Ken Buchanan tips Josh Taylor to beat Ricky Burns

Edinburgh's former undisputed world lightweight boxing champion Ken Buchanan believes Josh Taylor would overcome compatriot Ricky Burns should the pair face off against one another later this year.

Josh Taylor connects with a punch on Alfonso Olvera. Picture: Getty Images

Much has been said about the possibility of Taylor, the Commonwealth super-lightweight champion, and Burns, the nation’s first three-weight world champion and current WBA world super-lightweight champion, going head to head in an all-Scottish showdown.

Taylor, 26, defeated Mexican Alfonso Olvera in Las Vegas last weekend to register his eighth consecutive win as a paid fighter. Burns, in comparison, has 41 wins to his name from 46 professional bouts and will attempt to unify his WBA belt with a win over IBF champion Julius Indongo at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro in April.

But, despite the gulf in experience between 33-year-old Burns and the Presatonpans fighter, Buchanan is confident Taywould ultimately prevail.

Taylor has said it is a match-up he would be interested in but has spoken of his desire to compete at British title level first.

“Josh is going to be a world champion, make no mistake about it,” explained Buchanan, who was voted as Britain’s greatest ever boxer by Boxing News in 2015. “I’d put my head on the block and say he would have been an undisputed world champion even during my era, no question about it. So if he can get a couple of fights first and then take on Ricky then great. He’s got the composure and he’ll beat Ricky, I’m sure of it. He’s high above his ratings. Josh is in my category, he wants to go places.

“He’s got a lot of ability, he’s a good laddie and he listens to what you’ve got to say. I think the fact that he’s fought in America three times already says a lot. I had 24 fights before I fought for the British title and didn’t win my first world title until my 38th fight,” (he beat Ismael Laguna in San Juan, Puerto Rico in September 1970).

“Josh hasn’t had a great deal of ring time so it’s good he got some rounds in when fighting out in Vegas,” Buchanan continued. “His training is hard and that helps a lot and he’s obviously in great condition when he goes into the ring.”