Taylor Wants To Become A Two-Division Champion Despite Retirement Claims

Josh Taylor remains upbeat despite his loss to Teofimo Lopez, as he lost his WBO super-lightweight title, stating he could happily retire. 

Taylor is the former undisputed champion at 140 lbs, as he vacated three belts to avoid his mandatory challengers before facing Lopez.

However, Taylor was totally outclassed by Lopez as he lost via unanimous decision. And in doing so, there were serious question marks over Taylor’s current form.

Prior to the Lopez defeat, Taylor was arguably given a split-decision victory against Jack Catterall, despite the boxing community feeling he came second best. 

With that being said, there are mixed messages about Taylor’s next move. While his trainer, Joe McNally, has spoken about the desire to see his fighter remain at 140 lbs, Taylor has other plans.

Taylor has made it clear that his dream was to become a two-division champion by moving up to 147 lbs. And by the looks of it, that is the plan even if he could walk away from the sport. 

“I’ll be moving up to 147 for the rest of my career now. I’ll be much more comfortable.

“I think it’s just one too many fights at 140 now so I think that it’s inevitable that my days will be at 147 and I’ll be the better for it. It’s a a minor speed bump in the road and I’ll still be a two-weight world champion.

“I could retire tomorrow [and] I’ll be content with what I’ve done but I know I can still go on and I know I can still become a two-weight world champion. If you don’t believe in yourself, no-one will believe in you,” Taylor