Boxing – Taylor moves closer to his dream

Jubilant Josh Taylor took another step towards his world title dream with a stoppage victory over former world title holder Miguel Vazquez at a packed Royal Highland Centre.

The 26-year-old Scot stopped the Mexican for the first time in his 45-fight career and the crowd loved it.

Taylor admitted that he had found the experienced fighter, who has been in with some of the best in the world, difficult in the early stages of the scheduled 12-round contest.

The Prestonpans puncher also suffered a cut early on but overcame that and switched his tactics, homing in on the body, and he eventually stopped his man after 2min 30sec of round nine.

Vazquez needed oxygen from ringside pare-medics after the knockdown but he recovered to embrace the Scot in the ring.

Taylor is a key member of Barry McGuigan’s Cyclone stable and the former world champion said that the Scot had given him a headache.

That is where Taylor goes from here. The Scot, who is now unbeaten in 11 fights, would love one day to claim a Lonsdale Belt.

McGuigan and his son Shane, who trains Taylor, believe that would be a step backwards at the moment and would consider a European title shot as the best way forward.

Taylor dreams of fighting for a world title at the iconic venue of Edinburgh Castle, but that is in the future.

The boxer dedicated the fight at Ingliston to a five-year-old from Prestonpans.

And he thanked all the fans – including Celtic and Scotland striker Lee Griffiths – who had turned out to see him make a significant statement.

Taylor said he would take a few weeks of and let his management team consider the future.

However, he has made a significant jump up the world rankings.

Taylor said: “I would love to fight at the iconic venue of Edinburgh Castle just before the Festival on a summer night – of course, you can’t guarantee the weather.

“I would like to go for a European title but I always knew that I could take him (Vazquez) out.

“He was a really tough fighter but when I started to go downstairs (to the body) then that really told.”

Taylor promised the people of Prestonpans that the WBC silver super lightweight title would stay in East Lothian. And he delivered.

Edinburgh’s Jason Easton also delivered, retaining the IBO Inter-Continental super lightweight title when he outpointed durable Josef Zahradnik, the Czech Republic title holder, to take his winning run to 11 fights.

It was Zahradnik’s first defeat in ten fights and Easton had to overcome a bad cut to the side of his left eye in the fifth round to win on points.

The judges scored the gruelling contest 117-111, 118-110, 120-108 in favour of Easton who wants to get back in the ring as soon as possible to continue his climb up the rankings.

Debutant Lee McGregor took only 2min 33sec of the first round to claim victory over Stefan Sashov from Bulgaria in his debut fight as a professional.

He dedicated the win to his late mother and the former amateur star said he loved the whole experience of his first paid fight.

Edinburgh-based McGregor returns to training in London on Monday and is set for another outing in Leicester in the next few weeks.

Haddington’s Iain Trotter won all four rounds against Konstantin Alexandrov and the East Lothian middleweight admitted his arms were sore hitting the Russian who offered little in the way of an attack threat.

Chantelle Cameron collected her first professional title when she disposed of durable Mexican Edith Ramos to win the IBO Inter-Continental super featherweight title.

It was scheduled for ten rounds but Cameron from Northampton started strongly and Ramos was distressed after the end of the second round and it was only a matter of time before the bout was stopped by the referee in the third.

Craig McIntyre from Glasgow stopped Michal Vosyka after 45 seconds and said he want to get back into the ring as soon as possible. He was disappointed the bout had not gone further.

Congo-born but Glasgow-based Martin Bakole beat Belgian heavyweight Ali Baghouz to win the IBO Continental title, a big right hand into the ribs stopping his opponent after 2min 23sec of the first round.

And big-punching Chris Billam-Smith from Bournemouth stopped his opponent Jan Hrazdira after 2min 22sec of round two of a scheduled four round contest, the Englishman apparently breaking one of his opponents ribs.

And Uddingston’s Michael McGurk beat Filip Rzadek, stopping him after 1min 59sec of round one in a scheduled six round super welterweight fight.

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