Josh Taylor Not Interested In Fight With Ricky Burns

by Shaun Brown

Rising super welterweight star Josh Taylor says he has no interest in an all-Scottish showdown with former three-weight world champion Ricky Burns.

Taylor (10-0, 9 KOs) and Burns (41-6-1, 14 KOs) both fight within five weeks of each other beginning on October 7 in Manchester, when Burns facing Matchroom stable-mate Anthony Crolla in another win or bust fight for the Scot's career.

Taylor defends his WBC Silver Super Lightweight title against former IBF World lightweight champion Miguel Vazquez in Edinburgh on November 11, and Taylor says that despite his call to face Burns immediately after his career-best win over Burns' gym-mate Ohara Davies it is right now "irrelevant" to him.

"I'm not interested," Taylor told The National.

"I was talking about it around the Ohara fight because he was saying he fancied Ohara to win. There was a lot of talk about us fighting and I felt it would have been a good fight for Scotland. We could have sold out any arena.

"But he took the fight with Crolla and I have Vazquez up next, which is harder - and more rewarding -fight.

"If I come through this and he beats Crola then I'm sure there will be talk about it again. But it's irrelevant to me. I am focusing on Vazquez."

IN OTHER NEWS: Commonwealth Featherweight champion Isaac Lowe will return to action on October 27.

The 23-year-old last fought in Denmark when the Morecambe-based fighter challenged Dennis Ceylan for the Dane's European 126lbs title in March this year. Sadly the fight was halted in the fourth round after an accidental clash of heads which led to the champion being cut. With the fight then going to the scorecards Ceylan got the nod with all three judges to retain his title via technical decision.

Since then Lowe has been heavily linked with a domestic unification fight in the U.K. against British Featherweight champion Ryan Walsh. And earlier this month the British Boxing Board of Control stated that the fight is now out to purse bids with those to be due in by October 11, 2017 and the fight to take place no later than January 31, 2018.

In the meantime, Lowe is in need of some rounds and will box on VIP Promotions 'City Hall Brawl' at Hull City Hall next month. A card which will be streamed live on vipboxing.tv A win next month for Lowe and most likely it is the "big one" against Walsh next as he put it on Twitter yesterday.

The VIP Promotions card also features Connor Seymour vs. George Rhodes Jr and Evaldas Korsakas against Chris Jenkinson, as well as Lowe's gym-mate Tom Belll.