Tag Archives: Josh Taylor

Posted on 05/03/2022

By: Hans Themistode

A look of despair and uncertainty was plastered onto the face of Josh Taylor following 12 hard-fought rounds against Jack Catterall.

Pegged as a considerable favorite heading into their February 26th showdown, most were under the assumption that Taylor would waltz through the ropes and dazzle his hometown crowd at the SSE Hydro. Yet, Catterall refused to simply lay down.

The former undefeated contender stood defiantly in the face of the undisputed 140-pound titlist and did as he pleased. In addition to outboxing Taylor for long stretches, Catterall successfully knocked his man down in the eighth. Although a point was taken away from him for excessive holding, Catterall screamed exuberantly as the final few seconds officially ticked off the clock.

Having turned in a career-best performance, Catterall was convinced that his world title dreams were only moments away from being realized.

However, Catterall was left shellshocked as Taylor was announced the victor. Initially, Taylor was bemused as criticism and controversy mounted. Taylor, 31, was originally of the belief that Catterall won no more than a handful of rounds. Nevertheless, having flicked on his television set and rewatched their contest on several occasions, Taylor admits that after further analysis, although he still believes the right man won, giving Catterall the decision would have been fair as well.

“I can see why people thought that Jack won,” said Taylor during an interview with Sky Sports Boxing. “There were a lot of rounds in there that could’ve went either way. If it was a draw, it would have been a fair result. If it had went to Jack by a point or two, I wouldn’t have grumbled. Obviously, I would’ve been gutted that I lost my titles. I still feel like I did just enough to win the fight. It was a close fight, it could’ve went either way. I personally scored it 113-112 for myself.”

In addition to Taylor coming to the realization that giving Catterall the nod wouldn’t have been considered controversial, the current undisputed world titlist is pondering a move up in weight. Having spent the entirety of his career at 140 pounds, Taylor believes that his 5’10” frame has made it nearly impossible for him to continue defending his undisputed throne.

While Taylor admits that it wasn’t his best day at the office, he maintains that an arduous weight cut played an enormous part in his disappointing showing.

“It was a really bad performance for myself. Way below par. I just felt that I couldn’t really get going. I think that the weight cut had a massive impact on my performance. There’s no excuse, it was a bad performance, it is what it is.”

Posted on 04/01/2022

By: Hans Themistode

At one point, Yordenis Ugas could only dream of the current position he finds himself in.

With a world title wrapped around his Cuban waist, Ugas has come a long way from the fighter who suffered back-to-back defeats at the hands of Emanuel Robles and Amir Imam in 2014.

Having stuffed the win column in 12 of his past 13 fights, Ugas is just a few short weeks away from the most significant fight of his career. On April 16th, in front of a jam-packed crowd at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Ugas will take on unified champion, Errol Spence Jr. Should Ugas prove oddsmakers wrong by snagging the victory, he’ll be the proud owner of three of the four major world titles at 147 pounds.

While Ugas is placing all of his time and efforts into his upcoming showdown against Spence Jr., Josh Taylor, the current undisputed champion at 140-pounds, has caught his eye.

Following his highly controversial win over Jack Catterall in his most recent trip to the ring, Taylor revealed that his time as a 140 pounder is officially over. Although it’s unclear when Taylor plans on making his welterweight debut, Ugas has anxiously raised his hand if Taylor is in need of an opponent.

Regardless of how his upcoming showdown against Spence Jr. plays out, Ugas believes that a matchup against Taylor is one that simply has to happen.

“That fight has to happen between me and Taylor, 200 percent,” said Ugas to Behind The Gloves. “I want that fight, Taylor we want you.”

Normally soft-spoken and reserved, Ugas becomes loquacious when discussing his desire to face Taylor in the near future. But, despite the sudden change in his demeanor, Ugas quickly turns his attention back to the monumental task that is standing before him.

In Spence Jr., Ugas will face an undefeated unified champion, that has dominated in the ring. Although the Dallas native has been inactive as of late, spending the past several months recovering from eye surgery to repair a detached retina, Spence Jr. appears to be in prime physical shape.

