ONLY the sixth fighter to become undisputed world champion in the modern four-belt era since the 1980s. The first UK-based fighter to become undisputed since Lennox Lewis. The first Scot to become undisputed champion of his division since Ken Buchanan became the undisputed lightweight world champion in 1970.

This remarkable feat of Josh Taylor’s at junior welterweight is made all the more remarkable by the fact he’s achieved it in just 18 fights. Further still, he achieved it against Jose Ramirez in front of a hostile crowd in Vegas with just a small team behind him. Due to Covid there was no Tartan Army there to roar him on. Rather than affect his performance, however, if anything it spurred him on.

In the days leading up to the fight – which Taylor won by unanimous decision after scoring two knockdowns – the 30-year-old southpaw was wired so tight he was like the human equivalent of a hand grenade. Footage of him getting in the face of Ramirez and his manager, at one point almost causing a riot by hordes of Ramirez’s fans in the hotel where both fighters and their teams were staying, confirmed he had not arrived in town looking to make friends or work on his diplomatic skills. 

He claimed afterwards that his fire and fury during fight week was designed to get inside Ramirez’s head and unsettle him. This he did and more, giving his opponent a torrid time all the way up to the fight.

Taylor is raw and he is real, and in his own words not a “show pony.” On a certain level, in an age where elite athletes and sports stars expend an inordinate amount of energy machining their image to attract corporate sponsors and cultivate popularity with everyone apart from their own, it’s a refreshing throwback to a time when fire was considered a transformative rather than destructive force.

The fight itself should not have gone the distance, and would not have if referee Kenny Bayless hadn’t given Ramirez such a long time to recover after he was knocked down in the sixth and seventh rounds. Bayless’s refereeing after the second knockdown in particular was a disgrace, involving a clearly hurt Jose Ramirez being given an unconscionable 20 seconds before allowing the fight to resume. All that was missing was an armchair and a cup of tea.

Such a dereliction in such a huge fight is no small thing. There would’ve been a copious amount of money placed on Taylor to win by stoppage, and you also had the real possibility of Ramirez ending the fight ahead on the judges’ scorecards in a town where dodgy decisions are as common as the glow-in-the-dark teeth that litter its casinos and fleshpots.

To the extent that Josh Taylor’s aggression in the build-up appeared out of control, in the ring he was all control — deploying an impressive variety of shots, angles, controlling the distance, and demonstrating a defence and a jab that have both improved since teaming up with current coach Ben Davison. 

Jose Ramirez had his moments, but for the bulk of the action he struggled to cope with Taylor’s movement and speed. Taylor promised that he would control the centre of the ring, and that he did for much of the fight — especially after the first knockdown in the sixth, defying this tough and hitherto undefeated Mexican-American to come forward and shoot it out.

The huge stakes involved in two undefeated and unified world champions meeting in their respective primes to fight for the right to go down in history as undisputed was not matched by the pre-fight promotion and publicity, it has to be said. The promotion was so low-key one wonders if a vow of silence had been taken by Bob Arum and its US broadcaster ESPN.

Even more inexplicable was the absence of a UK-based broadcaster in Vegas to cover it. Here the role of the independent boxing media proved indispensable, for without it in attendance there would hardly have been any coverage at all.

But no matter: Josh Taylor is now the master of all he surveys at 140. As things stand, he’s looking at defending his WBO belt against mandatory challenger, England’s Jack Catterall, next, after which he is likely to go up to 147 to face Terence Crawford.

Catterall stepped aside to allow Taylor to face Ramirez and so Taylor might feel obligated to give the Englishman his shot in a massive homecoming affair. His other option is to vacate, bypass Catterall, and face Crawford next. 

Crawford is a member of the sport’s pound-for-pound elite group, and with a record of 37 fights, no losses, with 28 wins by KO or stoppage, he presents a massive test in what would be a mega-fight.

Whatever comes next, Josh Taylor has that “won’t be denied” factor about him right now. Having just established a legacy that will be talked about for decades to come, never mind Terence Crawford: he’s entitled to sit back and ponder how many rounds it might take to batter Superman.