level boxers managing to take more control of their own careers is nothing new: Floyd Mayweather famously bought himself out of his Top Rank contract and went on to become the best-paid boxer ever, and Canelo’s power has risen to the point where he now pretty much promotes himself after leaving Golden Boy last year. Lopez though, is perhaps at a slightly less advanced point than other fighters who have plotted this course, despite the multi-million payday he will receive from Triller for defending against George Kambosos Jr. Could we see more young fighters take a positive view on risk and go it alone to potentially win big financially, if Lopez becomes a successful blueprint?
Wait…Joseph Parker is accused of being involved in an international meth drug ring? Sorry, what? This might be the wildest boxing story of the year, but that is exactly what has happened after the former WBO Heavyweight champion lost a two-year-long court battle to keep his name suppressed from appearing in the New Zealand press. This is all in relation to a major trial in the country in 2019 - from which numerous men involved in drug trafficking were found guilty and sentenced to considerable prison time - that saw Parker named as taking part in changing currency for drug-runners in the court room; although beyond those walls his name had not been revealed previously and he was only referred to as an ‘international sports star’…until now. Parker has not been charged with anything in relation to the case, and denies any involvement, however it now feels somewhat unfathomable that his proposed fight with Derek Chisora in May can realistically go ahead. This is boxing though, so it probably will.
RIP Marvin Hagler, who it was announced this past weekend had sadly passed away at the age of 66. ‘Marvelous’ was a fighter who embodied their nickname as well as any in boxing history, and reigned as the undisputed Middleweight champion of the world between 1980 and 1987. If you want to understand a little more about the highlights of his great boxing career, then this video from the excellent Rummy's Corner YouTube channel gives more insight in to a few of his finest moments…
THE NEXT ROUND
A far-from-exhaustive rundown of events worth looking out for on the boxing calendar…
March 20th, 2021
Lawrence Okolie vs Krzysztof Glowacki/Promoter: Matchroom/TV: Sky Sports (UK); DAZN (US)
Lawrence Okolie takes on experienced head Glowacki for the vacant WBO Cruiserweight crown in the Wembley bubble, with every expectation of becoming another British world champ…something which there aren’t too many of these days. Since matching up with trainer Shane McGuigan in 2019, Okolie - once considered to be a very un-fan friendly fighter after stinkers such as his 2018 wins over Isaac Chamberlain and Matty Askin - has been cultivating a more all-action style, and has stopped his last five opponents. He believes he won't need the judges again in his first crack at a world title, and I tend to think he might be right.
March 27th, 2021
Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin II/Promoter: Matchroom/TV: Sky Sports Box Office (UK); DAZN (US)
‘The Rumble on the Rock’ still looms on the horizon - and the opportunity for Dillian Whyte get back on track against the dangerous veteran Povetkin, who knocked The Body Snatcher’ clean out to win their first bout in the Matchroom garden last year. This is Whyte’s first fight with new trainer Harold Knight, who used to work with Lennox Lewis. We are in Gibraltar of all places for this one, with fans of some description due to be in attendance, but the fight remains fascinatingly poised. The under card is definitely not PPV-worthy as things stand, but does feature some good domestic scraps (Cheeseman-Metcalf, Kongo-McKinson) and a decent step up for promising heavyweight Fabio Wardley against two-time world title fight loser Eric Molina.
Willy Hutchinson vs Lennox Clarke/Promoter: Frank Warren/TV: BT Sport (UK); ESPN+ (US)
The next potentially elite Scottish boxer, Hutchinson takes his toughest test to date in a bout for the vacant British and Commonwealth Super Middleweight titles. Although Clarke appears to be supremely confident, and this is a challenge at this stage of Hutchinson’s career, the smart money will be on Willy taking the victory. Promoter Frank Warren had some terrible luck with his first BT Sport card of the year on February 27th - with Frampton-Herring and TWO replacement main events all being scrapped, they were left with unheralded youngsters (and Tommy Fury) to take centre stage on one of the weakest televised cards in living memory - so will be hoping that this event, the second of a two-night swing of televised shows back-to-back, doesn’t suffer similar issues.