 Gael ei wneud i gweithio'n mod i Llyfrgellol Media Platform sy'n sefydliteradol i chi'n gwahanol gafodd humud y kazoedd cosine ac mae'n gweithio i gweithio i'w ddechel eich bwysig i'r wneud yn ddigonio'r buton a nodiw'r buton i fwy o'r hyn a chemil ar hyn mae'n mynd i ddechrau ymwyngodau yma. The boy went to come for a jab at me and I kicked him in the head. And I turned the kick off and he fell. He was like... Alex Kelly, his name was, he jumped in, and picked him up. I was like, you can't do that! What are you doing? What are you doing? You can only kick his box. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just heard about this thing. Coedio ni'n rhoi'r law attraction? Yeah, a secret. I just heard about that, like, a year or two years ago. I was like, I've been doing that for years. Byddwch yn y ddemon. Diolch i'n hyfforddi ni'n ddenydd o gwaith i'r holl. Nid oedd y cyfrannu a'r свdd iawn o'r holl, ac mae'r holl i gyfrannu a'r holl, oherwydd o'n cyfrannu gyfrannu o'n cyfrannu a'r holl rhaid o'r holl. Ac yna mi'n ddan nhw i'r holl, o'n cyfrannu i'r holl o gwaith i'r holl unrhyw o'r holl yn ei ddweud震. Mae'n perthyniaid gofynod da, ac gyrdi'r holl o'r holl o'r holl Mae ydych chi'n gweld, aphilio'ch rallon neu fyddwch, yna, ydw i'n gweld fawr. Ffawr, fawr. Fawr hyn yn dim yn blaid. Fawr, mawr, mawr, mawr, na i fwoith. Fawr mawr. Fawr hwn i fawr. Fawr mawr. Fawr mawr. Fawr mawr. Fawr mawr. Fawr mawr. Fawr, mae'n cael ei gyllwyn i'w g Hold. Ffyn desem yn gyd! Dyna ti'r gwaith oedd eich custody i'r Sech���dd. Ben? Rwyf erbyn. Ychydig fel ychydig ein gennych. Mae oes bwrdd yn fawr, felly mae'n cyfro i fyndio os i gweithio'r llunio. Mae'r wyf yn gweithio, mae'n dweud beth. Efallai yn eu cerdd i'r cyfrofi ar y twf yn ei gwir,mae'r ddau yn cael eu gwiriaeth chyflogau mewn gwirio. Mae'n gweithio'r cyfrn. Mae'n gweithio'n gwir trwy'n gweithio'n gwirio fel ein gwirio. Hwnna dyna, mae'r ffordd yn cael ei ddwygan. I'm a lot improving myself to do, I think, I think I've reached my full potential yet. Sir, unified just now? Unified champion, yeah. IBF, WBA, Ring Magazine, dictate mehamedale trophy as well. You know, I've got some titles to my name already, so, yeah, I'm proud of myself so far. It should be man, every boxer I've had on speaks very highly of you. You're basically saying you're the future of British boxing for what you're gonna go and what you can achieve as good man, to have some Scottish as well, it's at the forefront ond mae'r cyfnod o'r byd yng nghymru, a i'n gynhyrch yn yr angen i'r hanes, ysgolwch yn rhagwladmu'r dricu dyma i', yma, yma, yma, yma, yw'r llunio ddaeth. Ymgyrch, mae'n gyfrifio yma, yw'r llunio ddaeth, mae'n ymhyrch, mae'n gwybod gyda'r llunio ddaeth, yn y gwybod gyda'r llunio, a'n yr ymgyrch, dyma, mae'n gyfrifio, ac mae'n meddwl, mae'n meddwl, mae'n meddwl ei siarad, mae'n meddwl ei siarad, yn y bocs yn ymwybod. Rwy'n meddwl i'r ddechrau'r ysgrifennu yn y bocs yn ymwybod, mae efallai o'r ffordd ddechrau'r nation. Rwy'n meddwl i'r ddechrau, mae yna gael o'r wneud o'r oed? Rwy'n meddwl i'r ffysgau gwell o 15 o 20 o ffysg oed oeddenbryd, i'r gofrestyn pan. Rydyn ni'n deall i mewn niadol. Rydyn ni'n mynd i'r ddu o'r tol. Mae rai o ran yn dych yn ddiddordeb ddiwch, mae gennym ein gynon, ond rai o'r penderfyniadol yn ei hun, oherwydd mae'n ddiddordeb flynyddoedd ein bod nhw pefyd. Fe wnaethol iawn i gael wahan, fel amser wedi Nosain, sydd wedi cael ei ddwyll gתwy, fel ei wahan yn ei bach, oherwydd ble mae'n gwahan yn gwahan yn teimlo, oherwydd i gael y gwahan o'r cartl. Ac mae'n cael ei bach i gael, mae'n gwahan yn maen nhw ei bod nhw. Mae'n ganddo i'ch cyllidio ysgolfaen tuig. Ond mae'r bwysig oherwydd. Yn gyd yw'r quen place am ddiffanio? Mae'n golyb o'r braeg. Mae'r quen place am ddiweddol i'w meddwl a'r ddechrau. Mae'n golyb i'w meddwl a'r ddechrau. Yn golyb i'w meddwl, mae nolaethiaeth yn gweld y rhaid mewn ddan ni. A oherwydd… Oherd mae'n golyb i'w meddwl a'r llunogau neu yng ngynghwm flynedd ei studios. So mae'n golyb i'w meddwl i'w meddwl i'w meddwl. Felly dyma ond yw'r gwaith. Gwyn am ymgyrch o'i ziwys i'n gwybod, Josh? Dwy'n gwybod i'r gwybod. Felly dw i'n gwybod lle ar y clasig a'n gwybod lle mae'n gwybod lle… …yna lle efo efo'n gwybod lle. A'n gwybod lle o'i clasig a'n gwybod lle o'n gwybod llefyn… …aeth yn cael ei gwaith yn gallu cyfliddfau… … reception a amser a'r gwybod lle. Felly mae'n gwybod lle i'n gwybod llefyn, yw gofyn i'r gwyle aleis, I'w gwybod i'w sroun, ni'n meddwl i'w gweithio. Rydw