JOSH Taylor’s star continues to soar. This bout with the also previously unbeaten Ohara Davies had been painted as the toughest of the Prestonpans fighter’s nascent professional career but, in despatching the Londoner within seven rounds at Renfrewshire’s Braehead Arena, Taylor claimed a tenth victory in the paid ranks while also offering further encouraging signs that this may only be the beginning of something quite special for him.
The 26 year-old, who put his Commonwealth super-lightweight title on the line with Davies offering up his WBC silver belt, was largely in control of the fight from the start but the denouement did not arrive until midway through the seventh when, shortly after giving Davies his second standing eight count of the fight, referee Howard Foster decided to spare the Englishman from further punishment. Braehead erupted into scenes of bedlam.
Taylor’s manager Barry McGuigan had admitted beforehand there had been a risk in putting his man up against a fighter of Davies’ pedigree – 15 wins, 12 by knock-out before last night – but felt it was one worth taking. The Northern Irishman has now been vindicated in his stance.
The win takes Taylor into the top 15 of the WBC world rankings and will undoubtedly propel him quicker into contention for bigger and better fights, with an all-Scottish clash against Ricky Burns a tantalisingly possibility. As he was hoisted up in celebration, Taylor seemed to gesture towards Burns – doing television coverage at ringside – before mouthing “you next”. That could be quite the fight.
In victory, Taylor also savoured the final word with Davies following the increasingly acrimonious verbal jousting that either marred or improved, depending on personal taste, the build-up to this ‘Bad Blood’ contest. How much was just typical boxing pantomime fodder to help drum up interest and how much was genuine hatred is difficult to say, although the loquacious Davies, in particular, has not been shy in having a derogatory dig at Taylor and his camp over the past few weeks. The Scot, though, would have the last laugh on the night.
It was raucous from the moment both fighters strolled out under the lights, Taylor’s ringwalk soundtracked by Martha Reeve’s Nowhere to Hide, Davies already waiting impatiently for him in the ring, a gaggle of Essex pretty boys in his corner.
The Englishman’s awkward side-on stance, leading with the left elbow, was meant to offer protection but Taylor kept finding a way through, while Davies mostly swung and missed early on. The Scot was getting plenty joy with shots to the body but it was a lunge with the right in the third round that did the early damage, Davies taking a standing eight count after his knees visibly wobbled next to his corner.
The Englishman recovered from that but resistance would prove futile as Taylor eventually ground him down to record a famous win.
On the main fight on the undercard, Jason Easton’s reward for outlasting Steve Jamoye in an incredibly compelling duel was the vacant IBO intercontinental super-light title. Easton, from Edinburgh, suffered a cut under his eye in the opening round but it made little difference in a scrap that saw both men throw and take a number of blows for nine rounds.
Every time Easton seemed to have his Belgian opponent in bother with a barrage of combinations, the hardy Jamoye would wriggle off the ropes to offer shots of his own. With both fighters on the front foot, mobile, dexterous and always looking to land, it made for a breathless encounter.
Easton must have been wondering what he had to do to finally topple such a durable opponent and the answer came in the final second of the ninth round when the referee decided Jamoye had suffered enough.
There was success for cruiserweight and fellow Edinburgh fighter Stephen Simmons following an ugly tussle with Lukzas Rusiewicz, the Pole eventually disqualified in the sixth round for trying to catch the Scot cold with a sneaky punch during a break.
It was the last act in a long line of ruthless actions from Rusiewicz who also had a point deducted for repeatedly leading with the head, and was also warned for shots to the back of the head and for trying to slap-punch with the inside of the glove. Simmons, who improves his record to 17-2, enjoyed some luck early on with his jab before the spoiling started.
Prior to that, Chantelle Cameron, in only her second ever professional fight, defeated Polish journeywoman Bojana Libiszewska with a clinical performance.
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