THE statistics alone give no hint of any vulnerability around Josh Taylor as he prepares to defend his WBO world title against Teofimo Lopez in New York tonight. A perfect professional record of 19 wins from 19 contests, 13 by way of knockout, the Scot’s last six opponents’ combined record before facing him reads 133 wins, no defeats. It all suggests he has been completely flawless en route to becoming undisputed super-lightweight world champion against Jose Ramirez before defending all four belts against Jack Catterall.
Those numbers – impressive as they are – don’t tell the full story, however. They don’t reveal a first-ever knockdown doled out by Catterall in what was an undoubtedly under-par performance from the Prestonpans southpaw. They don’t speak to good fortune shining on Taylor in the form of the judges’ scorecards that night at Glasgow’s Hydro Arena that handed him a split decision victory that few thought he merited. They give no insight into the subsequent injuries he has suffered that delayed then led to the abandonment of any possible rematch with Catterall. They don’t incorporate another change in trainer, Taylor switching from Ben Davison to Joe McNally and moving to base himself in Liverpool. They don’t mention the Tartan Tornado swearing he would never fight again at this weight, only to hang around for another super-lightweight bout that on paper carries more risk than reward.
These are all the imponderables that will swirl around Taylor as he looks to restore his reputation against one of boxing’s brightest stars. If he can defeat Lopez it will confirm his stance of recent months that the Catterall fight was merely a blip, an off night when he wasn’t sufficiently motivated and almost paid the heaviest price. Win on his Madison Square Garden debut and other big fights will surely open up at this level, possible rematches with Regis Prograis or Ramirez and a chance to claim back some of the belts he has voluntarily given up. Or he may decide that there is no better time to step up to the welterweight division and see what awaits him there.
Should he lose, however, it is difficult to know just where Taylor, stripped of all titles, would go from there. At 32 years old he is not quite ready for retirement but motivation to start from scratch having stood at the top of his own personal Everest would be difficult. He will be hoping it is not a call he has to make after tonight’s contest.
In Lopez he has selected an opponent with a few question marks of his own to dispel. Since beating Vasily Lomachenko to win three of the four lightweight world titles, the Brooklyn boxer was unconvincing when he lost all those belts to George Kambosos and again in his subsequent step-up to super-lightweight. If Taylor is too big for this weight, then questions remain whether Lopez is big enough. Does he still have the power to hurt taller, tougher, stronger fighters like the Scot? That is something the American will be keen to answer this evening, especially in light of his crude boast that he has what it takes to kill an opponent in the ring.
This is Taylor’s first fight for 16 months which makes it difficult to gauge just how he might perform. He has made all the right noises about McNally and his team having re-energised him and got him fitter than ever before and that he is fully focused and motivated. Catterall was a dangerous opponent worthy of respect but the quietly spoken, unfailingly polite Englishman did not light a spark inside of Taylor, especially in the aftermath of having travelled to Las Vegas to become the division’s superstar performer.
A new venue, one that offers a chance to pay tribute to the late Ken Buchanan, the acrimony between the two fighters throughout the build-up and the opportunity to again impress an American audience are all factors that should have the Pride of Prestonpans fired up as he prepares to take to the ring.
Taylor has made bold claims about landing an early knockout but this has the look of a fight – southpaw vs orthodox - that could go deep into the night, perhaps all the way to the judges’ cards. The Scot has a height and reach advantage and is the better technical boxer, one who can compete at range or come inside and go toe-to-toe. Lopez is an explosive, instinctive performer who rarely waits before unleashing his shots and has never been stopped, his only defeat coming in that split decision loss to Kambosos.
His lacklustre performance against Catterall has some observers questioning whether Taylor has what it takes to win this one. If he can recall the spirit he showed against Prograis and Ramirez, in particular, there ought to be no doubts.
