Josh Taylor stripped of WBA

[TIC]

the wba is talking with it's top six ranked one hundred pounders to decide on filling the vacant belt

[Spicoli]

the wba is talking with it's top six ranked one hundred pounders to decide on filling the vacant belt

Sounds like something out of a Big brother episode with a 5 minute interview/ evaluation process . Almost like they don't even trust their own politricks rankings #1 Alberto Puello and #2 Ismael Barroso who would logically fight for it but want the door open for others. Of the 6 "contestants" it's flat wrong to have Ohara Davies in there who has already lost to Taylor AND Jack Catterall. Akhmedov lost to Mario Barrios. Shame Catterall doesn't even get a sniff. Prograis seems about right but man with only 3 low key fights in 3 years since Taylor he's been invisible.

[TIC]

the wba is talking with it's top six ranked one hundred pounders to decide on filling the vacant belt

Sounds like something out of a Big brother episode with a 5 minute interview/ evaluation process . Almost like they don't even trust their own politricks rankings #1 Alberto Puello and #2 Ismael Barroso who would logically fight for it but want the door open for others. Of the 6 "contestants" it's flat wrong to have Ohara Davies in there who has already lost to Taylor AND Jack Catterall. Akhmedov lost to Mario Barrios. Shame Catterall doesn't even get a sniff. Prograis seems about right but man with only 3 low key fights in 3 years since Taylor he's been invisible.

josh is stripped yet leo santa cruz can keep is wba super world featherweight belt. even the wbc were saying chon zepeda was the next in line for a mandatory. ismael hasn't fought in over a year. i guess the wba don't won't o'hara getting a clear road to the title with bigger names like regis & sandor able to bring in bigger fees & eliminators generate fees as well. i thought batyr beat mario so i'd be happy for him to be involved. got to feel for jack catterall

[TIC]

josh vacated. josh said his days at one forty were numbered & a rematch with jack would need to be at welter but now he can fight chon at one forty? hero to zero

[Spicoli]

josh vacated. josh said his days at one forty were numbered & a rematch with jack would need to be at welter but now he can fight chon at one forty? hero to zero

No idea what to believe from him really. Clearly there's pre Catterall and post Catterall Josh Taylor. Now he blames married life to-be for dropping wba. Just talking out of both sides of his mouth. Guess we'll know for sure Wednesday if Zepeda is next up.

[TIC]

the wba is talking with it's top six ranked one hundred pounders to decide on filling the vacant belt

Sounds like something out of a Big brother episode with a 5 minute interview/ evaluation process . Almost like they don't even trust their own politricks rankings #1 Alberto Puello and #2 Ismael Barroso who would logically fight for it but want the door open for others. Of the 6 "contestants" it's flat wrong to have Ohara Davies in there who has already lost to Taylor AND Jack Catterall. Akhmedov lost to Mario Barrios. Shame Catterall doesn't even get a sniff. Prograis seems about right but man with only 3 low key fights in 3 years since Taylor he's been invisible.

josh is stripped yet leo santa cruz can keep is wba super world featherweight belt. even the wbc were saying chon zepeda was the next in line for a mandatory. ismael hasn't fought in over a year. i guess the wba don't won't o'hara getting a clear road to the title with bigger names like regis & sandor able to bring in bigger fees & eliminators generate fees as well. i thought batyr beat mario so i'd be happy for him to be involved. got to feel for jack catterall

the wba bizzarro world continues to roll on. they have decided to make alberto puello the number one v botirzhon akhmedov the number six for the vacant belt, with ismael barroso the number two getting a shot at the winner. ismael got screwed the worst here. botirzhon akhmedov already holds a two thousand & eighteen ninth round knockout of ismael barroso & i thought he beat mario barrios, so i'm good with this. ohara davies v sandor martin will be ordered as an eliminator. regis prograis is the man on the outside looking in. i can see ohara davies fighting lewis ritson instead, that could lead to sandor v regis & that's a better fight i'm interested in

[Master]

"Where was all this attention when I became a history-maker, the first person from the UK to become undisputed champion in the four-belt era? Where was all this attention then?"

Josh Taylor has spent his entire career fighting for the respect he feels his talent deserves.