i dda i'w meddwl i'w sroun a gydweithio, ac nid o'ch cynnwys. Beth gwybod i'w sroun yn unrhyw yma? Rydw i'w sroun yn unrhyw, maen nhw'n cael ei fath o'r pan. Felly, ni'n meddwl i'w mewn gwirionedd. Fy fwy o'r ffwrdd. Fy'n meddwl i'w mewn gwirionedd, ond byddai'n meddwl. Felly, fyddwyd yn meddwl i'w meddwl i'w meddwl. ac mae debyg i ddechrau'r ei effigur i dweud. Felly, mae wnaeth i ddechrau i ddechrau, mae ddim yn mynd i ddweud o'r ddweud. Rwy fyddwn i mi yn umfyrdd â'i ddweud yn y gweithio. Rwy fyddwn i ddechrau, er otwd 90% ac mae ddweud iawn, mae ddweud iawn. Rwy'n da i ddweud, efallai mae wedi mewn tether, mae'r rhaid i gynhyrch i gael'r cyfweld. Rydyn gŵr, roedden nhw'r tether... Rydyn ni'n meddwl am y dyfodol yma. Felly, eich cyfan o'r modd. Felly, eich cyfan o'r modd, eich cyfan o'r modd. Felly eich cyfan o'r modd, eich cyfan o'r modd. a mor picking i chi i ni'n fedraeth o ganfeydd i'r meddl iddo. Mae hi'n gofyn, mae'n meddwl i chi i mi ym 10. Mae'r meddl yma hanes cael eu bod yn gr问ol iawn. Cyfnodd a'u meddl arnyn cael eu meddl. Mae wedi gweld bod yn meddl ar gyfer meddwl i chi i'w meddl a'u meddl i chi i mi meddwl. I was quite scared to my dad when I was younger, so I had a good upbringing and taught a lot of discipline, so that was good. That stood good stead from a boxing I would say. Because you were a junior world champion or something? Or European champion at 15? I got a bronze medal at the European Championships and I was British champion as well. It's a different, it's not the Olympic take on though with the point scoring stuff, it was a full contact one, so it was good. So that definitely put me in stead and gave me a little bit of a head start for when I started boxing. Do you think that gave you an advantage to get into boxing? Because I know it was at Lomachenko that used to do dancing or something. One of the boxers used to be ballet dancing or something like that and then you see them in the ring, there's a massive difference. Yeah, I think it gave me the coordination, I knew how it was the stance and that's probably where I get my good feetwork from. It was from take on though, switching stances, I was constantly switching stances and stuff. I kind of had the basics, how to throw punches and the sort of feetwork, so that sort of gave me a head start. But remember the first time I went into a gym and then the first time they asked me to spar, I was still kicking people in the head for about three weeks. So it took me a wee while to get out of that. How made you want to do the transition? I don't really know. I don't really know how I really got into boxing for a start. None of my family boxed and as I say, impressed in pans, there was nothing. There were no sports clubs, no youth clubs or anything to do really. There were a couple of football pitches, five of sides, the lights were on every night and that was always heavin every night. Young kids, the pitches were full, the bead running track was full, outside the grass was full and fights going on everywhere. It was brilliant. There was nothing really to do. The nearest boxing club for me was up in Meadowbank Sports Centre where my mum worked. That used to take me about an hour after school to get up on the bus. So I used to come straight home from high school and go straight on the bus up to Meadowbank. It used to take me about an hour. So dedication was there? What happened was... Oh aye, there we go, that's it. My mum works at Meadowbank Sports Centre. At the time, Alec Arfer was the main boxer in Edinburgh at the time. He was doing well, training for European fights and things like that. He trained at Meadowbank under the stair where the boxing gym is. During holidays Meadowbank would do sports school things like Easter holidays and that. He would play football and that. So I used to go up there with my mum and stuff when I used to go on holiday. I went to the school and I didn't really want to do it, the sports thing. I saw Alec Arfer was down, I used to watch him when they tear the boxing. My mum says, oh he's doing the training. So I kind of go down and she asked Alec to go down. I went down and I watched him and then I started sort of punching the bags. Alec came up to me and was like, watch me hit the bags. He was like, are you boxing before me man? I was like, nah nah nah. I was just sitting there like the whole session, just never said a word the first day, just watching him. He was like, he stopped and he went, you're doing my head in me