THE in-joke among the sundry
boxing superstars who pass through McGuigan’s Gym in Hammersmith, London, is that Josh Taylor resembles
a character from Me, Myself and Irene, the Farrelly brothers’ rather non-PC take on split personality disorder.
For those unacquainted with the film, Jim Carrey plays a helpful, hard-working, Rhode Island cop called Charlie, who is transformed into his alter ego Hank when he runs out of his medication. Hank, it turns out, is a rather abusive fellow who picks fights, lusts after women and generally causes all manner of mayhem.
According to Carl Frampton,
the Irish WBA super featherweight champion who has followed in Barry McGuigan’s footsteps to enter the top ten pound-for-pound rankings, the fact Taylor possesses an element of both of these contrasting character traits which marks the 25-year-old out as the sport’s next Scottish superstar.
The self-styled Pride of Prestonpans, who outclassed veteran Dave Ryan
in five rounds at Meadowbank Arena on Friday night as he earned a Commonwealth belt to put with his 2014 Commonwealth gold medal, is an engaging personality out of the ring who none the less knows how to be spiteful in it.
“People will think because I’m in
his camp I’m going to say this, but he is one of the best talents I’ve seen,” said Frampton. “His speed is the difference between him and everyone. He’s a super lightweight but he’s got the speed of a light flyweight.
“He’s spiteful, too, which is important in this game,” he added. “When he sees people hurt, even in sparring, he will go after them. This is
a hard business and I like to see that. He’s a class act and I’ve been telling everyone that the potential is here for Josh Taylor to be the next big superstar in Scotland after Ricky Burns. I think he is the man to fill his boots.
“I saw a bit of Josh as an amateur
on TV – at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games – and he’s a great talent and a real nice guy. I don’t think his personality has come across yet. He’s a bit of a heed-the-ball and he’s funny. But he’s still getting used to the media and he needs to let people see that side of him. He’s a big character and he could have a big following. He is a loose cannon –
he’s funny and good craic. We call
him Hank after the character in
Me, Myself and Irene. That’s Josh, he flicks the switch and changes.”
Frampton could hardly fail to be impressed by the quick hands and shot selection Taylor used to get rid of Ryan on Friday night. In only his seventh fight as a professional, the Scot stopped a game, veteran pro whose only previous stoppage had come due to a kidney injury.
“I know how good this guy can be,” said Frampton, whose small print on a money-spinning re-match against Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas is all but done. “That’s his seventh fight but he looked like a seasoned pro. He looked like a 30-fight professional. It was an unbeatable performance, Dave Ryan is no mug, he is a good fighter but there are levels in this game and Josh Taylor is levels above guys like Dave Ryan. Josh’s speed against Ryan was the difference. He bust him up because he was so accurate.
“This guy is going to be a superstar,
I can honestly say that,” he added.
“He is talking about learning off me but I’m learning so much off this kid, his shot selection is outstanding, his speed, his reflexes. He is an unbelievable talent and I’m so glad people are getting to see him on television at the start of his career.”
While Taylor will almost certainly be rushed into action, on a George Groves bill at Wembley Arena before the end of next month, McGuigan said in the wake of the fight that his real target was a world title shot with Scotland’s own Ricky Burns before the end of next year. As much respect as Frampton has for Burns, he would back his man.
“Maybe a couple of defences
first,” said Frampton. “You have to
say that Burns is the best super lightweight in the country because of what he’s done and what he’s still doing. But in the not too distant future, after one or two more fights, it would be a great fight for Josh and he’d be up for it.
“I would be confident that Josh could do the business. I really like Burns and what he’s doing but I think there is something special about Taylor.”
As potentially unflattering as his cinematic comparison point is, the 25-year-old played up to it afterwards. “As soon as I heard the bagpipes from my changing room beforehand,” he said of an electric Edinburgh atmosphere on Friday night, “I was
like ‘rrrrrr’. A bit of Hank came out.”
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