BARRY McGUIGAN simply cannot help himself. Whenever the subject of Josh Taylor comes up, the references and comparisons to Ken Buchanan tumble out in the same instinctive way he used to throw his combinations.
Southpaw, Edinburgh boy, now wearing the tartan with pride in the pro game.
It is easy to see why Buchanan’s name is becoming inextricably woven into the narrative as last summer’s Commonwealth Games champion takes his early steps in the paid ranks at light-welterweight.
According to McGuigan, however, there is something extra that Taylor is threatening to bring to the table. Buchanan, king of the world with both the WBC and WBA at lightweight, was a genius, innately skilled and tough as teak.
He could not be described as a destructive puncher, though. Of his 70 contests spanning almost two decades, he recorded 27 stoppages from 61 victories.
McGuigan understands why those who watched Taylor’s rise through the amateur ranks would believe he is likely to become renowned for technique rather than thunder, but he warns that his gym sessions are promising something different as he prepares for the second fight of his pro career against Hungarian lightweight champion Adam Mate at Meadowbank Arena on October 16.
“People say: ‘Oh, he lacked power in the amateurs’,” remarks McGuigan, the former world featherweight champion. “The difference in the pro game comes when you wear those small gloves and hit guys at full distance.
“He’s really top class at middle distance and long distance.
“There can be guys who don’t look like punchers in the amateurs but, when they hit you with those small gloves on at full distance, you think the house is falling on top of you.
“You want to see the way this kid’s punching in the gym. He’s in with light heavyweights and middleweights and he’s flattening them, beating them up and looking sensational.
“In the early part of his career, certainly, you will see explosive knock-outs.”
Taylor’s pro debut against Liberian Archie Weah on the undercard of Carl Frampton’s IBF world title win over Alejandro Gonzalez Jr in El Paso, Texas, last month was a promising start. Weah’s corner threw in the towel during the second round as Taylor started to take their man apart.
However, the 24-year-old from Prestonpans, a modest boy by nature, is not quite as keen to promote his concussive punching power as his manager, McGuigan.
“I wouldn’t say I was a knockout specialist, but I can definitely punch for my weight,” he said. “If I connect, I am going to hurt you.
“It the ones they can’t see coming that do the most damage and I think I showed that on my debut.”
Make no mistake, McGuigan believes he has the real deal in Taylor and a fighter with the potential to become perhaps the best Scotland has ever produced.
“God knows I’m conscious of the fact that boxers are notoriously sensitive about things you say and I respect that, so I don’t want to insult anybody,”
said McGuigan. “But you go back to Benny Lynch and Jackie Paterson, then through to Ken and Jim Watt. After that you had Pat Clinton, Paul Weir, Alex Arthur, Scott Harrison and Ricky Burns, who is still active.
“For pure natural ability and skill, I don’t think there has ever been a guy like this. Not since Buchanan, anyway.
“I remember sparring Buchanan and getting my head punched off. He was at an advanced stage in his career.
“He came to help me get ready for a British title fight and he just bamboozled me completely. That was the first spar. The second spar, I got much better, but he was so talented and this guy is a carbon copy of him.”
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