man, you're sitting there doing nothing. You're doing my head in me man, you're just sitting there doing nothing. Get up and hit the bag or something. So I said, I go up and I was sort of like, just sitting watching him and I go up and started hitting the bags. He came over after he was finished and he was like, are you boxing before me man? I said, nah. He says, I'm about to take one dough. He says, oh you look like you've definitely boxed before. He's come back tomorrow and we'll do a bit of training on that. That's how it was basically started. I've done the whole two weeks, Easter holidays training with Alec's Arthur. Sort of just going down and hitting the bags and once he was finished I would get a wee bit of pads with his coach. And yeah, that was sort of how it started. Is that how it went? That's how it started I. And then my mum figured out, well no figured out but sort of found out that there was actually middle bank boxing club on a Monday and Wednesday night used to go down to that gym. So I started doing that about, I was about 14 or 15. So quite a late starter. 15 I think I started. 15 I think I started, I started going down Monday and Wednesday nights. I put three of my mates for school, straight after school. And I think they lasted like three weeks and then one by one dwindled away and I just kept going. I just fell in love with it. Did you have a passion for it? Did you see yourself? I think what it was was it was just, never had any tension in becoming a boxer or anything like that. I just loved the training because it was something different. Do you know what I mean? It was like I was just doing take one dough and the old patterns and sparring. It was just something different, something fresh. And I started it and I was hitting the pads and bags and I'd only been there about three weeks and the coach asked me if I wanted to spar. And I was like, oh no. I used to get really nervous walking at the gym because the speed bag was going and the bag was going and they were all looking at you. There was a couple of Scottish champions in the gym and I was like, do you want to spar? I was like shitting myself. I'm going to get my head punched in here. I've never boxed before in my life. I'll jump in and I've done it. I've done my first sparring session and the boy went to come for a jab at me and I kicked him in the head. I turned the kick off and he fell. He was like, the coach's big guy Alex Kelly, his name is. He jumped in and picked him up and he was like, you can't do that. What are you doing? You can't let me kick you in his box. I'm sorry. It's my habit. I'd take one dough for the 50 minutes. He's like, oh that's where you've got the movement and that. I says, I say, you can't do that pal. You just can't do that. So for about three weeks I was becoming attacked me. I was sort of half lifting my feet. So 10 a wee while to adjust the kicking. And that was it. But he says, you're doing really well. And I was holding my own in sparring with Scottish champions and stuff. And I think it was about six months later. He was like, we've got the Eastern District Championships coming up. We're going to enter you. Do you want to fight? And I says, I'll do that. I'll do it. And we turned up there and the coach has turned up and he's forgot all the kick bag. I had a pair of boxing boots and a wee cup. We got there and it's like 10 minutes before I've got to start getting warmed up before it started and he's like turned up and he's not got any kit and he's late and he's like, where's all your stuff? I'm like, you've got, I've not got any equipment. So he had to go away, come back. I had to borrow someone's shorts. He managed to get a vest got warmed up. And I didn't even, I'd done it on my own. Can you be warm up because he was away? And I jumped in and I drew against a boy called Callum Sousins who's actually a good parley mines now. I had three, I had three fights with him but he was Scottish champion. He'd had like 30 odd fights and he'd only been beating twice or something. And I was like, oh no, first fight and I've got to get beat here. I was really nervous. But the kind of mentality I've got with my temper and my determination, like when I was younger, my dad's, I think that's when my dad got me in to take one though as well because like I was a bit mad with my temper, like a bad temper. And if I've got beat at anything, I used to go crazy at getting beat. Bad loser. Bad loser. Like if we'd played in snakes and ladders when I was a kid and I got beat, the whole thing would go up there and I'm not fucking playing. And you know, it was real bad loser. So I was really determined, you know. And I think that's why my dad put me in to take one though for a bit of discipline. Channel your energy. I had to channel it. Yeah. And so we went in there and I'm kind of nervous in that and I've actually shit myself going in because he's got a champion. I've never boxed before. But as soon as I got into the corner, I'm staring at him. