Josh Taylor should be remembered as one of Britain's greatest boxers

The Herald Scotland

21-07-2025

The tone of Taylor's valedictory statement made clear he was doing so reluctantly rather than through his own free will, that stubborn streak that has served him so well throughout a storied career barely yielding, even to the last.
This, though, was the correct outcome if not for the reasons Taylor would have wanted. At 34 years old and with a hoped-for second wind at welterweight having faltered at the first hurdle, there was nothing left for the self-styled Tartan Tornado to prove, little value in continuing to plough on gamely and risk further damage to a reputation that has suffered more than a few dents in recent years.
Even the greatest warriors need to be told sometimes that it is best to stop rather than plodding on in the forlorn hope that they can defy the ageing process and once more scale previous heights.
Taylor's legacy was never in any danger of being tarnished by his determination to keep searching for the next fight but the finality of retirement ensures it is now encased forever, his achievements untouchable, a body of work that deserves to see the Scot recognised as one of the greatest fighters to ever hail from these shores.
And what a career it has been. A relatively late convert to the sweet science after a childhood spent in martial arts, his boxing potential was hinted at by the Commonwealth Games silver and then gold medals acquired as an amateur. In between those two milestones, Taylor also pulled on a Team GB vest to box at the London 2012 Olympic Games, still the last Scottish boxer to perform on that stage.
That the southpaw from Prestonpans was going to turn over was never in doubt after learning his trade under the careful eye of Terry McCormack at Lochend Boxing Club. It was just the where and when that needed to be settled. The answer was July 2015 under the stewardship of Barry McGuigan and his son, Shane, meaning Taylor heads into retirement after exactly a decade spent in the professional ranks.
Riding the tailcoats of Cyclone team-mate Carl Frampton, Taylor's route to the top began in unconventional fashion. While most new pros start out on small hall shows being walked through their debuts by gnarled journeymen, Taylor's first start came in El Paso, Texas just hours before Frampton would go on to win a world title. It meant that from the earliest days, Taylor was immersed in what it takes to reach the very top.
Powerful with both fists and tall for the weight class with a lengthy reach, he was soon showcasing that he had what it took to reach that level, too. Taylor claimed the Commonwealth title aged just 25 with a stoppage of Dave Ryan at Meadowbank in just his seventh professional fight and retained the belt against Warren Joubert, at the same venue two bouts later.
Having someone as famous and loquacious as McGuigan Sr. in his corner did not harm his cause, either, the Northern Irishman quick to speak about an all-Scots tear-up with then world champion, Ricky Burns, one contest that sadly never materialised.
Still, there were other appealing fights to occupy Taylor, most notably an all-British bout with Ohara Davies, the mouthy Englishman who vowed to stop the Tartan Tornado in his tracks. Instead, it was Davies who would be left humiliated after infamously turning his back in the seventh round, unwilling and unable to continue. It was another sign that Taylor was the real deal as he pushed ever closer to world honours.
He would be given a massive helping hand on that front by the creation of the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS), a tournament that pitted the best of the best from each weight division in knockout – no pun intended – format. It created a clear path for each of the eight participants, with none of the usual prevaricating that often gets in the way of potential big fights becoming a reality.
Taylor would take up residency at the Hydro in Glasgow, the venue where he had won Commonwealth Games gold in 2014. Victories over Miguel Vazquez – that one at Ingliston for the WBC silver belt – Winston Campos and Viktor Postol saw the Scot enter the tournament bursting with confidence and determined to fulfil his destiny.
The previously unbeaten Ryan Martin was stopped in the quarter-final setting up a meeting with Ivan Baranchyk in May 2019, with the Belarussian's IBF strap on the line. Taylor had caused a brief flutter of anxiety when he weighed in over the limit but the desperate need to quickly boil down to shift those two pounds clearly had no effect on his capabilities as he floored Baranchyk twice on his way to a unanimous points victory. In just his 15th fight, Taylor was a fully-fledged world champion.
He wasn't done, there, however. The WBSS final took him next to the O2 in London to fight Regis Prograis, another undefeated American, a clash where the WBA, IBF and Ring titles would all be on the line.
It was another close content but Taylor deservedly shaded it to take a majority decision to become unified super-lightweight champion, immediately calling for a fight with the WBC and WBO title holder, Jose Carlos Ramirez.
The Prograis victory would prove to be the Scot's final fight with the McGuigans – an acrimonious split took place early in 2020 – with Taylor teaming up with trainer Ben Davison for a first-round stoppage of Apinun Khongsong later that year.
By this point the Covid pandemic had descended – Taylor was an outspoken critic of many of the lockdown restrictions as well as a vaccine sceptic – making it tricky to finalise the undisputed bout with Ramirez.
Eventually it was set for May 2021 in Las Vegas, with barely a smattering of spectators there to see it. Those fortunate to be present or watching at home on Fite TV – none of the major broadcasters elected to show it – saw history unfold as Taylor followed in the footsteps of his hero, Ken Buchanan, by becoming a Scottish undisputed world champion.
Ramirez started on top but Taylor would move into the ascendancy in the middle of the contest, knocking down his opponent in the sixth and seventh rounds on his way to a unanimous decision. In doing so he became just the third fighter in history – after Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk – to hold all four of the major world straps at the same time.
What elevated the achievement was the standard of the opposition, rising in difficulty every time and with Taylor also becoming unified and then undisputed champion on the road. The collective record of his opponents from Postol to Ramirez – at the time of fighting each one – was a staggering 136-1. All succumbed to Taylor's power, precision and indefatigable dogged spirit.
It would be a source of eternal regret for Taylor that more people were not present to witness his greatest achievement and that none of the major UK broadcasters felt it was worth showing. A feeling endured throughout his career that large swathes of England just couldn't quite take to this cheeky and at times spiky Scotsman, and that he wasn't promoted as well as he could have been by those looking after his interests. This was a talent that shouldn't have gone under the radar.
In hindsight, beating Ramirez should have been the catalyst for a step up to welterweight to see whether he could go on to also dominate that division. Instead, what followed was a hugely unsatisfactory final few years in the ring.
Taylor had once quipped that taking on Jack Catterall in February 2022 after beating Ramirez was like scaling Everest then returning to saunter up Arthur's Seat. His motivation having dipped, Taylor ought to have lost all his belts that night in Glasgow – a hometown decision undoubtedly went his way – but it would prove to be the start of the end as poor decisions and long periods of inactivity took their toll.
Teofimo Lopez claimed his last remaining strap in New York in June 2023 before Catterall got his revenge a year later to settle an often spiteful and bitter relationship between the pair. A match-up with Ekow Essuman in May this year was meant to be start of a new chapter at welterweight but Taylor looked a shadow of himself on his way to a unanimous points defeat.
It is a sad way for such a notable career to conclude but shouldn't take away from how bright Taylor's star shone when he was at his peak. His place in the pantheon of Scottish and British boxing greats is assured.