JOSH Taylor was granted his wish yesterday when he moved to within touching distance of a world title shot.
Taylor, undefeated in 12 bouts, will face Viktor Postol at the SSE Hydro on June 23 in a final eliminator for the WBC title held by the 34-year-old Ukrainian prior to a points loss to American Terence Crawford, conqueror of Ricky Burns.
It will be no easy task for Taylor, 27, to overcome an opponent of Postol’s standing, given that his defeat by Crawford in Las Vegas two years ago is the only one he has suffered in 30 contests.
During his rise to the top, the self-styled “Iceman” melted the hopes of the likes of the highly-rated Yvan Mendy, Henry Lundy and Lucas Matthysse, the latter by stoppage to assume the status of world champion in 2015.
It is a measure of just how highly Postol is rated that he was voted second best active boxer in the division by the influential Ring Magazine earlier this year.
But while he expects Postol to take him to a new level, Taylor has pledged to rise to the challenge, in the belief that he is learning something new about himself and his sport on a daily basis.
He said: “This is my biggest fight by far. It’s huge and a massive step up against a genuine world class opponent who has been round the block as a world champion. So it’s a huge test for me, one I feel I’m ready for and I can’t wait to get in there and pounce on him.
“I’m in the game to become world champion so I’ve got to fight these guys to do that and deal with this hurdle and get over it. I firmly believe that I will.
“Postol’s strengths are that he’s very well schooled and skilled. He’s got great feet and bounces in and out like an amateur. He’s also got great timing and keeps it long range and paws with his jab and likes to set you up with his long, stiff right hand.
“So I’m going to have to be equally impressive with my feet and be on my toes to counter him and catch him out on the front foot.
“But while it’s definitely a tough fight for me, my toughest yet by a country mile, I am knocking on the door to world titles and when I win, hopefully my next fight will be for one.
“I believe I will win and make a statement as well. I think I am going to dominate him with my timing, speed and punching power. That combination will be too much for him.
“I might stun him early but if not I think I am going to out box him and be on top of him all the time.
“Age could be a factor but I doubt it. He’s still very good. In his last fight he was put on his backside and got up and weathered the storm and came back and won pretty well.
“So he’s as tough as old boots and I am going to have to be fully switched on and never lose concentration. If it has to be a 12-round points victory, I’ll be happy with that.”
For his part, Postol is respectful of Taylor’s unblemished record and his achievements as an amateur, culminating in a Commonwealth Games gold medal at Glasgow 2014.
He added: “Taylor is a hard puncher and he changes stances throughout his fights so I will need to be sharp. But I am fully focused on my goal of becoming a world champion once again.”
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