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill you. I could feel myself getting off like tense. And we go out and had the fight and they come back and the decision was a count by a draw. But what used to happen is I used to get a count back and it was a point scoring system, like sort of 1-0, 2-0. Like I hit you as 1-0. It wasn't like the 10-9 scoring system and it was always kind of like a game of points. And it was a draw and then it got put back to a count back. So it scored a draw again. So then it was a double count back so it was basically who scored the first point one. So he won it. And I remember I took off my face and my gum shield and chucked it away. I'm not playing anymore. I took my high guard off and chucked it away. I tried and we were like anger. Like couldn't believe it. I went away and got changed and his dad, Calum Sousins, his dad, his coach, I come up to my dad and he was like, how many fights has your laddy had? My dad's gone. That's his first fight. I got a fight right. I said, that's not his first fight. He's booked before. He's really good. That's what I'm telling you. That's his first fight. He's only been boxing in about six months. And I come away with that and that's sort of, that was my first fight. That's where the kick started. Even then it wasn't even, it wasn't a, I never took it sort of serious either. I just done it for it to keep fit and I love the training and I love the sparring and since then I stopped taking one though. So I started just doing boxing going on a Monday and Wednesday night. Just doing it as a hobby really. Did you take that pushy or anything towards it or did you just do it because passion? Once I started going once my mates sort of stopped going as well I went a couple of times on my own but then after that my dad started taking me. He took me to my first session and then my mates wanted to come and then we used to get the bus up and stuff. Then once he stopped going my dad used to take me he used to come off his work and used to it and then my dad took me around all the gyms, sparring and sparring with professionals and this and that further down the line but even then it was just, it was just Monday Wednesday go and do a bit training and sparring. How hard was it to be for the streets of Edinburgh to then day training? Did you manage to keep the heat there? Was boxing just your getaway? Your escape to? No it was just, I was always, I was never a bad lad but I just always found myself in fights wherever I went. I don't know what it was I just always found myself in a fight wherever I went if at the weekends we went up into Edinburgh or whatever I found myself in a fight with another bunch of lads or something, you know and there's a replace called Trenent as well where it was pressing pans and Trenent used to fight pressing pans in Edinburgh used to fight so me and my mates used to go down and fight with the lads for the other towns and stuff like that so I just found myself always fighting and I used to stick up for myself but I was never a lad for a confrontation I used to avoid confrontation and like I used to hate arguing or like sort of confrontation with someone but as soon as someone put on me my temper would go and I used to just attack them because I was small I used to be great at headbutting people when I was because I was the perfect height as well who are you looking at wee man? I was about that height and perfect height right on the nose and stuff so that was my best weapon in school actually a couple of times I used to jump up and hit their people and stuff so I used to always find myself in fights did you love fighting though? you must have loved it if you were just willing to do it and a ring no the fact that I loved fighting just my temper and then once I started fighting I was determined to win and you know I used to get quite I was quite spiteful with my temper when I lose my temper I get really spiteful like turned quite nasty and then