Considering what his fellow champion brings to the table and despite his undeniable desire to face Taylor, Ugas admits that Spence Jr. has been at the forefront of his mind for a longtime.

“My training camp has been all about getting ready for the best version of Errol Spence. That’s all I’m thinking about.”

Posted on 03/10/2022

By: Hans Themistode

A look of uncertainty was plastered across the face of Josh Taylor.

Originally, the pound-for-pound star and undisputed 140-pound titlist believed that no matter what Jack Catterall brought to the table on February 26th, his efforts would be in vain. With Taylor walking into their contest as a heavy favorite, the 31-year-old was fully convinced that his mandatory challenger was on the verge of a one-sided beating.

Despite Taylor’s thoughts, Catterall proved to be a humongous thorn in his side. Not only was Taylor bleeding profusely following 12 close rounds, but he also tasted the canvas for the first in his career in the eighth round.

Regardless of his struggles, Taylor managed to eke out a highly controversial split decision win. Even now, several weeks later, Taylor is bemused by the overwhelming notion that he was given a bit of hometown cooking.

“Fair play Jack,” said Taylor during an interview with Sky Sports Boxing. “He had great tactics, great game plan and he executed it well but I still think I did just enough to win the fight.”

An enraged Catterall stormed out of the ring and exited The SSE Hydro Arena once the decision was ultimately read. For Taylor, although he had little to no trouble making the 140 pound super lightweight weight limit, having fought in the division since 2015, he admitted that he’s no longer willing to go the extra mile in order to make the weight. Instead, the slick and crafty southpaw will try his hand seven pounds north as a full-fledged welterweight.

With Catterall still acrimonious over the final result, Taylor has offered him a chance to redeem himself. With that said, however, Catterall must be willing to acquiesce to Taylor’s weight demands.

“Maybe we can have a fight again, why not? I’m certainly open to it. Most likely probably a catchweight. I just can’t make the weight anymore, safely I don’t think. So yea, we’ll see how it goes but I’m game for a rematch.”

Posted on 03/02/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Teofimo Lopez Sr. believes he’s been prophetic in his ability to predict his son’s future.

Once Teofimo Lopez stepped onto the boxing scene, Lopez Sr. screamed to the mountain tops that his son would become a world champion in 15 fights and undisputed in 16. Fast forward four years later, and Lopez proved his father right.

Lopez blasted Richard Commey in the second round of their IBF lightweight title fight in 2019, before moving on to dethrone Vasiliy Lomachenko one year later to capture the WBO, WBA, and WBC “Franchise” titles.

The one erroneous mistake Lopez Sr. believes he made, was allowing his son to stick around the 135-pound division as opposed to moving up in weight. As a result, Lopez Sr. maintains that his boneheaded move was the only reason why his son came up short against George Kambosos Jr. in November of 2021. While he was ultimately disappointed, Lopez Sr. vehemently believes that 2022, will be a massive year for his son.

“This is our f*cking year,” said Lopez Sr. during an interview with Punsh Drunk Boxing. “We have one ESPN and two pay-per-views.”

With Lopez Sr. aiming to push his son in the ring at least three times this year, the father and trainer of the former unified 135-pound titlist is hoping that one of those contests will take place against Scotland’s Josh Taylor at 140 pounds.

The 31-year-old southpaw nabbed the final two pieces of the super lightweight puzzle in May of 2021 against Jose Ramirez. Although Taylor was on cloud nine following the win, he was left disappointed in his most recent overall performance.

Pegged as a heavy favorite, Taylor attempted to defend his undisputed throne against fringe contender Jack Catterall. Despite the overwhelming belief that Taylor would easily take care of business, the highly regarded 140-pound titlist struggled mightily.

For long stretches of their contest this past weekend, Catterall outboxed his man and seemingly stamped his unexpected upset victory by dropping Taylor in the eighth round. Ultimately, however, Taylor eked out a controversial split decision victory. While Taylor has recently revealed that his bout against Catterall will be his last at 140 pounds, Lopez Sr. is hoping that he sticks around.

