Taylor eyes summer fight with Catterall in Edinburgh

Josh Taylor believes his first fight as undisputed world light-welterweight champion will be in Edinburgh against Jack Catterall this summer.

The Prestonpans boxer is back home after defeating Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas to become the first British fighter to become unified world champion in the four belt era. Taylor already held the WBA and IBF strap but added Ramirez’s WBC and WBO junior-welterweight titles to his collection.

That achievement has opened up a wealth of possibilities for the 30-year-old, with Terence Crawford and Teofimo Lopez mentioned as possible opponents. Taylor admitted his new status put “a big target” on his back but thinks he will face Catterall first.

The English fighter is the mandatory WBO challenger and if Taylor wants to hold on to his undisputed status, he has to take the fight or lose the belt.

“I think the next one is going to have to be my mandatory defence, which is against Jack Catterall, so it might be that,” he told STV.

“But if something bigger comes along and everything is right we’ll take that too. I’ll sit down with my management team and Ben and the people around me and see what the best one is.

“I think right now the Jack Catterall fight would be good. It would be the traditional Scotland v England bout and that could be at Edinburgh Castle.

“I know Jack pretty well and I don’t think he would have an issue with coming up here. I think he would relish the opportunity.

“That would be a good fight to happen.

“Later this year [is possible]. I think they are starting to let fans back at football so hopefully later on when it’s back to full capacity.

“The later end of the summer, because if it’s going to be outside then we’re banking on the weather.”

Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell has made a public offer for Taylor to have his next fight at Hampden Park and while the fighter sees the attraction of taking to the ring at the home of Scottish football, he says his real desire os to put on a show in his home town.

“Hampden would be amazing,” he admitted. “It would be something like 75,000, which would be epic, would be huge.

“Would I be able to fill it? I don’t know.

“That would be something else, it would be amazing but I really do have a desire to fight back here at home, to have that fight at Edinburgh Castle or Easter Road.

“I know for a fact that Easter Road would be keen to do it so that’s a massive positive. I would love to have the Castle do it as well, to have the two of them biting my hands off to be the one hosting it.

“We’ll see what comes but I would really love to have a fight at home. I haven’t boxed at home since about 2016 or 2017. It’s a long time.

“I would love to do that and I think I’m due it, to box at home in front of friends and family for once.”