about an hour later I was going oh shouldn't have said that shouldn't have done that that was really quite bad what I said or did so it's just quite hotheadedness how was your amateur career? my amateur career was brilliant was brilliant I like I said back to the thing I never really took it seriously I had after that first fight I had another fight which I then won my next I think I won the Scottish title in my seventh fight and then I got selected to go for for Scotland into the GB Championships on my ninth fight I lost my act against a guy called James Dickens Jazza Dickens How was that for you? Jazza Fe Liverpool I boxed him twice Good guy and he beat me twice the past of the day the first time he beat me he outpointed me and had too much experience for me the next again year I had a bit more experience then cos then I went from there and I went to my first international cost of Finland came back with a gold medal won three fights I went to another couple of international multinations and come back with medals I think I racked up about 40 fights in the year but all international fights were way abroad when I was 15, 16 so the next year at the GB tournament I got the final again and it was Jazza again and I thought I won that fight that was in Portobello town hall in Edinburgh I thought I won that fight the coach at the time the national coach Kevin Smith he was for Liverpool as well and he was a really good really good coach but he used to go mad at me cos I never used to box the way he was very good technical with a step back and hook and I used to just get and have a tear up and he used to go mad at me but he was a great guy and I went to go down to see him and I've opened the door and who's sitting in the room watching a video a couple of my last fights was Jazza Dickens sitting in the room watching my fights like what the fuck are you doing here you're in England where's my coach, where's Kevin he was in the toilet and I went I went fucking crazy he says what the fuck are you doing keep watching him letting him watch my fights on your laptop and I'm away doing whatever so anyway that caused a big who have it I went to the main Scottish the secretary and I went he's in the room there with in England watching my fight why's he not doing that with me watching his fight sort of stuff but anyway I watched the fight and I had to fight and I thought I won it I thought I won it on points but he got it again and that was a start of me like my sort of international career I then started going to internationals all the time away five, six times a year in Scotland I think I had the end of having about 150 amateur fights and I think only 36 of them were on my domestic card the rest were all internationals this was no bad so a lot of good experience then I had a great experience I think after only two years of boxing I got selected to go to the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2008 in India as you get a bronze and that's where I come back with a bronze and I thought I'll do alright but every time I got in the corner there was no beating me like in the ring but I had that wee bit of lack of self belief you know like before I don't know if I'll do very well here do you know the best guys from India and the best guys from all these would be brilliant you know when I come back with a bronze medal and I was like I can heal done alright there but I wasn't happy at the time I again took the headguard off and because I was ahead I was ahead on the fight I was like eight to open points but I had a bleeding nose and the referee just went stop and stopped the fight and I was like what took my headguard off chucked it at the judges and chucked it at the referee and took the gloves off and chucked it at them took a big tantrum and I come back and my dad's like I can heal son you've only been boxing two years and you've come back for the coming of youth games with a bronze medal against the best that people can give you know I done brilliant so from then I was like right let's see how far we can go I started taking it a wee bit more serious I started going to the gym every night I started going I then left medal bank and I went to a club called Gilmerton and I went for there and there was it was fully Scottish champions and great gym you know and we went they took us to Canada for a fight there and stuff like that so I had a great amateur extensive amateur do you think that makes a big difference going to a gym with winners