Josh Taylor insists the emergence of YouTubers into boxing is damaging the ‘authenticity’ of the sport.
The Scot is hoping to become the undisputed super-lightweight world champion this Saturday when he faces Jose Ramirez on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Taylor has never shied away from a challenge in his career and has continued to progress at an astounding rate.
In just 17 fights, he has unified the 140lbs division against Regis Prograis during a Fight of the Year contender at the 02 to win the World Boxing Super Series, a competition which saw him also defeat Viktor Postol and Ivan Baranchyk.
His fight against Ramirez is yet another example of a young and hungry fighter putting it all on the line for the chance to achieve greatness in a sport which seems more and content to celebrate mediocrity.
Casual fans are unlikely to know too much about ‘The Tartan Tornado’ due to the amount of publicity the social media savvy Mayweather and the Paul brothers generate.
The 50-0 superstar will face Logan, the elder of the two brothers, on June 6 in Miami in an exhibition bout which will set fans back a hefty price on pay-per-view – a decision described as dreadful by Eddie Hearn.
Despite admitting the viral social media superstar brings a new audience to the sport, Taylor cannot condone acts like the brawl at the Hard Rock Stadium which was started after Mayweather’s hat was stolen by Jake Paul.
“It’s nothing but a money-making circus,” he told talkSPORT’s James Savundra. “That’s all it is.
“I will not be watching it, I’ve got no interest in it. Floyd Mayweather is 50-odd, he has been and had his glory days, he is past his best.
“Yeah, he is still a great fighter and he is still the best of this era, but he has had his day and is fighting a guy who is a complete novice for money.
“That is all this is, it’s just a money-making exhibition. I’ll not be watching it and I have no interest in it.
“Fair play to them, they are making money,” Taylor added. “I wish I was making that kind of money!
“Listen, they are bringing huge sets of eyes and numbers to the sport but, in terms of the actual fights, it is a little bit embarrassing to the sport.
“It is becoming like a circus with these guys. But fair play to Jake and Logan Paul; they are training, they are doing the right things, they are putting the work in.
“So you’ve got to respect in that hand because they are training and doing it properly, they are putting the work in.
“But it is a little bit of a circus and a farce. I hope this is not the new trend of boxing with these people coming to do this because it’s not good for the sport and it is not good for the authenticity of boxing.”
Taylor started boxing as a 15-year-old in East Lothian and is now firmly entrenched in the Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list alongside icons of the sport like Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Oleksandr Usyk.
Victory against Ramirez on Saturday would not only cement his reputation as the best in the world in his division, but also a potential contender for fights up at welterweight.
With neither Errol Spence nor Terence Crawford willing to fight each other, the 147lbs division remains somewhat stale and the injection of new blood could be desperately needed.
Manny Pacquiao remains the WBA champion, with Taylor admitting a fight against his idol seriously entices him as he ponders what is next.
“When I was a kid, man I used to watch him all the time,” he added.
“When I was a young kid I used to copy the things he did and try and fight the way he did, I’ve got fast hands and good footwork, so I used to try to really copy him with things like that.
“I used to watch a lot of training videos of him and try to copy him and the way he used to train and things like that, I really did idolise him and he had a really big influence in my career.
“That’s another thing that is crazy, it’s not a wild dream and there is a possibility that it could possibly happen, maybe.
“To share a ring with my idol would be amazing, it would be absolutely unbelievable.”
