Josh Taylor is already thinking about some intriguing matchmaking possibilities awaiting him in a new weight class.
The former undisputed 140-pound champion from Scotland saw his longtime title reign come to a complete end last Saturday night when he lost his WBO belt to Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision, after 12 rounds, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
After the fight, Taylor, a career junior welterweight, suggested he would move up to 147 in his next fight.
One fight he would apparently gladly entertain is with Conor Benn, the British welterweight whose career has been scandal-ridden since last October, when it was revealed had tested positive twice for the banned performance enhancing drug clomifene.
In a recent interview, Taylor said he would “love” to give Benn a “good spanking” if they ever fought.
“That’d be a great fight,” Taylor told iFL TV when asked about a matchup with Benn. “Especially if he can make welterweight at the moment now. He looked a bit big now. Just the other day he was 154 or something on one of his [social media] posts. 154 he was looking at. I’d love to give him a good spanking after everything that has happened and came to light and stuff.”
It was recently reported that Benn is looking to revisit a fight with Chris Eubank Jr. for Sept. 23 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Benn and Eubank were originally supposed to engage each other last October, but their high profile fight was cancelled after the doping revelations. Benn, who cannot legally box in his native country, is currently under provisional suspension by United Kingdom Anti-Doping.
“We’ll wait and see what happens,” Taylor continued. “Absolutely, I’ll fight anybody. I’ll fight anybody. I’m not scared to fight anybody. I’ll see what happens and see what comes my way. I think you’ll see I’m a big name in the sport. I’m a former—I f------ hate saying that—I’m a former undisputed world champion so I’m not short of options. Whatever happens, there’ll be good fights out there for me. We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.