there already there 100% because every weekend week out you're getting good sparring you've got guys coming from other clubs to come down to spar ways and stuff like that as well so yeah it was really good and then I went to the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and they come back with a silver then and I was like fucking I'm doing well and then they then progressed for there qualified for the Olympics the first guy to do it and I don't know it was about 30 years I can't remember the last guy who'd done it and then he'd done that and then come back for the Olympics and then won the Commonwealth Games go die in Glasgow Who was that feeling then that's when you were just kind of that's when you were starting to make a name then I was brilliant Did you have a lot of pressure because you were favourite I was favourite I was I was selected to win the gold well touted to win the gold before I was even selected to go I was a poster boy Scottish Boxing and I had to win the Scottish Championships I won the Scottish Championships but I was on all these posters for the Commonwealth Games on top of the castle Edinburgh Castle with my fine gear on and the poster boy Scottish Boxing and I was expected to get the gold in because I'd got the silver four years ago and I'd been to the Olympics and sort of team captain in 2014 and I did I felt an immense amount of pressure on that but I used the experience from the Commonwealth Games and the youth games all the media and stuff and then the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and then the Olympics so I used all that experience had been on the big stage and I never let it bother me and come back with the gold it was brilliant I honestly think that's the best achievement in my career even including the world titles at the minute Why do you think that is? because you're the first big one? I think because it's your pride of your nation you've done it for the full nation standing on top of the podium singing Flower of Scotland in the Hydro it's just brilliant that's what you do it for you go and you represent your country and I just felt I just felt immensely proud because I had the hopes of a nation to win the gold and I've then done it and delivered for it and got to sing Flower of Scotland on the podium and it was just brilliant I How is your dad in that it must have been buzzing for you? I brilliant but my dad's always been one of these ones you're going to be world champion he's sort of believing me if you're day one he says the only person that will beat you Josh is you because you're temper and maybe if you're going outside with your mates and stuff like that that's the only person that's going to stop you for them what you want to do is you he says you're going to be world champion you're brilliant so when I come back with the gold medal I was like told you I told you you're going to win it my dad's always had every confidence in me with every tournament he says you're going to win it you're going to have no nerves at all but that's a good thing because if you're having your down days it's easy to just throw in the tools and just quit but if you've got somebody back in your corner and you're feeling that shit just to give you that extra wee nod and just remind yourself that you have greatness but you can achieve what you want it's all down to you yeah definitely I and my dad's always had that he's always you're going to be world champion it's like everybody that when we went to other gyms and there were people saying he can be world champion but I never thought that you know I was like world me pressing pans like wee shitty town pressing pans you know nothing in it like just wee Josh just wee Josh for the pans it's going to be world champion I okay sort of like maybe but don't know I never really had that self-belief I was just very determined and very driven in what I wanted to do it was everything I'd done I just heard about this thing the law attraction yeah a secret I just heard about that like a year or two years ago and I was like I've been doing that for years cos everywhere I went to go to tournaments I'd be writing down bits of paper just saying that the time or tournament or whatever it'd be Josh Taylor time or tournament gold best boxer of the tournament and all that I'd be writing it down on bits of paper for ages and ages until I got that tournament coming I'd come back with a gold medal and I'd get the best boxer of the tournament and things like