WBA and IBF junior welterweight champion Josh ‘The Tartan Tornado’ Taylor 17-0 (13) might be deep in training for his four-belt unification bout with WBC and WBO champion Jose Carlos Ramirez 26-0 (17) in Las Vegas next month, but he still has one eye firmly on the machinations of the welterweight division.
The 30-year-old Scottish southpaw has always dreamed of the big fights and achieved international stardom by winning the second instalment of the World Boxing Super Series against Regis Prograis 25-1 (21) in the final.
Now he faces arguably a tougher task when he takes on undefeated Mexican Ramirez on May 22.
“I knew I didn’t want to start my professional career and fight five, 10, 15 journeymen. I thought that would be going back a couple of levels,” Taylor told Metro.co.uk.
“Once they had seen my talent in the gym and what I was doing in sparring against experienced pros and the performances in my early fights, everyone started to believe in what I was saying. That was the route me and my team wanted, go fast and progress quickly.
“To believe I would be unified world champion, about to be undisputed in 18 fights, I definitely didn’t think it would happen this quick.”
Fighting in front of a home crowd at the O2 Arena in London, Taylor scored a majority decision victory over Prograis in a fast-paced, action-packed fight in October 2019.
He believes that was a harder assignment than Ramirez will be.
“All I can say is, tactically, Prograis was a difficult fight, a more complex fight,” Taylor said.
“I think this one is a bit more straightforward tactically in the way it’s going to go in terms my style, the way I fight and the way he fights. We both come to fight, to leave it all in the ring. So it has got the makings to be a firefight, it’s got the makings to be very exciting while it lasts.”
A win over Ramirez will give Taylor the option of defending against WBO mandatory contender Jack Catterall 26-0 (13) in what would surely be a huge draw in the UK or making an immediate move up to the talent-rich 147-pound division.
“I would like to stick to my word and fight Jack next but if a bigger opportunity comes about next, I will take it with both hands,” Taylor said.
“I already feel I’m the best in this division anyway. But when I win this fight, I have nothing else to prove at the weight category. I’ve proved I’m the best and proved I’m world-class time and time again.
“So it’s about setting new goals and new targets, becoming a two-weight world champion maybe at welterweight. But we don’t know what will happen. We will see what comes my way.
“And first of all, I need to beat Ramirez so I’m not even thinking about what’s happening next, the only thing I’m thinking about is Jose Ramirez on May 22.”
So who does Taylor see in his future at welterweight?
“Terence Crawford seems to be having a nightmare getting an opponent at this time,” he said. “But I would take that fight in a heartbeat. If he’s struggling for a dance partner I’ll do the tango with him, no problem.”
