Taylor Grabs Commonwealth Crown

Last night Josh Taylor won his first professional belt.

Taylor, who claimed gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, took on Dave Ryan for the Commonwealth super lightweight title.

It was only Taylor?s seventh professional fight but he showed that he could develop into a fighter to be reckoned with, in this division, by stopping Ryan in the fifth round.

Taylor, just 25-years-of-age, looked the far more accomplished fighter throughout the five rounds it lasted.

His impressive work had Ryan on the canvas in the third round, when Ryan, who had previously held this title, was floored by a left hook.

The end, in the fifth round, came when Ryan was on the receiving end of a crunching body-shot, Ryan was left in serious trouble and the referee had no option other than to stop the fight.

Taylor is managed by the legend that is Barry McGuigan and already the Clones Cyclone is looking ahead to match his fighter with the WBA champion Ricky Burns, with McGuigan remarking to the media,

‘With the progress this kid is making we can talk about that fight, certainly in nine months? time to a year.

‘Burns has got to be the target if he remains the champion. I’m not being disrespectful. We’re not ready for it yet. He’s got work to do.

‘I just think Josh makes progress so quickly. We’re going to put him in with guys that will test him and bring him into the later rounds.’

Josh Taylor, definitely a fighter to keep an eye on.