He has received a level of acclaim within boxing for his extraordinary feats, but the exposure generated from a highly-controversial points victory over Jack Catterall in February has been like nothing the Scot has experienced before.

It was Taylor's first defence of all four light-welterweight world titles - and a fight Catterall deserved to win. The Englishman believed he won, most ringside and television observers agreed, as did the vast majority of boxing pundits.

Even Taylor, who has consistently said he felt he did enough to earn the decision, has softened his stance slightly, admitting he would not have complained had it been Catterall's hand raised in victory rather than his own.

The fallout was toxic. The British Boxing Board of Control ordered an investigation into the scoring of the fight and subsequently demoted one of its judges.

The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, even wrote to the police questioning the judges' decision. Hoyle, it should be noted, also happens to be the MP for Chorley, Catterall's home town.

The outcry reached ridiculous levels and sadly, inevitably, the grim spectre of social media abuse soon followed.

"The morning after the fight, when I turned my phone back on, it was just comment after comment, abuse after abuse," the 31-year-old tells BBC Scotland prior to the screening of a new documentary about his life and career, Josh Taylor: Portrait of a Fighter.

"I stayed silent for a couple of weeks - then my little sister started getting it, then my fiancée Danielle. Personal attacks on their personal pages that were nothing to do with boxing.

"It's been pretty disgusting some of the things people have been saying. It is what it is and we move forward."

One of the most powerful parts of the film is when Danielle describes in horrific detail the online abuse and threats she suffered in the aftermath of the fight.

No matter what you think of Taylor - and opinion is more mixed than you might expect for one of Scotland's greatest-ever sportspeople - nobody is deserving of such abuse. Certainly not family members who have never set foot in the ring.

Taylor is a complex character. As his friend and former two-weight world champion Carl Frampton describes him in the documentary: "He has almost this split personality where one minute he's nice and the next he's not."

That perhaps partly explains why Taylor is not as popular as his skills and boxing resume suggest he should be.

Unlike many modern-day athletes, Taylor's views on social media are, for better or worse, entirely unfiltered. He often airs his opinion about divisive issues - he was an outspoken critic of the government's handling of the Covid crisis - and with that comes divided opinion.

His relationship with Daniel Kinahan has been another source of criticism. In 2020, Taylor signed with the management company, MTK Global, founded by Irish cartel leader Kinahan. He last year said of the Irishman: "He's a great advisor and doing great things for the sport."

In April this year, the US State Department issued a $5m reward for information leading to the arrest of Kinahan. MTK announced it was to cease trading days later.

"I haven't got a relationship with Daniel any more," Taylor says. "MTK is no more, so everything is sort of out the window.

"I now manage myself, moving on with a lawyer doing all my contract and management work. Moving forward with Top Rank (his promotor), so yeah, that's it.

"I'm not really clued up with any of the stuff that was going on. Obviously the stuff that has come to light has been pretty serious, but no, I'm focusing on boxing and it's nothing to do with me."

It's a similar tone to that adopted by Tyson Fury, another fighter with links to Kinahan. "It's none of my business," was the heavyweight champion's mantra when recently questioned about Kinahan.

Many were perplexed by Taylor's lacklustre show against Catterall, but the documentary offers some clues.

"I don't think I can ever remember in sparring being this bad for this long. I feel like I'm just not at the races," an exasperated Taylor at one point says to his trainer, Ben Davison, in the weeks leading up to the fight.

Seeing a hideously gaunt, weight-drained Taylor desperately trying to sweat off the last few pounds in his hotel room before the weigh-in is genuinely shocking - and a stark reminder of what prize fighters put their bodies through.

Coming into camp too heavy, struggling to shift the weight, picking up Covid and injuries, lacking motivation - they are all valid reasons why Taylor fell so far short of his own standards.

None of that should take away from the excellence of Catterall, though, and that's what makes a potential rematch so fascinating. Is Catterall that good? Was it just an off night for Taylor? Has he peaked? Or are his greatest days yet to come?

The Tartan Tornado - who last month vacated the WBA belt - has been looking for one big career-defining fight. Settling the score with Catterall in a huge domestic rematch could well be it.

"If I could do it myself without all the complications of the boxing business, the next fight would be Jack Catterall straight away, put it to bed," Taylor says.

