BEFORE the death of the great Ken Buchanan in April at the age of 77, the friendship he forged with Josh Taylor helped him honor the younger boxer with a specific story six times.
Taylor, 32, explained from near the top floor of the hotel midway through the battle week in New York: “But he told it with enthusiasm as if it happened yesterday. “He pays attention to detail – he can remember what the dressing room is like, what music is on, and playing in the arena.
“’Great Muhammad Ali walked in and his coach asked, ‘We don’t have a locker room – can we use yours? Yes, if you want. Wait a minute, big man.’
“He took some chalk, drew a horizontal line in the middle of the room and said, ‘This is your side and this is my side; don’t come here’, and they had a good laugh after the fight and good jokes and spent the night together. These stories are amazing. Piece of history that is amazing. He is such a funny guy.”
Already in her 19-match career, Taylor has made history of her own. He may never be as well-respected as Buchanan is respected by everyone, but the way his eyes light up when talking about him means that as he is following in his footsteps, it’s fascinating to end up together. argued that there were times for Taylor that was enough.
The absence of Buchanan’s funeral after his death at the age of 77 was one of the sacrifices he made to fully prepare for the fight with Teofimo Lopez, which has yet to define his career. . A convincing performance – more than a year after so much suspicion surrounded him when he turned the villain in his win over Jack Catterall – will invigorate a career that should not have been served. recovery and ensure that it will continue to grow at its peak.
The divisive 25-year-old Lopez, from Brooklyn, was significantly less happy when he learned they were going to fight at the theater in Madison Square Garden. It is inconceivable that it is because of the darkness that has fallen on his city in the aftermath of the Canadian wildfires that make it look like the epicenter of the apocalypse instead of the center of the boxing universe like when Buchanan was there. his prime minister. More than 50 years later, it doesn’t matter who Taylor represents that connection to the past and who is enjoying a platform similar to the one given to him by his late friend.
Ali fought Oscar Bonavena based on Buchanan’s victory over Donato Paduano on the night of December 1970 so Buchanan is often narrated. One of Buchanan’s other victories at the same venue was against Ismael Laguna, the first opponent Taylor saw him fight; there was also a defeat against the great Roberto Duran that ended when Duran landed with the most savage lows.
“He always told me he could still feel that punch to the end,” Taylor said, revealing without direct effort the feeling of respect and affection the two Scots shared. shall. “He said he still often had pain down there. Back in those days, cups were not manufactured as they are today. They’re basically just a sock; a little padding. He said he was in severe pain for many months.
“He’s had most of his big fights here. He has ties to my hometown, the Prestonpans; My first coach was one of his sons, Raymond Fraser Buchanan. We spent a lot of time together.
“My family’s plaid; he wears his family’s plaid shirt; white name strip is good. It’s a tribute to Ken. He’s one of my heroes; one of my role models growing up. This is a tribute to him, out of respect, because I couldn’t hold his funeral a few weeks ago.
“Fight at Madison Square Garden, the mecca of boxing; top another bill and do business. I had friends; family; commuting assistance [in town]. i’m buzzing [to be here].”
If Taylor remembers Buchanan with warmth and fondest memories, the sadness is considerably greater when he remembers William, his uncle who died last year. William – one of Taylor’s biggest and most enduring admirers – was so convinced of his nephew’s potential that he bet he would be at the top at The Garden, and Taylor continued to receive out his loss with considerable sadness.
“My uncle – I got into boxing when I was 14, 15 years old, and my dad, we used to go to club shows and other things – often accompanied me, and my cousin, too, ‘ he said, being able to discuss him in a way he couldn’t 15 minutes earlier, when the mention of him caught him ‘falling off guard’. “After three or four games, I would beat the Scottish champions and the English champions, go to international tournaments and come back with a medal – a gold medal – and my uncle William said, ‘I’ll go. Be a world champion, son. ‘.
“Unfortunately, he passed away last year, so he’s gone missing, but he’s still here. He is here with me. So this is a special moment.
“Even back then, in those days. ‘We’ll start saving. One day you’ll go to Madison Square Garden.’ He just always said it in the first place.
If he outperformed another innate talent and won with certainty, he’d also compete against another of his favorite boxers, knowing that the last time the ultralightweight was as exciting as the night. Before Taylor-Lopez, Floyd Mayweather, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto are getting close to their prime.
“Miguel Cotto was one of my favorite characters growing up,” says Taylor, recalling another Garden favorite. “I love his style and the way he uses it to fight and box. I used to love watching him.” His date with Lopez was on the eve of New York’s annual Puerto Rico Day Parade.
