Taylor Is “Laser-Focused” For Lopez Fight
Was it really 15 months ago when Josh Taylor, then the unified, four-belt champ at 140 pounds, last fought? It was indeed. The last time we saw the Scot in the ring, Taylor was struggling to beat hefty underdog, fellow southpaw Jack Catterall. Only after one of the most controversial decisions in years did Taylor get the points win. A whole lot has happened since: Taylor has vacated three of the four belts, remaining only as WBO champion, Taylor has suffered injuries, with the talked of rematch with Catterall failing to come off, and Taylor even received death threats after the decision win over Catterall.
But most of all, Taylor says, most importantly, he has regained his discipline as a fighter since that night in February of 2022. Speaking with Sky Sports, 32 year old Taylor, 19-0(13) said the “scare” he was given in the Catterall fight came about due to complacency on his part and that he will not make the same mistake again, certainly not going into his big fight with Teofimo Lopez, who Taylor will face in New York on June 10.
“I’m absolutely laser-focused this time,” Taylor said. “That’s the mistake I made last time, I was losing sight of what was in front of me, dropping the ball in terms of focus and motivation. No, it’s not an easy task but I’m definitely doing it much better this time. The last time around, I had a lack of discipline, a lack of motivation and that crept into the performance. I never prepared well and, ‘fail to prepare, you prepare to fail’. I almost did fail last time.”
Taylor, who says he enjoyed too much junk food and that he drank some ahead of the Catterall fight, this after he had “climbed Mount Everest in becoming undisputed world champion,” knows full well he needs a stellar performance to beat former unified lightweight champ Lopez. Taylor, who says he is hugely motivated for the June fight, a dream of his as it has always been to fight at Madison Square Garden, has said he will KO or stop Lopez.
If he can do it, if Taylor can put on a special performance akin to the ones he had when he was beating excellent fighters like Regis Prograis and Jose Carlos Ramirez, he should beat Lopez, 18-1(13), most likely via decision. Teofimo has not looked great recently himself, struggling as Lopez did to beat Sandor Martin last time out. It could be that both men raise their game on June 10. If so, we could be in for a great fight.
Who do YOU think wins on June 10?
