WHEN he visual- ises the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, for Josh Taylor there is only one possible outcome:

winning gold. Three years ago, the East Lothian boxer came within touching distance of achieving that dream. His Commonwealth Games debut in Delhi saw him reach the final of the 60kg lightweight division where he was beaten 11-3 by England's Thomas Stalker. Taylor doesn't intend to let such an opportunity slip through his fingers again.

"When I got the silver, standing on the podium, I was tempted just to chuck my medal away," he says. "I was so disappointed because I had come that close to winning the gold, only to fall at the final hurdle. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to have done so well, but it was a bittersweet moment.

"I won't let that happen again. I'm gaining experience all the time going to big tournaments: European, world champ- ionships and my first Olympics. By the time Glasgow comes around I'll be ready and I'll be going for that gold."

Having excelled in martial arts as a youngster, Taylor, 22, took up boxing seven years ago at Meadowbank Amateur Boxing Club in Edinburgh. "I did taekwondo from the age of five, became a black belt and was a British champion at 13," he says. "But I'd always loved watching boxing on television and Alex Arthur used to fight at Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh where my mum works as a receptionist.

"I used to watch him train during my school holidays and when I was 15 decided to go along to the boxing gym to see what it was all about and give it a go myself. From the first session, it clicked: I knew it was what I wanted to do."

Four years later, Taylor claimed his spot in the Scottish team heading for Delhi. His silver medal there caught the eye of British selectors. In March 2011, he was invited to join the GB Boxing development programme in Sheffield and eight months later progressed to the podium squad with the aim of qualifying for the Olympics.

But it was a path not without sacrifice. By then Taylor was boxing in the 64kg light welterweight division, but his best shot of making the team for London 2012 was deemed by his coaches to be in the 60kg category.

Taylor vowed to do whatever was necessary to secure his berth. Working closely with a nutritionist, a painstaking diet plan was devised to help him reach that goal.

"For the Olympics, I had to lose 4kg to make the 60kg weight category. It was tough," he says. "I had to cut 2kg of muscle because I was so trim already and didn't have much fat to lose.

"It meant missing out on a big Christmas dinner that year - I had no starter or dessert, just a tiny portion for my main course - and was back out training on Boxing Day. But I would have chopped my foot off if they'd asked me to. I was determined to get on that team."

Testament to that fighting spirit, last summer Taylor became the first Scottish lightweight boxer to qualify for the Olympics since Dick McTaggart claimed gold in Melbourne in 1956. "Walking out into the arena in London with 10,000 people shouting: 'Taylor, Taylor' made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up," he recalls. "It was such a boost and felt incredible."

Taylor, who made it as far as the quarter-finals, soaked up every minute. "On the first day we all assembled for a big Team GB meeting and I saw Andy Murray across the room," he says. "When you see him playing tennis, he always seems so serious, but when I met him he wasn't like that at all.

"He was brand new, such a nice guy, and in great spirits. He spent ages telling me how much he loved boxing and wished me the best of luck. I was fair away with myself afterwards. I then met Ryan Giggs in the physio room a few days later. It was amazing. I loved every minute of the Olympics."

Once London 2012 was done and dusted, Taylor returned to 64kg. "It was the right decision for me," he says. "I was killing myself to make 60kg. I was dead on my feet and feeling hungry constantly. When I told the nutritionist: 'I'm moving back up to 64kg', he didn't have a problem with it.

"It was a tough thing to do in the first place and probably unnatural how low my body fat was. That was fine for a short period of time with the specific goal of the Olympics in mind, but to maintain it long term, I was worried about the damage it could do to my body and organs."

Taylor, who hails from Prestonpans, splits his time between Sheffield, where he trains four days a week under Rob McCracken, and Lochend Amateur Boxing Club in Edinburgh, where his coach is Terry McCormack.

He is not shy about his ambitions. "My goal is to be world champion and win every medal and title I can," he says. "I'm extremely determined."

This week will put that attitude to the test when he represents Great Britain at the AIBA Boxing World Championships in Kazakhstan - a prospect he is relishing. "It's always good to get out there and compete against the best in the world," he says.

Taylor says he is his own harshest critic, frequently replaying fights and picking over errors. "Even when I win I'll watch it back and think: 'I could have done this or that better'," he says. "I think it's good to do that because it means I'm able to continue improving all the time."

As the clock counts down to Glasgow 2014, Taylor's growing restlessness to show what he can do is palpable. "Boxing for Scotland in Scotland - you can't get better than that," he says. "I think the atmosphere is going to be every bit as good as the Olympics. I can't wait for it to come around."

Taylor hopes too that next summer will provide a platform to challenge some common misconceptions about his sport. "People often have this idea that boxers are all hooligans or a bit rough, but that's just not true - most of us are really nice guys," he says.

"There is more to boxing than meets the eye. I think it's the only sport where you have to think about your defence while you attack. The agility required as well is phenomenal.

"For me, it's not so much the fighting you get addicted to as the technique and strategy. It's like a game of chess - you have to out-think the other guy to win. It's a sport where anything can happen and that's what makes it so exciting."

Glasgow will not mark the end of Taylor's high-flying aspirations. "I fell a bit short of what I would like to have done in the Olympics," he says.

"Every time I watch my last fight over I get so angry because I know I can beat that guy. I've boxed him three times and he's beaten me - but only just. If I had won my next fight at the Olympics I could have got a medal. So Rio? That's the plan."