THE pain of defeat at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and his first-round exit from the London Olympics remains fresh in Josh Taylor's mind.
It is this wound that motivates the 23-year-old Lochend ABC boxer from Prestonpans to focus on winning a gold medal at this summer's Commonwealth Games to the exclusion of all else. Taylor's silver medal four years ago, when he lost to England Thomas Stalker in the final of the 60kg class, meant nothing at the time to the former junior taekwondo champion who came to boxing at the age of 15.
"I compete to win and second best or doing well is no good to me, that's just the way I am," Taylor explained. "That's why there were tears in Delhi.
"It wasn't until a few days later that I realised I had done well and it was a good achievement as I had only been boxing for three years.
"But every time I watch a recording of the fight - and I must have done so 10 times or more - I get angrier knowing that I can box better than I did. Stalker was 27 and vastly more experienced but I had fought him in the Europeans the year before and felt I could beat him.
"I was a point behind going into the last round and knew I had to hit him without being hit myself the way the computer scoring works, but I failed to use my boxing skills.
"It took me a while to get over that defeat but I have learned from the experience and this time I will be more relaxed. Maybe because it was my first Commonwealth Games I was uptight fighting in front of the TV cameras and the media.
"I have since been to the Olympics and boxed in the European and World Championships, so I am more ready and I will be disappointed if I don't win gold this time, especially with the Games being in Scotland.
"The atmosphere will be brilliant and hearing people shout my name will be magic. I don't feel pressure, just a desire to enjoy every minute of it and take it all in my stride.
"The main competition and threat will be Sam Maxwell, from England. That would be a tough bout and really close, but I feel I would be capable of coming out on top."
Taylor, who has moved up to welterweight, had been expected to turn professional in the wake of Glasgow 2014, but feels he has other unfinished business to attend to after going out of the Olympics losing 15-10 to former world champion and No.2 seed Domenico Valentino, of Italy.
"I want to fight in Rio in two years time and try to get a medal in Brazil to make up for the disappointment of London," he said. "The fact is, I enjoy what I am doing and I am not in a hurry to turn professional."
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