All of Scotland should get behind Josh Taylor for biggest boxing bout in British history

Arguably the biggest event in British boxing history is set to take place when Josh Taylor fights Jose Ramirez on May 22 at the Virgin Hotels resort in Las Vegas.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

From the streets of Prestonpans to the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, Taylor will attempt to become Britain’s first undisputed unified boxer in the four belt era.

The bout is already being billed as the biggest in Scottish - and British - boxing history as Taylor attempts to equal Ken Buchanan’s record of becoming undisputed world champion over 50 years ago.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

What is surprising, is the lack of hype surrounding the fight in Scotland - this is especially true when you consider the historic importance of a Taylor win for putting Scottish boxing at the top of the sport.

Since the four belts were introduced in 1988 to boxing - only six fights have taken place with all four belts on the line, across all weight divisions.

It is often joked that there is more excitement surrounding Taylor’s prospects across the pond in America and Mexico - coincidentally the two nations Jose Ramirez identifies with - than in the UK media.

The Tartan Tornado is in the business of collecting belts and he's not finished yet.The Tartan Tornado is in the business of collecting belts and he's not finished yet.
The Tartan Tornado is in the business of collecting belts and he's not finished yet.

And that if Taylor had the media attention of Anthony Joshua - someone that many in boxing feel is a weaker pound for pound fighter than Taylor - he would be one of the biggest names in boxing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But SWTSCNC (Sweet Science) Apparel are trying to rectify this by encouraging those unable to make the fight in Vegas to support the Tartan Tornado at home.

The business has sponsored Taylor since he turned pro and have produced fight night T-shirts for the bout.

Josh Taylor delivers some body shots into the Gipsy King.Josh Taylor delivers some body shots into the Gipsy King.
Josh Taylor delivers some body shots into the Gipsy King.

Shabba Shafiq set up the company after having had success as a ringside photographer with his other business Sw33t Science photography.

His brother Shaz Shafiq as well as cousin Kam Chaudhry also work for the business.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They decided to encourage Taylor’s supporters to show their support by buying a fight T-shirt and sending a picture of them wearing the top to Taylor and themselves before the big fight.

They added that they plan on showing the footage to the world champion before the fight.

Josh Taylor shadow boxingJosh Taylor shadow boxing
Josh Taylor shadow boxing

But in order to secure a T-shirt or other memorabilia by fight night you should place your order by May 17 on their website or that of Josh Taylor’s - orders can still be placed after this date but your items may not arrive until after fight night.

Shaz said: “We have sponsored Josh since he turned professional and have always tried to support the up and coming talent in Scottish boxing in any way that we possibly can.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Personally we feel as though there needs to be more hype back in Scotland as this is arguably the biggest fight in Scottish boxing history.

“So to do this we teamed up with Josh and designed our own t-shirts using imagery that we had captured ourselves. The idea is that all of Josh’s supporters will take a picture of themselves in their T-shirts in the build up and on the night of the fight to show their support.”

The fight will be available on ESPN and ESPN+ as well as some streaming platforms.

May the world champions please step forwardMay the world champions please step forward
May the world champions please step forward

If you’d like to buy a T-shirt or other items for the fight then visit: swtscncapparel.com or joshtaylorboxing.com.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.