JOSH Taylor is proud to be a product of Prestonpans but his boxing career was born in Pune, India. The Scot had some illustrious company when the Commonwealth Youth Games hit that Indian city in the summer of 2008 – a teenage Lynsey Sharp had to settle for third place behind a certain Caster Semenya in the 800m – but considering he hadn’t long taken up the sport, initially only to maintain his fitness for Taekwondo and football, he was entitled to feel pretty good about the bronze medal he brought back.

The cream should always rise to the top, but the accidental nature of Taylor’s development will be worth dwelling on assuming he takes care of IBF champion Ivan ‘the Beast’ Baranchyk of Belarus at the SSE Hydro on Saturday night to become Scotland’s first professional world boxing champion since Ricky Burns surrendered his WBA belt in this weight class to Julius Indongo in April 2017.

“If you had told me away back then that I would be fighting for world titles and I have achieved what I have already achieved in the sport I would have told you that you were a big fat liar,” said Taylor, as the build up to the biggest week in his life begins. “I would have told you where to go. It is crazy to see how far I have gone since those days so I am well proud of myself but hopefully it is just the start of bigger nights to come. Hopefully I can be world champion for a long, long time.

“Initially, I just went to boxing as a kid to keep fit for a couple of weeks really,” he added. “Then I got asked to go sparring and I took it from there. I got a few fights under my belt then I got selected to go to the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008 and came back with a bronze medal. I thought ‘right, I am quite good at this, let’s see how far I can go’. That was when I started taking it a bit more seriously.”

Still just 28, Taylor’s extensive and impressive amateur career has helped him cut a swathe through the pro ranks. It seems like he has been on the cusp of a world title shot for ages, but four years and 14 fights in total – only two of which have gone the distance – hasn’t been too long to wait.

While Scotland’s fight public really should have cottoned on to his talents by now, what makes Saturday’s showdown with the apparently reluctant Baranchyk even more crucial to the Scot is its capacity to launch him as one of the bonafide stars of the sport. It seems unlikely that the 28-year-old could ever cross over to the UK-wide appeal of an Anthony Joshua but fighting for his first world title – on the Sky Sports platform – it is high time people bought into this guy.

“I know a win here can launch me,” said Taylor, whose next step would be a WBSS final with WBA champion Regis Prograis. “Having that Sky platform, with all the promotions they are putting round the fight will get the name Josh Taylor out there, and not just to boxing fans. I can let the casual fans know what I am all about. So I get to showcase myself on a massive platform so I am happy I’m getting the exposure I deserve.”

Jake McGuigan, son of Barry and part of Taylor’s promotions stable, is delighted his man’s days as one of the sport’s best kept secrets should soon be over. “Look, you talk to people in the boxing industry people know the kind of performances Josh has been putting in, the kind of people he has been beating,” said McGuigan. “He has shown he wants to try to stop people, he doesn’t just settle in for a boring fight. Josh never gives you that, he always gives you excitement.

“But there aren’t enough people out there who know that and that is what the fight going on Sky Sports will give you, it will launch him to bigger and better things and make everyone aware of him,” he added. “There are very few fighters around in the UK who deliver what he delivers, he is the most exciting fighter around. His nickname is the Tartan Tonado. He is like a whirlwind.”

While ticket sales may have been affected by confusion over Baranchyk’s intentions, the Belarusian has taken up with respected trainer Freddie Roach and seems to have dropped any row with the WBSS. “None of this was Josh’s doing,” said Jake. “It was a threat from the other team. I don’t know how much they were ever going to follow through with it. They obviously won the world title and were maybe a little bit miffed about going to Glasgow. They maybe wanted to kick up a fuss but we are here now and it is an incredible card, especially with [Nouya] Inoue at bantamweight on the undercard, one of the most revered fighters in the world.

“You have got Josh who is just about to break onto the scene, we believe he is going to do a fantastic job and show everyone how good he is going to be. We don’t want to dwell on negatives, we need to make sure everyone is there supporting it, because when it gets to world title level, these guys are all difficult. Baranchyk is a dangerous fighter who will be particularly dangerous early on but I feel Josh is better than him in all departments - provided he is switched on. I think he becomes world champion this Saturday.”