Josh Taylor Will Move Up To 147
Josh Taylor, the former undisputed junior welterweight champion, has revealed that he will move up to welterweight in order to target a world title.
The news comes after Taylor suffered the first loss of his career at the hands of Teofimo Lopez. The Scot lost his WBO title to the ‘Takeover’ via a unanimous decision. Prior to that, Taylor had an unconvincing performance against Jack Catterall.
Despite getting past the Brit via a split decision, the majority of the boxing community felt he had come second best. In the aftermath of those two performances, there were suggestions that Taylor may be struggling to make the 140-pound limit.
And given that Taylor has ambitions of becoming a two-division champion, a move up to 147 makes sense. The belts at welterweight could be freed up. This may happen if Terence Crawford decides to vacate his belts after having become undisputed at 147. That has left Taylor the chance at making history once again.
Taylor On 147
“I’ve decided now, I’m going to move up to welterweight. It’s more motivation for me than anything. I feel like if I stay at my weight, I’ve got nothing else to achieve. I’ll go up to 147 and want to achieve more greatness in terms of becoming a two-weight world champion. With Crawford being stripped of his (IBF) belt, it opens up the division so maybe I can be the guy to become a two-weight undisputed world champion,” Taylor said
Outside of that, Taylor has expressed his desire to walk away from the sport in the near future. The Scot outlined how he was aiming to have around five more fights before he calls it a day. That would leave enough time for the boxer to work his way through the 147 division to have a shot at the world title.
But in doing so, a rematch against Catterall may not happen. Taylor had made it clear that he would be open to having a rematch with Catterall. But since the latter does ply his trade at 140, with the aim of winning a world title there, a fight appears to be out of the question. With that being said, Taylor had a clear plan of action moving forward.
Taylor On Retirement
“I have a plan in terms of three or four more fights so if it all goes how I want it to, I can then hang the gloves up and say thank you very much. Boxing has been my whole life for so long. Since I was 15 years old, I’ve spent 80 percent of my life away from home. I’m happy with what I’ve achieved and I still want to achieve more but if it all goes to plan, I’m soon going to say see you later,” Taylor stated
This naturally begs the question: Who could Taylor face at 147? A fight against Keith Thurman could be a good introduction to the division. The former unified welterweight champion is entering the latter parts of his career, which is why Thurman would be a good name on his resume. Meanwhile, a shot at Jaron Ennis could emerge given the latter’s elevation to the status as the new IBF welterweight champion. So either way, the options for Taylor are plenty moving forward.
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