If Taylor does, in fact, change his mind and opts to continue his reign as a super lightweight, Lopez Sr. views a showdown against his son as inevitable. As for how he views a matchup between Taylor and his son playing out, Lopez Sr. smiles manically as he describes the vicious beating Taylor would endure.

“Trust me, we f*cking that boy Josh Taylor ass up. He’s going to get a whooping. My son is going to keep on hitting him and whooping his ass the whole night.”

Posted on 02/28/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Josh Taylor looked long and hard at the credentials of Jack Catterall before the two squared off in the ring. While he respected his man wholeheartedly, Taylor simply couldn’t see a pathway to victory for him.

A fired-up Taylor took his time as he made his way through the SSE Hydro in the United Kingdom this past weekend for their showdown. Not only did Taylor believe that he would defend his undisputed 140-pound throne with relative ease, but he was convinced that Catterall would receive a beating like no other.

Still, despite his hubris, Catterall out-boxed Taylor in the first half of their contest and punctuated what appeared to be an upset victory by dropping his man in the eighth round.

Although Catterall, and most of the boxing world, believing he did enough on the night, Taylor eked out a split decision. With all four world titles at 140 pounds still wrapped around Taylor’s waist, the tricky southpaw points to his age as the main culprit behind his lackluster showing.

“That was far from my best performance,” said Taylor to Behind The Gloves following his controversial victory. “That a 60% performance from myself. I just didn’t feel strong. My legs weren’t really underneath me. There’s no excuse, I did the weight good. I have a great nutritionist onboard. The last two times I’ve made the weight were real comfortable. But recovering, getting down to 140 was hard. I’m 31-years-old now.”

In order to negate the weight cutting process, Taylor has officially decided to leave behind the only weight class he’s ever known and compete as a full-fledged welterweight.

Shortly before Taylor’s decision, the WBO sanctioning body opted to elevate him to super champion status. Meaning, once Taylor makes the move seven pounds north, he’ll become the mandatory challenger to current WBO welterweight champion, Terence Crawford.

Throughout most of the Omaha, Nebraska native’s career, he’s been universally praised as one of the sports brightest stars. With Crawford handing Shawn Porter the first stoppage defeat of his career in his most recent trip to the ring, the now 34-year-old has openly welcomed a showdown against Taylor.

News of his seemingly impending matchup against Crawford is music to the ears of the undisputed 140-pound titlist. Although he would love the opportunity to share the ring with the pound-for-pound star, Taylor admits that after his most recent performance, Crawford will be anxious to face him.

“That’s great,” said Taylor when told he would become Crawford’s mandatory once he moves up. “Off the back of that performance, I’m pretty sure he’s thinking that it’s easy work. So would I be thinking that if I was watching myself.”

Posted on 02/26/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Throughout most of their fight build-up, Jack Catterall locked his eyes on Josh Taylor’s IBF, WBO, WBA, WBC, and Ring Magazine 140 pound titles. The British native craved championship glory and was steadfast in his belief that his moment in the sun had finally arrived. Although Catterall marched through the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, with a smile plastered right across his face, by the end of the night, it was wiped away.

Taylor strolled confidently to the center of the ring once the opening bell rang but was quickly met with a strong overhand left from Catterall. A visibly shaken Taylor stumbled halfway across the ring as a result. Even with Taylor momentarily stunned, Catterall didn’t rush in. He calmly worked his jab from the outside and kept his distance when need be.

With a bit of momentum, Catterall kept things going in the second. He slowly moved around the ring, playing matador to Taylor’s bull. With each missed shot, Catterall made his man pay. Taylor had no answer as Catterall continued to out-box his man. As the clock flashed a few seconds remaining in the period, Catterall connected with a two-punch combination before the bell rang.

In round three, Taylor attempted to get his mojo going. He blasted Catterall with a clean right hand that pushed his man into the ropes. Ultimately, the undisputed 140-pound titlist kept up his aggression. He attacked his mandatory challenger against the ropes and found success with a concentrated work rate to the body.

