Former undisputed super-lightweight champion Josh Taylor has suffered back-to-back defeats after previously being undefeated and his chances of returning to the 140lb throne any time soon seem minimal. Now, the Scotsman will be hoping that he can turn his form around and appears to have made his first step towards a comeback, with whispers suggesting that he has signed a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing.
After winning his first 14 fights, Josh Taylor was tasked with Ivan Baranchyk in the semi-final of the World Boxing Super Series, with the IBF super-lightweight title at stake, and ‘The Tartan Tornado’ became Scotland’s 14th world champion with a comfortable unanimous-decision win in front of his beloved fans.
Taylor would then bank a career-best win over Regis Prograis to unify the WBA and IBF titles before defeating Jose Carlos Ramirez for the undisputed crown in 2021 to complete a legendary run.
However, in February 2022 a surprisingly difficult split-decision win over Jack Catterall stunted Taylor’s progress, that decision being labelled a robbery by the vast majority of viewers.
As fans demanded a rematch, Taylor decided to vacate three of his four world titles and opted to defend the WBO strap against former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez last June, where Lopez pulled off the upset and handed Taylor a first career defeat.
This year, Taylor and Catterall finally went toe-to-toe once again, with Catterall claiming a generously scored unanimous-decision win to level the scores and leave his 33-year-old rival secluded from the race for the super-lightweight marbles that he once held.
Taylor’s promotional deal with Top Rank has now expired and he has openly admitted that he is on the lookout for promoters in the United Kingdom to begin a ‘new era’ in his career, he told the Edinburgh Evening News.
“I’m going to suss out the market in the UK and just explore my options. I think it’s the right fit. I’ve been to the top but I’ve never really had a UK promoter back me and push my profile.
“So, at this stage of my career, I’d like to have that. I just need to get back to winning ways. I’m coming off back-to-back defeats so I want to get back chasing the big fights again. I still believe I’ll become world champion once more.”
Meanwhile, Matchroom Promoter Eddie Hearn staged the rematch between Taylor and Catterall back in May and recently hinted that he is on the verge of signing a former undisputed world champion,, amongst other high-calibre fighters, in an interview with The Stomping Ground.
“Two or three Olympians, former world champions, former undisputed world champions – a lot to come.”
Sources close to Boxing Social have since confirmed that Taylor is likely to sign with Matchroom in the near future, with a decision still to be made as to whether the East Lothian sensation will return to the super-lightweight division or move up to welterweight and campaign at 147lbs.
Boxing Social is now on WhatsApp! Join our channel by clicking here and getting all the latest boxing news direct to your phone.