Josh Taylor won’t get a desired undisputed championship showdown with Jose Ramirez for next outing, but the top-rated Scotsman is afforded more freedom in his next opponent choice than will his fellow unbeaten and unified divisional titlist.
While California’s Ramirez (25-0, 17KOs) is locked into a title defense versus former titlist and current World Boxing Council (WBC) mandatory challenger Viktor Postol (31-2, 12KOs), Taylor has time to decide whether to clear off sanctioning body obligations of his own or next square off versus the foe of his choosing.
The 28-year old southpaw from Edinburg, Scotland became a two-belt titlist following a rousing 12-round majority decision win over previously unbeaten title claimant Regis Prograis in their Oct. 26 thriller in London, England. Currently under consideration for his next act is a mandatory title defense versus Thailand’s Apinun Khongsong (16-0, 13KOs), who became the number one contender to the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title following a 5th round knockout of Akihiro Kondo this past February on the road in Tokyo, Japan.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed through the IBF that the fight is due to be officially ordered on Dec. 18, after which the two sides will have 30-days to come to terms for the contest to avoid being subject to a purse bid hearing. Taylor has the option of going through with that bout, or pursuing an optional defense.
In order for the latter to take place, Taylor and his handlers must file for an exception with the IBF prior to Dec. 18. Any requests for a voluntary defense after a title fight is officially ordered will not be honored, a painful lesson learned in the middleweight saga that saw Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez have to relinquish his IBF strap earlier this summer after failing to reach terms for a mandatory showdown versus Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Those handling Taylor’s career will undoubtedly take the necessary steps to avoid a similar fate, even while savoring his latest win amidst a Fighter of the Year-level campaign.
The good news is that whatever fights he entertains for 2020 will come at his leisure while his divisional counterpart is served a healthy dose of alphabet soup.
Ramirez’s title defense versus Postol will likely take place Feb. 1 on ESPN, with China mentioned as the leading location to host the event. After that will come the matter of having to satisfy a World Boxing Organization (WBO) mandatory title defense versus England’s Jack Catterall. Such a fight was previously ordered, with the WBO willingly standing down after it was confirmed in writing that the WBC was first in the rotation.
In claiming the World Boxing Association (WBA) title, Taylor will have time to honor its appointed mandatory. Taylor is the recognized “Super” champion, while WBA “Regular” 140-pound titlist Mario Barrios (25-0, 16KOs) has been ordered to face Betyr Akhmedov (7-1, 6KOs) in an immediate rematch to their clash in September, where Barrios won a 12-round decision in a bout several felt should’ve landed in favor of Akhmedov.
Barrios is still under a six-month medical suspension issued by the California State Athletic Commission from injuries sustained in the contest.
Further down the WBA queue is unbeaten interim titlist Alberto Puello (17-0, 9KOs) and “Gold” title claimant Yves Ulysse Jr. (18-1, 9KOs).
For now, Taylor can rest easy knowing he has another seven weeks to decide his next move–plenty of time to bask in the glory of the year that was before planning out the year ahead.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