As the midway point of their contest rolled by, both men seemed to exchange numerous rounds. At times though, Taylor would fall into a lull and allow himself to get out-boxed. In the seventh, in particular, Catterall blasted Taylor with a four-punch combination.

In a change of pace in the eighth, Catterall stood his ground in the center of the ring and connected with another eye-catching combination. As a result, Taylor hit the deck for the first time in his career. While he was visibly buzzed, Taylor fought back in the round to make things close.

At various times throughout their contest, referee Marcus McDonnell continually stepped in to pause the action. In the ninth, Catterall was handed a point deduction for excessively holding. A re-energized Taylor upped his aggression in the tenth, leaving a lasting impression on Catterall as he spent most of the period covering up.

Taylor appeared to bank the penultimate round with another solid work rate. However, in what was a consistent theme, referee Marcus McDonnell deducted a point from Taylor due to him hitting his man well after the bell.

With a home title defense for Taylor on the brink, as well as Catterall’s championship dreams on the line, both men fought tooth and nail in the final period. Once their contest concluded, both raised their hands in victory.

It took several minutes for all three judges to hand in their scorecards but once they did, the crowd roared happily as Taylor was handed a split decision victory. Judge Howard Foster believed the road warrior in Jack Catterall did just enough to earn the victory, handing in a scorecard of 113-112. Ultimately, he was overruled by Ian John-Lewis who gave Taylor the nod 114-111, as well as Victor Loughlin who saw it 113-112 in Taylor’s favor.

Posted on 02/24/2022

By: Hans Themistode

If you spent any amount of time with Britain’s Jack Catterall, his confidence could come across as hubris. The 28-year-old has looked defiantly in the direction of oddsmakers, who’ve pegged him as a considerable underdog against Josh Taylor this weekend, and shrugged his shoulders incredulously.

Throughout most of their buildup, Catterall has warned Taylor that his undisputed 140-pound reign will be coming to an end. Initially, Taylor enjoyed the back and forth theatrics. At this point, however, with their contest taking place in just a few more days, Taylor is just about done with the nonstop banter.

“All of the talking is done now,” said Taylor during an interview with IFL TV. “I just want to get my hands on Jack Catterall and batter him. I just want to get in there and give him a good, solid beatdown.”

Taylor, of course, is coming off the most impressive stretch of his relatively young career. Although he made just one ring appearance in both 2020 and 2021, Taylor made the best of it. He blew away mandatory challenger Apinun Khongsong in the first round during their 2020 showdown before snatching away both the WBC and WBO titles from Jose Ramirez to become an undisputed champion.

On the other side of the equation, Catterall spent the entirety of 2021 on the sidelines. The 140-pound mandatory challenger did manage to stretch his record to a perfect 26-0 following his one-sided unanimous decision victory over Abderrazak Houya.

Regardless of how impressive Catterall has been throughout his time as a pro, Taylor believes that come Saturday night, at the SSE Hydro in the United Kingdom, Catterall will be on the receiving end of a beating of a lifetime.

“I’m just going to out-box him, out-fight him, and out-think him. It’s going to be a long, painful night for him.”

Posted on 01/29/2022

By: Hans Themistode

The overall skills of Terence Crawford have captivated the boxing public for several years. With the Omaha, Nebraska native winning world titles in multiple weight classes and producing an undefeated record through 38 career fights, he’s wildly viewed as one of the best fighters on the face of the planet.

In addition to fans of the pugilistic sport taking notice of Crawford’s skillset, so has current undisputed 140 pound champion, Josh Taylor. The British product has watched from afar as Crawford continues to dominate the competition. In fact, in Crawford’s most recent ring appearance, Taylor sat up close and personal to witness his abilities in person.

On November 20th, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford picked up the most impressive win of his career, a tenth-round stoppage victory over former two-time welterweight titlist Shawn Porter. Shortly following the win, Taylor expressed a desire to test his own skills against the current WBO 147 pound belt holder.

