McGuigan wants world title fight for Josh Taylor in 2018

The Capital fighter and current WBC Silver and Commonwealth super lightweight champion, is ranked the number one British fighter in his division following July’s seventh-round stoppage of Ohara Davies at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow.

However, his biggest test is expected to come in November when the Scot goes glove to glove with former IBF world lightweight champion Miquel Vazquez at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston.

However, former WBA featherweight champion McGuigan, inset, believes a win over the Mexican can propel him to stardom.

“It’s always a foot in the mouth job so you have to be careful with what you say,” McGuigan noted. “I genuinely think he’ll handle this guy and I think it will be an exciting fight simply because Taylor is phenomenal in tracking people’s feet. He might not stop this guy and will more than likely be a points decision but I think he’ll beat him comprehensively and within 12 months of that fight I want him to be fighting for a world title.

“He [Vazquez] is coming to win. He’s only 30 so he wants to win but I’m 100 per cent confident that Josh Taylor will beat him.

“The number of fights Josh has had (ten) doesn’t matter to an extent because in sparring he does 12 rounds with two or three different partners. And most of them are bigger because they guys at his weight don’t last.”

McGuigan is excited to be showcasing Taylor live on Channel 5 on Saturday, November 11. “There were 1.17 million tuned in to the last fight with Ohara Davies to see a kid who is relatively unknown so I expect those numbers to go up next time,” he said.