Josh Taylor Threatened To Postpone Ramirez Fight If He Would’ve Had To Quarantine In Mexico

Josh Taylor was more than willing to travel to the United States to fight Jose Ramirez.

The Scottish southpaw drew the line at taking a detour to Mexico. Taylor told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix during the newest episode of his podcast that he threatened to pull out of his 140-pound title unification fight with Ramirez when he was asked to quarantine and train in Mexico for two weeks.

That request was made to Taylor late in April, the week he was supposed to fly from London to Las Vegas to complete training camp for his showdown with Ramirez on Saturday night. Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs), of Prestonpans, Scotland, and Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs), of Avenal, California, will fight for Taylor’s IBF and WBA and Ramirez’s WBC and WBO 140-pound titles at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Taylor’s travel situation was sorted out and he flew directly to Las Vegas, where he has been training for almost a month. There was a time, however, when Taylor was concerned that the biggest fight of his career would be postponed.

“We were due to be flying out maybe on the Friday, on the 22nd, I believe it was, of April,” Taylor recalled. “And on the Monday of the week we were flying out, we got a call. ‘You’re gonna have to go to Mexico for two weeks and quarantine somewhere in Mexico and go train in a gym there. Then after two weeks, you have to jump on a plane and come to Vegas.’ And I strictly says, ‘No! Shove it right up your ass!’ Because if that’s the case, the fight’s not on. The fight’s not on, you know?’ I said, ‘If that’s the case, you go and ask Ramirez to go train somewhere else for two weeks. Then fly on a plane and come back, three different time zones.’

“You know, I says, ‘No, I’m a champion here as well in this fight, too, and you know, I want an even playing field, not getting thrown about from place to place.’ You know, so I said if that was the case, I had to go [to Mexico], I wasn’t fighting. So, we got it sorted. Uncle Bob [Arum] stepped up to the plate and got everything sorted good. So, it’s all good. But we’re here now. It wasn’t much of an issue. But I was putting my foot down and saying if that was the case, the fight was getting postponed, you know?”

Taylor didn’t specify who informed him that he’d have to temporarily train in Mexico, but the 30-year-old champion wasn’t bluffing when he threatened to pull out of a main event ESPN will televise.

“Yes, a hundred percent,” Taylor replied when asked if he would’ve withdrawn from this fight over the travel issue. “I’m here to win this fight. I’m here to win these belts and make history. I’m not here just to compete. I’m here to take over and win. And I want a level playing field. I’m not getting hit with, ‘Oh, you need to go to Mexico for two weeks’ the week I’m supposed to be flying.

“If that was the case, they should’ve told me weeks & weeks ago, and I could’ve been out in Mexico a few weeks earlier, before I was supposed to come. I would’ve done it no problem. But not happening with me at the last minute. You know, I says, ‘No, I’m not fighting. I’m going out. I’m a champion in this fight, too. It’s got to be on a level playing field.’ So, we got it sorted in the end anyway.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.