While Taylor continues to hurl superlative words in the direction of Crawford, the undisputed titlist believes his own boxing abilities isn’t too far off in comparison.

“Terence Crawford is an all-time great,” said Taylor during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “He can do it all. He can fight southpaw, orthodox, front foot, back foot – he can do a lot but like myself, I can do a lot myself.”

Although Taylor has been increasingly inactive over the past few years, he made the most of his 2021 schedule. With both the WBA and IBF 140 pound belts already in his possession, Taylor set his sights on unifying titles against Jose Ramirez. Though their contest was considered 50/50 heading in, Taylor dominated for long stretches, scoring two knockdowns on the night before eking out a close unanimous decision.

At the moment, Taylor is just a few weeks away from attempting to defend his undisputed throne against mandatory contender Jack Catterall. If everything goes the way he expects, Taylor is hoping to face Crawford sooner rather than later.

Should Taylor find himself standing across the ring from Crawford, he’s fully aware that he will be considered an underdog. However, while many would be shocked to see him pull off the victory, in the end, Taylor believes no one should be.

“That’s a great fight, a terrific fight. I think that fights very interesting and it’s one that I’m capable of winning as well. I don’t think it would be a massive upset if I won that fight. Obviously, it would be a little bit of an upset in terms of the public but in my eyes, I don’t think it would be.”

Posted on 12/21/2021

By: Hans Themistode

A showdown between Teofimo Lopez and Josh Taylor appeared to be inevitable. With Lopez in possession of the WBA, IBF, WBO, and WBC “Franchise” lightweight titles following his win over Vasiliy Lomachenko in October of 2020, the rising young star targeted a matchup against Taylor.

Believing that there was nothing left to accomplish in the lightweight division and claiming that the weight cut to the 135-pound limit was taking a toll on his body, Lopez planned on making one defense of his lightweight titles before making the move five pounds north. In Lopez’s perfect world, he would make quick work of the unheralded George Kambosos Jr. before stripping Taylor of his undisputed status at 140 pounds. But while the 24-year-old believed he had everything figured out, Kambosos Jr. had other ideas.

The Australian native confidently and proudly stomped into the backyard of Lopez at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater on November 27th and proceeded to drop the former titlist before winning a close but clear unanimous decision. Considering the amount of verbal threats Lopez has lobbied in the direction of Taylor, the undisputed 140-pound titlist didn’t hold back as he ripped into Lopez’s performance.

“He’s such a talker, I’m glad he got his ass beat,” said Taylor during an interview with IFL TV. “It’s about time he got brought back to earth.”

Following the unforeseen loss, it was revealed that Lopez was dealing with several medical issues. According to Dr. Linda Dahl, a respected otolaryngologist, Lopez fought with air in his chest and was “lucky to be alive.”

As the 24-year-old continues to rest and despite suffering the first defeat of his career, a showdown against Taylor appears to be at the forefront of his mind. Teofimo Lopez Sr., father and trainer of the former lightweight titlist has stated on numerous occasions that after getting their feet wet in the 140-pound division, they plan on jumping right into a showdown against Taylor in the second half of 2022.

Still, regardless of team Lopez and their ambitions, Taylor believes in terms of a matchup between them, that ship has sailed.

“They got beat up and they still calling my name. He got beaten up, badly beaten up. I still think he’s a little bit concussed. He’s not getting that fight with me now, there’s no chance.”

Posted on 11/23/2021

By: Hans Themistode

As Josh Taylor surveys the landscape at 140 pounds, the British native can’t seem to find a worthy challenger. Having defeated Jose Ramirez earlier in the year to become an undisputed world champion, Taylor is now mulling over a move to 147 pounds.

Taylor’s trek seven pounds north isn’t a matter of if but more so when. Once the 30 year makes the move official, he’ll have a long list of names to choose from. But, if it was solely up to him, he would rather square off against pound-for-pound star, Terence Crawford. This past weekend, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Taylor nestled comfortably into his ringside seat to watch Crawford up close and personal.

