World champion Josh Taylor meets idol Ken Buchanan again after matching undisputed boxing glory

Edinburgh’s boxing greats Ken Buchanan and Josh Taylor met through boxing 12 years ago – and re-united over a complete set of world title belts.
Scottish undisputed Super-Lightweight World Champion Josh Taylor (Picture: John Devlin)Scottish undisputed Super-Lightweight World Champion Josh Taylor (Picture: John Devlin)
Scottish undisputed Super-Lightweight World Champion Josh Taylor (Picture: John Devlin)

Taylor matched Buchanan’s undisputed world championship achievement in May when he defeated Jose Ramirez – little over half a century on from Buchanan’s achievement.

After touching down from Las Vegas – famously without the belts – Taylor pledged to catch up with ring hero Buchanan. This week he fulfilled his promise when the 75-year-old visited the Prestonpans light-welterweight champion to admire the wall-mounted display of unified belts Taylor after the historic bout six weeks ago.

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Taylor posted on his Instagram account JoshTaylorbox1: “It was a great pleasure having Scotland’s greatest fighter ‘The Tartan Legend’ Ken Buchanan at my home today. I feel so proud to have achieved the same status as one of my heroes in becoming the undisputed champion of the world.”

Buchanan became the world’s best in 1971, when he defeated Ruben Navarro in Los Angeles to add the WBC lightweight title to the WBA strap he'd won five months previously following an epic duel with Ismael Laguna in Puerto Rico.

Before Taylor’s historic bout Buchanan exclusively told The Scotsman: “I remember seeing Josh. He was always in good condition then and looks after himself. He's been well looked after by those around him. They're four good belts so I want to see them when he comes home. I'll look forward to that."

After landing the belts, Taylor revealed: “Ken gave me so much inspiration to do this.

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“I met Ken at Lochend Boxing Club and since then he’s given me little bits of advice on how to train and dedicate myself to sport.

“He saw me boxing a couple of times as an amateur, hitting the bags and sparring and he always said I could become world champion and I’ve proven him right. I’m just like him. I’m so proud I can see him now when I get home with the belts.

And as he proved to his Instagram followers he was true to his word with the image. Ally McCoist replied: “That’s the one I was dying to see.”

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