"I believe I will win that fight. I don't believe he can beat me at my best. He couldn't beat me at my worst.

"Fight him again and then move up to welterweight, but I'm not making that mistake again of looking past [the next fight] and saying 'This is what I want to do'.

"I know that's what I was doing wrong, I didn't have the motivation. There will be no lack of that this time."

Josh Taylor: Portrait of a Fighter airs on the BBC Scotland channel at 22:00 BST on Tuesday, 21 June and will be available after transmission on BBC iPlayer.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/61837213

[TIC]

jack has gotten into josh's head & josh is making a mistake by staying at one forty. josh should just drop the belts & fight jake at a catchweight next. i'm sure jack would oblige

[Master]

Josh Taylor has said he will fight Jack Catterall again to ‘shut everyone up’ after the Scot’s controversial points win against the Englishman.

Taylor remained unbeaten and retained his status as undisputed super-lightweight champion in February, winning a split decision against Catterall in Glasgow.

The scorecards were debated and disputed by many fans and pundits in the aftermath of the pair’s main event, with the British Board of Boxing Control launching an investigation into the judging, which was referred to police by Catterall’s MP in Chorley.

While Taylor continues to insist that he believes he won the fight – which marked Catterall’s first loss as a professional – the Scot has said he intends to take on Catterall again.

Having previously expressed an interest in moving up in weight, Taylor has now told The National: “I want to shut everyone up. The only reason I’m staying at the weight is: I want to fight Catterall again.

“I don’t think it was the wrong decision [in February], but I want to shut everyone up. I want to prove that was an off night for me and that I’m one of the best fighters on the planet.

“Because of all the stick and abuse I’ve been getting, and the way Jack’s been too – mouthing off and moaning – I just want to shut his mouth. The single reason I’m staying at the weight is to shut him and everyone else up.”

Catterall responded on Twitter: “Tartan Torn a***hole, all bark no bite.

“I’m still waiting for an offer... I’m ready to go, I don’t believe you really want it.”

It is expected that Catterall would fight for Taylor’s belts if the Scot were to vacate them while moving up in weight.

That is now looking less likely, however, with Catterall potentially on course to secure an instant rematch with Taylor.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...4218119ca96797

[TIC]

the wba is talking with it's top six ranked one hundred pounders to decide on filling the vacant belt

Sounds like something out of a Big brother episode with a 5 minute interview/ evaluation process . Almost like they don't even trust their own politricks rankings #1 Alberto Puello and #2 Ismael Barroso who would logically fight for it but want the door open for others. Of the 6 "contestants" it's flat wrong to have Ohara Davies in there who has already lost to Taylor AND Jack Catterall. Akhmedov lost to Mario Barrios. Shame Catterall doesn't even get a sniff. Prograis seems about right but man with only 3 low key fights in 3 years since Taylor he's been invisible.

josh is stripped yet leo santa cruz can keep is wba super world featherweight belt. even the wbc were saying chon zepeda was the next in line for a mandatory. ismael hasn't fought in over a year. i guess the wba don't won't o'hara getting a clear road to the title with bigger names like regis & sandor able to bring in bigger fees & eliminators generate fees as well. i thought batyr beat mario so i'd be happy for him to be involved. got to feel for jack catterall

the wba bizzarro world continues to roll on. they have decided to make alberto puello the number one v botirzhon akhmedov the number six for the vacant belt, with ismael barroso the number two getting a shot at the winner. ismael got screwed the worst here. botirzhon akhmedov already holds a two thousand & eighteen ninth round knockout of ismael barroso & i thought he beat mario barrios, so i'm good with this. ohara davies v sandor martin will be ordered as an eliminator. regis prograis is the man on the outside looking in. i can see ohara davies fighting lewis ritson instead, that could lead to sandor v regis & that's a better fight i'm interested in

sandor martin has withdrawn from a potential wba eliminator against ohara davies. shakhram giyasov would be next in line

[NoSavingByTheBell]

The IBF has ordered 140-lb champion Josh Taylor to defend his title against #1 mandatory challenger Jeremias Ponce next.

[TIC]

The IBF has ordered 140-lb champion Josh Taylor to defend his title against #1 mandatory challenger Jeremias Ponce next.

the ibf ordered negotiations in july, the purse bid has now been ordered for august twenty third