On the night, Taylor sat back in amazement as Crawford went on to become the first man to stop former two-time welterweight champion, Shawn Porter. While Taylor was taken aback by what he witnessed, if the two ever share the ring with one another, the undisputed 140-pound titlist believes he has what it takes to knock Crawford off his high horse.

“It was a great statement,” said Crawford during an interview with several reporters. “It was a great performance. I think it was brilliant but honestly, I think I win the fight. It’s a massive fight, two pound for pound fighters.”

Though Taylor’s eyes seem to light up by the mere mention of a possible showdown with Crawford, he quickly snapped back into reality. On February 26th, at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, Taylor will defend his world titles against mandatory challenger, Jack Catterall.

If Taylor does what many are expecting, which is to defend his standing in impressive fashion, the British product would love nothing more than to square off against Crawford. From a distance, while Taylor has always been focused on claiming every world title at 140 pounds, he’s kept a close eye on the top 147 pounders.

Now, after carefully dissecting the likes of Crawford, unified champion Errol Spence Jr., WBA belt holder Yordenis Ugas, and several others, Taylor believes that Crawford stands out amongst them all.

“I believe Crawford’s the best in the division.”

Posted on 10/15/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There’s little to no doubt that the lightweight division is jam-packed with several notable names. Particularly amongst the younger group. But as Teofimo Lopez Sr. takes a peek at the resumes of names such as Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Ryan Garcia – he’s noticing a consistent pattern.

“My son is the only one in the lightweight division stepping up to the toughest competition,” said Lopez Sr. to a group of reporters. “We’re the only one from the younger crowd that has the lineal belt. On ESPN, he’s pound for pound number five so we’re doing great things. These guys are just fighting guys to play it safe.”

While his son, Teofimo Lopez, could opt to follow a similar path, Lopez Sr. won’t allow it. In just his 15th pro fight, Lopez took on former IBF lightweight titlist Richard Commey on December 14th, 2019. After a bit of a sluggish start, Lopez violently ended the night of Commey in the second round.

With the win, Lopez not only draped his first world title across his shoulders, but he also lined up a date with former unified champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Despite Lopez being pegged as the significant underdog, he registered the colossal upset.

In the case of Haney, Davis, and Garcia, however, they have yet to face someone who holds the same credentials as Lomachenko. At the moment, Lopez has continued his bid to face the best either in or around or his weight class. Next up for the 24-year-old New York, native is an unspecified date against mandatory challenger George Kambosos Jr.

Should Lopez successfully defend his lightweight titles, Lopez Sr. revealed that the plan would be to have his son make the trek five-pounds north to challenge undisputed 140-pound champion, Josh Taylor.

As for those who continue to place Lopez’s name next to his young contemporaries, Lopez Sr. shakes his head in disbelief. While he believes the likes of Garcia, Haney, and Davis are extremely talented – Lopez Sr. is of the mindset that his son is simply head and shoulders above them all.

“We’re chasing Josh Taylor, that’s the guy that we want. They don’t understand the game, you fight the best to become the best. My son is way ahead of them.”

Posted on 09/01/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There isn’t anything left for Josh Taylor to do at 140 pounds. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t currently marking down new goals to accomplish.

In a two-year span, Taylor managed to capture every world title in the super lightweight division. After picking up the IBF and WBA trinkets against Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis in back-to-back fights in 2019, Taylor officially became an undisputed champion as he dethroned former unified titlist, Jose Ramirez, earlier this year.

With Taylor considered far and away the top dog in the division, he has his eyes set on capturing even more gold, this time, in a new weight class.

“My longer-term goal is to become a two-weight world champion,” said Taylor during an interview with Sky Sports Boxing. “Win a belt up at welterweight, I believe I can beat these guys.”

Despite his ambitions, Taylor still has business to attend to at 140 pounds. The 30-year-old is currently set to take on mandatory challenger, Jack Catterall. The two will battle it out on December 18th, at the SSE Hydro, in Glasgow Scotland, in the main event.

