Josh Taylor became the first and only British undisputed world champion in the four-belt era; Scott's impressive run of victories saw him defeat Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas to unify all the major featherweight titles; health problems forced him into retirement and he reflects on his career.
Pictured: A serious eye injury has forced Josh Taylor to retire.
There was no sense of an ending. For Josh Taylor, it was all over in an instant.
He underwent laser eye surgery, which he hoped would solve his long-standing problem.
However, further examination revealed that he actually had six retinal tears. If he had sparred again, let alone fought as planned, one more blow could have robbed him of the sight in that eye.
- Greene 'in no rush' for Marshall rematch: 'It was so tough!'
- Who can really beat Oleksandr Usyk?
- Don't have a Sky subscription? Subscribe to Sky Sports or watch contract-free now 📺
- Set up the Sky Sports push notifications you need!
The first and so far only absolute world champion from Great Britain in the era of four belts at that very moment realized that it was time to end his career.
“My decision has been made for me,” Taylor told Sky Sports. “I'm going to go blind if I keep messing around here.”
“I have to be grateful for my luck. I'm very lucky I'm not blind yet. Get out while you can,” he added. “I'd rather get out healthy than have another fight to do well and possibly get injured for the rest of my life.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player.
Taylor had an aggressive fighting style.
Taylor's place in British boxing history is already taken. The proud Scot began his professional career in 2015 and has enjoyed impressive success, quickly rising to world champion status.
He won his first world title, the IBF belt, when he defeated Ivan Baranchyk at the SSE Hydro in 2019. His undercard opponent was none other than pound-for-pound boxing star Naoya Inoue.
He unified the WBA and IBF featherweight titles by defeating Regis Prograis in a thrilling fight to win the World Boxing Super Series.
Taylor became the undisputed champion when he defeated Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas and collected all four major belts, knocking Ramirez down twice in the fight.
“I retired. A lot of people said, 'Retire as the undisputed champion,' especially my parents because they know how dangerous boxing is. You retired,” the Scot said.
“Because I am very competitive, I wanted to achieve more and keep fighting.
“Maybe one or two more fights, hopefully I can get a fight at Easter Road and get away. But it wasn't meant to be. It wasn't what was meant to be for me.
“I leave the tournament as the only undisputed four-belt champion in British history. I've had a little time to reflect on my career and I'm very proud of it. I'm very emotional when I think about it.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player.
Sourse: skysports.com
