Taylor coach Terry McCormack: 'It's been some journey Josh, these memories will live with me forever'
Little more than a week has elapsed since former undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor told the world he's hung up his gloves for good.
A journey in the ring spanning almost two decades was brought to an abrupt end on the advice of the Scot's medical team.
A recurring eye injury - he's had three operations in an attempt to rectify the issue - has brought down the curtain on an illustrious career that saw him conquer the world.
The 34-year-old has achieved everything in boxing. He has nothing left to prove to himself, or anyone else, for that matter. He does, however, run the risk of losing his sight should he continue to prolong his career - a fight he is not prepared to take on - and rightly so.
Lochend Boxing Club founder and coach, Terry McCormack, has been with the Tartan Tornado every step of the way, including being one of the first to take his call as an emotional Taylor broke the news.
"I've known for the last two or three fights that his eye hasn't been right and that's going back to the first [Jack] Catterall fight," McCormack told the Evening News. "He's had a couple of operations on it, but he's just got on with it - he had big fights lined up. When you're a fighter you need full vision so you can see the shots coming.
"Josh phoned me on the way back up from Liverpool to tell me the news. It's the best decision - it's the only decision as he's got too much to live for. You can't be going in that ring any less than 100 per cent.
"There is a relief because I know what he's been going through in these last few training camps. I'm glad the doctors told him because it saved me doing so. He probably wouldn't have listened because boxers just keep going.
"You're not going to be the same athlete you were at 27 or 28. It happens across the board. You can't train as hard with these types of injuries when you're the age he is."
McCormack recalls the moment a scrawny teenager first walked through the doors of Lochend - a former Scout hut - in Sleigh Drive, the Prestonpans youngster eager to make his mark in the sport.
Eastern District and national titles quickly became the norm. Scottish boxing - and McCormack - had a real prodigy on its books.
"I saw it from the first day he came into the gym," McCormack explained. "He's a born winner. He was hard as nails, he was fast, and wanted to be the best at everything. He was relentless. We supported him in the beginning and we kept just setting goals, as long as he reached them. And he just kept smashing them.
"We started right at the very bottom. We had nothing. He came into Lochend at 15 or 16-years-old. I remember us walking along Seafield Road going into all the car garages asking for a sponsor. We had nothing. He'd only won the Scottish amateur title but I knew he was going places - that's why I walked the streets with him. I knew he was the real deal and I told all these businesses that. So, from walking the streets trying to get a sponsor, to becoming undisputed champion of the world. That's unheard of."
Taylor continued to climb the ladder within the amateur scene, his first major accolade a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. A spot on Team GB at the London Olympics two years later rubberstamped his pedigree before he upgraded his Commonwealth silver to gold, at his home games, in Glasgow, in 2014.
Now every promoter in the UK and beyond was vying for his signature. Taylor was hot property having made the decision to turn over to the professional ranks. Cyclone's Barry McGuigan, a former world champion himself, won that race, McGuigan's son Shane, now his new head coach.
He reeled off win after win, dismantling whoever was put in front of him. His first world title arrived after just 15 fights, Ivan Baranchyk put to the sword at the Hydro in May 2019, then unifying the division just five months later at the O2, in London, with victory over hard-hitting American, Regis Prograis. And with Taylor moving onto pastures new with US promoter Top Rank in early 2020, his dream of fighting for all the marbles then became reality in Las Vegas in May 2021, when he fought Jose Ramirez. And boy did he grasp his chance.
Taylor went to town and cleaned up the super lightweight division. He not only left Sin City an undisputed champion, he became the first Briton to do so in the four-belt era.
"It's been some journey - I can't tell you the memories I've got, that will live with me forever," McCormack said. "The experience we've all picked up, it's invaluable. I've been all over the world with Josh on the biggest platforms. I can only thank Josh for giving me these memories and always having me in his corner.
"I'll miss it. I'm not going to lie. The big arenas, the TV, the crowd, and what have you. But I'm just happy I've experienced it all. I've been up at the top of the mountain and have seen it first hand, close up. We've been to Madison Square Garden in New York, the London O2, Vegas - every coach in every gym in the world wants to sample it.
"I still think Josh could have been an even bigger star than what he is. A lot of it has to do with promotion. In saying that, he's also Scottish. If he'd been from England or America he would have been a superstar. But Josh didn't really want that. He just wanted to be Josh Taylor, the boxer, and do his stuff in the ring.
"But with regards to the promotion, he was with Top Rank and if he'd been based over in America, they would have really pushed him. But being over in the UK, they don't really have the network. If you look at the boxers Eddie Hearn has promoted, they've become massive world names but they've won nothing. Eddie would have had Josh all over Sky - I think he's the best in the business and he gets the best for his fighters.
"That said, make no mistake, Josh is a future Hall of Famer - definitely. I met Marvin Hagler in Edinburgh after Josh's first world title win against Baranchyk - I had to meet him. He's my hero and, in my opinion, the greatest of all time.
"But once I got chatting to Hagler, I couldn't stop talking about Josh. I told him to watch this kid. So, for me, Josh is right up there with your Marvin Haglers of this world.
"Josh is on par with Kenny Buchanan, if not better. That's for the people to decide but I'd go with Josh. I'm maybe biased but that's my opinion. Ken Buchanan didn't get the recognition until he retired and that could be the same with Josh."
Not many could have predicted defeat to Ekow Essuman in May - his third of his career - would be Taylor's final outing. It wasn't in the script. But as he embarks on a new chapter outside of the ring, McCormack is sure to be by his side.
"Now that he's back up here for good, he'll be in Lochend with me a lot, helping out," he said. "He's great with the kids. He gives up so much of his time and he loves doing it. But I think everyone will come after him to do things like ringside commentary. He was always getting asked when he was boxing but could only do it so often, when he wasn't in camp or anything like that.
"I don't think his phone will stop ringing. He's a likeable guy, he shoots from the hip and he's a bit of a character, I think he'll get a few calls for TV shows too. Watch this space, I reckon we could even see him in the jungle soon!"