‘Keep the heid and you have him beat:’ Prestonpans fighter Josh Taylor set for super lightweight showdown in Glasgow

Josh Taylor celebrates after stopping Dave Ryan in the 5th round at Meadowbank Stadium. Picture: Ian Rutherford

And now, Josh Taylor has vowed to leave Glasgow as a world champion as he prepares for his IBF light-welterweight bout with Ivan Baranchyk on Saturday.

The Capital-born fighter, brought up in Prestonpans, said he is in “no doubt” he will win the big one and continue his undefeated streak as a professional after tasting commonwealth glory in 2014.

Taylor, 28, could set up a showdown with WBA light-welterweight champion Regis Prograis in the final of the World Boxing Super Series with a semi-final win against his Belarusian opponent.

And Taylor is adamant he can “expose Baranchyk’s flaws” on the way to ending his undefeated professional run.

He told the pre-fight press conference: “I’m in the game to fight the best guys and prove I’m the best, and I’m fully confident I’m going to win.”

“I’ve never felt so confident and relaxed before a fight. This is my big opportunity and I’m ready to do a job.

“Baranchyk is a very good fighter, but this weekend it’s just me and him. I’ve watched his previous fights and I see a lot of flaws, a lot of mistakes. It’s up to me to exploit them.”

The clash is Baranchyk’s first in the UK and the Belarusian revealed he was confident of stopping Taylor well before the fight reaches its latter stages.

The man known as ‘The Beast’ is bidding to go 20-0 in his professional career, but the pair are tied on career knockouts, with both having left 12 opponents on the canvas.

Asked if he was predicting a knockout victory, Baranchyk replied: “Yeah, but I’m ready for 12 rounds. I will win.”

The stage for Taylor is set and it is bigger than ever before. Since that triumph in 2014, he is preparing for a fourth fight in a row at the SSE Hydro, yards away from where he was crowned Commonwealth light-welterweight champion in the SECC.

Nicaraguan fighter Winston Campos, Ukrainian Viktor Postol and American challenger Ryan Martin have all fallen to The Tartan Tornado at the arena and former trainer Terry McCormack is backing Taylor to step up to the occasion.

“It is Josh’s time, I have no doubt about that,” he told the Evening News.

“In the previous fights, against Martin, even going back to the fight against Ohara Davies, you could see the way it was going before it happened. Josh is good at breaking them down mentally as well as physically so they get to a point where the lose the battle of minds.

“It will be the same on Saturday. Baranchyk’s only chance is if Josh slips up and lets him into the fight. If he switches off for a second or he gifts Baranchyk a shot, he gives him a chance, but Josh is brave, he’s determined, I’d back him to win.”

Taylor has come a long way from the “raw, untamed aggression” McCormack first observed when he walked through the doors of Lochend ABC as a teenager.

He said: “Josh has just got better and better with every fight, it is night and day from when he first came in. He just had that raw drive, determination, a sheer will to win, but that almost held him back.”

“He would go in the huff a bit after sparring sessions that didn’t go his way, you had to put the reins on him.”

Terry added: “But we worked on that, we channelled and focussed that energy. Now you add the speed, the power, Josh is the total package.”

Former WBA super-middleweight champion George Groves has already predicted Taylor will win the super lightweight title this weekend and tipped the fighter to pick up more global honours in the future.

And Taylor has the backing of another former world champion in the form of ex- WBO super featherweight title holder Alex Arthur, who urged Taylor to “grab the opportunity with both hands”.

He said: “This is the biggest opportunity he has had so far and one of the biggest he is likely to have, he just has to get out there and seize it.”

“It is an exciting time for Scottish boxing. We’ve all seen just how strong Josh is with the home advantage, he’s won his past three fights at the Hydro and he picked up the Commonwealth gold there and when that crowd gets behind you, it is so tough for your opponent to come back into it.”

Arthur warned Taylor the Belarusian “bully” was likely to fight on the front foot, but backed the Tartan Tornado to triumph.

He added: “Baranchyk will come out fighting, he likes to be the one on the attack, to break you mentally so you just submit.”

“But what he doesn’t realise is that he is coming up against one of the most mentally tough guys in the sport and a guy who now has the experience to dig deep and find that bit extra.

“Josh won’t be bullied and Baranchyk won’t like it if he fights back hard, he’ll know that. It is all about believing you have more than the other guy and Josh does.”

Arthur continued: “You’re only as good as your last fight and the next one for Josh, against Prograis, that is the top fight in the division. Josh will be up for that, he knows he is so close.”

Prograis stopped Kiryl Relikh in round six of their fight in Lafayette in April to win the WBA light-welterweight crown and boasts a 24-0 record with 20 knockouts.

The American is also interim WBC champion and a fight against Taylor would set up an opportunity to be crowned undisputed world champion.

The event at the Hydro boasts a high-profile undercard on which Japan’s Naoya Inoue takes on Puerto Rico’s Emmanuel Rodriguez for the IBF and WBA world bantamweight titles.

Taylor has relocated to London to train with former world champion Barry McGuigan’s son Shane in a bid to improve his chances of mounting a serious world title bid.

But the boyhood Hibee has previously spoken of his deire to fight on a big stage in the Capital after defeating Adam Mate, Dave Ryan and Warren Joubert at Meadowbank Stadium.

He later beat Miguel Vázquez at the Royal Highland Centre, but named Edinburgh Castle as his dream fight destination.

Taylor told The Scotsman: “There was about 1,200 there against Mate and the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant.”

“Against Ryan, The crowd went mental that night. I thought the roof was going to blow off. Even in my short career I’ve got great memories of Meadowbank and it’s a shame the old place has been knocked down.”

“My dream is to fight on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. After the Tattoo’s finished they could leave the stands up, couldn’t they? I can’t think of a more spectacular setting anywhere else in the world.”

Back in Lochend, Terry said he was confident the Glasgow crowd would get behind Taylor with a large East coast contingent also set to make the trip.

He added: “There has been a real buzz about the gym this week. There is a big travelling support going through, but Josh is fighting for Scotland, there is no East-West divide here.”

“His nickname is the Tartan Tornado for a reason.”

When asked if he had any pre-fight advice, Terry added: “Josh knows he has the ability to go out there and win that fight. All I can say to him is keep the heid and you have him beat.”