Josh Taylor heads to the Mecca of boxing this weekend when he defends his WBO super lightweight belt against former unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden.
The Tartan Tornado has been out of the ring for over a year, last seen beating Jack Catterall by split decision in the first defence of his undisputed crown. The result was controversial enough to put the two Brits on a collision course with one another in a rematch, with Taylor even dropping three of his four belts to make it happen, but the Scot was forced to pull out with an injury.
Although it looked like that grudge match would merely be postponed, Taylor elected to take on Lopez instead. But although it isn’t the Battle of Britain some fight fans were hoping for, there’s probably little doubt that a bout with the American, one of the best boxers on the planet today, eclipses a second scrap with Catterall in terms of magnitude from a global perspective. .
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of a potential Fight of the Year candidate in New York.
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, USA
When: Saturday, June 10th
How To Watch: Sky Sports Main Event/Sky Sports Action. The coverage will get underway at 1am (BST), with ringwalks for the main event expected at 4.30am.
Tale Of The Tape:
Taylor
Place Of Birth: Edinburgh, Scotland
Age: 32
Alias: The Tartan Tornado
Record: 19-0 (13)
Height: 5’10’’
Reach: 69½’’
Stance: Southpaw
Last Fight: Taylor was last in action more than a year ago, edging out Jack Catterall on the judges’ scorecards at Glasgow’s SSE Arena with a controversial split decision verdict.
Lopez
Place Of Birth: Brooklyn, New York
Age: 25
Alias: The Takeover
Record: 18-1 (13)
Height: 5’8’’
Reach: 68½’’
Stance: Orthodox
Last Fight: Like Taylor, Lopez also won his last fight in controversial circumstances, rallying from a second round knockdown to beat Sandor Martin by split decision at Madison Square Garden in December.
What They Say:
Taylor: “These are the kind of fights, all these big names in the sport that keep the motivation and the fire burning in my belly and give me that excitement and that buzz.
“The fire’s clearly burning. I’m really excited to be here and boxing in the Mecca of boxing. Madison Square Garden is where all the giants and all the legends of the sport have boxed in the past. Hopefully I can do this fight and I become a legend, a present legend.” [Sky Sports]
Full Fight Card
Josh Taylor vs Teofimo Lopez, WBO super lightweight title
Xander Zayas vs Ronald Cruz, super welterweight
Henry Lebron vs Carlos Ramos, super featherweight
Jamaine Ortiz vs Humberto Galindo, lightweight
Robson Conceicao vs Nicolas Palanco, super featherweight
Omar Rosario vs Jan Carlos Rivera, super lightweight
Damian Knyba vs Helaman Olguin, heavyweight
Bruce Carrington vs Luis Porozo, featherweight
Taylor: 4/7
Lopez: 6/4
Draw: 20/1
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