While Taylor isn’t overlooking his man, he does have one foot in and another one out of the 140-pound door. As previously stated, Taylor would love nothing more than to pick up a world title at 147 pounds. Currently, Taylor’s promoter, Bob Arum, has floated around the idea of Taylor moving up in weight to take on pound for pound star, and WBO titlist, Terence Crawford.

All along, a matchup against Crawford is one that Taylor craves. But that isn’t the only 147-pound champion Taylor could see himself fighting.

After picking up the biggest win of his career against Manny Pacquiao just a few short weeks ago, WBA champion Yordenis Ugas firmly placed his name amongst the best that the division has to offer. Currently, the Cuban native is now angling for a unification showdown against WBC/IBF titlist, Errol Spence Jr.

But while Ugas wants the opportunity to aggregate more world titles, Taylor would love to step into the ring with him first. While they haven’t fought in a professional contest, the two have sparred against one another. Although sparring sessions are normally kept under wraps, Taylor revealed what exactly happened when the two squared off behind closed doors several years ago.

“I sparred Yordenis Ugas in Vegas and it went very, very well,” said Taylor. “I dropped him one time as well. I’m pretty confident if that fight came around.”

Posted on 06/30/2021

By: Hans Themistode

If you were to ask long-time trainer Robert Garcia where Gervonta “Tank” Davis ranks at 135 pounds just last year, there’s a good chance Garcia would have placed him roughly third or fourth behind Teofimo Lopez and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Garcia’s thoughts were never meant to be a slight to the Baltimore native but more so a compliment to how deep the 135-pound division is. With that said, after watching Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) move up two weight classes to 140 pounds and dismantle former WBA “Regular” super lightweight belt holder Mario Barrios, Garcia is now singing a whole different tune.

“I think I have him rated above Loma and Teofimo,” said Garcia on Robert Garcia Unfiltered.

This past weekend at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta Georgia, Davis walked into his showdown against Barrios with several physical disadvantages. Yet, despite giving up five inches in height and four inches in reach, Davis methodically broke his man down. The eighth round, in particular, was especially explosive as the Baltimore native dropped Barrios twice in the round. He would eventually score the stoppage win in the 11th to wrap a world title in his third weight class around his waist.

Although Davis is now technically a world champion at 140 pounds, all roads to claiming top dog status, however, run through Josh Taylor. Just last month, Britain’s Taylor unified all four major titles against Garcia’s fighter, Jose Ramirez. Following the win, Garcia tipped his cap to Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) for dropping Ramirez twice before ultimately eking out a close decision win.

With all four world titles safely draped over his shoulders, Taylor is considered the consensus top fighter in the division and has become a common name on every credible pound-for-pound list. Still, even with Garcia admitting that Taylor is a great fighter, when forced to make a decision in a hypothetical matchup between the two, Garcia went with the young knockout artist.

“I think Tank knocks him out. It’s cause of his style. When he makes that decision to be f*cking aggressive, the power is insane. It’s tough, cause Taylor is a good fighter too, that would be a great fight.”

Posted on 06/26/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Bob Arum is a busy man. The long-time headman over at Top Rank is currently prepping for tonight’s showdown between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Masayoshi Nakatani. He’s also promoting the highly anticipated heavyweight showdown between WBC/Ring magazine titlist, Tyson Fury and former belt holder Deontay Wilder.

Amongst other things, Arum is also hard at work as he attempts to build former Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson into a star. While Arum may have a full plate of responsibilities, one thing that certainly will no longer entertain is a possible showdown between his fighter, current WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford, and unified titlist, Errol Spence Jr.

For a number of years now, fans have held out hope that the two would finally enter the ring against one another to end the debate surrounding who is the best fighter at 147 pounds. Yet, after Spence Jr.’s most recent comments, Arum is now firmly of the belief that their clash simply will never come to pass.

“I most likely have two more fights at 147,” said Spence Jr. during a recent interview on Barbershop Conversations. “I’m going to go across the street [to Top Rank] to see what they’re talking about [for a potential Crawford fight]. If they are not talking about nothing, I’m moving up to 154. After the (Manny Pacquiao) Pacman fight hopefully we can make something happen.”

With Spence Jr. and Pacquiao set to face off on August 21st at the T-Mobile Arena, Arum is fully convinced that it will be the last time anyone sees the Dallas native competing at 147 pounds.

“Forget the Spence thing,” said Arum to a group of reporters. “Spence knows he can’t beat Crawford and he’s going to go up in weight after the Pacquiao fight, so forget that.”

With Spence Jr. seemingly off the table for good, Arum has turned his immediate attention to his current stable of fighters. For the most part, fans have grown somewhat tired of watching Crawford compete against the competition available to him at Top Rank. While fans have become enamored with possible matchups for Crawford against the likes of Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Shawn Porter, Yordenis Ugas and several others – all of those aforementioned names are currently associated with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). And to this date, Arum has continued to have his issues with them in terms of working out fight agreements.

Whether Arum can work something out with PBC or not is ultimately inconsequential. In his opinion, he has the two biggest fights for Crawford, both now and in the not so distant future.

“Crawford’s biggest fight out there is Josh Taylor and Teofimo (Lopez) moving up,” explained Arum.

In the case of Taylor, following his win against Jose Ramirez a few weeks ago, the British native became the first undisputed champion at 140 pounds since Crawford accomplished the feat in 2017. He hasn’t shied away from the possibility of facing Crawford either but in terms of timing, Arum views that matchup as a real possibility in 2022.

As for Lopez, the unified 135-pound champion is seemingly years away from fighting at 147 pounds. He has, however, shown a clear interest in moving up to 140 pounds to face Taylor.

While Arum continues to discuss the future of Crawford, he is slowly turning his attention to the here and now. The former three-division titlist hasn’t stepped foot inside the ring since November of 2020 when he took on former belt holder, Kell Brook. Crawford made it look incredibly easy on the night, stopping the long-faded former champion in the fourth round. With regard to what could be next for Crawford, Arum revealed that they are currently going over several names.

“I have no idea. His people are now sorting through. There are plenty of good candidates. Welterweight, Jr welterweight, we’ll come up with the best possible opponent.”

Posted on 06/22/2021

By: Hans Themistode

In just a few short days, Gervonta Davis will have the opportunity to become a three-division world champion. The Baltimore native is set to take on WBA “Regular” super lightweight champion Mario Barrios at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia this Saturday night.

But while the entire Davis vs. Barrios promotion has emphasized the authenticity of their championship bout, Josh Taylor simply shakes his head incredulously.

“Mickey Mouse title,” said Taylor on his Twitter account. “There’s only one at lightweight!”

Taylor, 30, has grown annoyed with the mere mention that Davis is fighting for a legitimate world title. Just last month, the Scottish native became the undisputed world champion at 140 pounds when he took on former unified titlist, Jose Ramirez.

After dropping Ramirez in the sixth and seventh rounds, Taylor held on for a close unanimous decision victory. Considering that he now has all four major world titles sitting on his mantle at home, Taylor believes that no one outside of himself should be acknowledged as a world champion. With that said, the proliferation of world titles in the sport of boxing has allowed multiple world champions within the same sanctioning body.

Despite Taylor’s claims, Davis will still look to add to his championship status. Originally, the move up in weight for Davis came as a surprise. In his most recent ring appearance, Davis took on Leo Santa Cruz at 130 pounds. Although he would go on to win, Davis mentioned that he would campaign at both 130 and 135 pounds but failed to mention a trip to 140. Still, the hard-hitting two-division champion will try his luck against the much bigger man in Barrios this Saturday night.

As for the aforementioned Barrios, despite walking into their showdown with a five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage, for the first time in his career, he’ll be the underdog. The 26-year-old San Antonio native began his title reign after winning a hard fought back and forth battle against Batyr Akhmedov in 2019. Barrios has since defended his title against fringe contender Ryan Karl, stopping him in the sixth round in October of 2020.