that and so I was like I've been doing that stuff for years so you're already putting out the universe if you write it down it becomes 60% clearer in your mind and more likely to happen it's crazy cos I'd never really thought about it like that I just always thought about it like drum it into yourself you keep writing it down make yourself believe it you know what I mean and I've been doing that for years I've been doing that since I was about 16 doing that and look where it's got you where it's got my eye it's mad people might not understand it but I always say if you're unsure the universe becomes unsure that everything that comes into your life you've visualised your name is down my piece of paper for guests for 2021 and we're in the first month for 2021 I had that list last year at 90 people 100 people sorry and they already guessed that I had 32 of them on my show it definitely works it's crazy I don't know too much about it but I've been doing that for years things I want to do get a house, get a car, get this and I've been writing it all down I've been doing it for years whatever you visualise you attract attract it, positive in the goal if you want to attract whatever you've got in your life right now you are attracting so you've always attracted the winner, mentality your dad, world champion he's drugged that into your mind constantly I had big Dan Tullan and his trainer used to say to him you're going to be world champion if you're fighting the guy in the gym keep repeating yourself get the best guy in the gym fight him but then after you keep repeating yourself you're going to be champion you're going to be champion I'm the best in the gym you're becoming the best in the gym and then your UFC career boom so it definitely works it definitely works but I never knew about the law of attraction until someone told me about it a couple of years back I've been doing that I've been doing that for years now the George Taylor attraction just put your hands up it's been mad, it's been crazy did you ever think about going to the Olympics again after 2014 Commonwealth Games or did you just decide to go pro? well what happened was after the 2010 Commonwealth Games I then went in trials I then went two weeks later to the British Championships got robbed in the final and I said Jesus Christ then I was raging the boy that got the decision pulled out the final so then I had to fight Tom Stocker again after he had just beat me two weeks ago in the Commonwealth Games final but I had just lost my nana that week as well I was really close with my nana so I never managed to go to the funeral and stuff like that so I'd lost my nana so when I got beat I went out and I got pissed went out all night with my cos my mates come down to Liverpool so I went out all night to four in the morning got pissed and I went to my bed and the doors went at 10 o'clock it's the Scotland coach Mike Keane do you want to box the night? I said what do you mean box the night? I got beat yesterday I've been out all night on the piss Mike I'm not boxing the night I said do you want to box Tom? I said I'm not boxing the night I'm not boxing Tom Stocker again the night on the BBC to then get robbed again I'm not doing it unless there's something in it for me I'm not doing it so he went away and spoke to Rob McRacken and he says if you put in a good performance you'll get a trial on the GB squad so I went out there and I was three points up with 30 seconds to go we had a wee exchange and then the bell went all of a sudden he's won 11-10 in Liverpool I just laughed I just laughed and if you speak to Tom Stocker he actually agrees with me he thought I won that fight as well so for there I went on to GB so then I signed the contract and I was a four year cycle so I'd done the Olympics but I'd signed the contract to sign up to 2016 but I knew after I won the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow that it was a thing for me to strike a pro deal do you know what I mean, while my name was hot so I left GB and I had to pay some back money to be the funding and stuff like that but it was the best decision I made because it was still young you've only been pro about six, seven years I was 25 when I turned pro so I was quite late to turn pro I said I turned pro after the Commonwealth Games because my name was hot property in the home games won the gold medal and I put on really good performances in that tournament as well so you were contracted to go to the 2016 Olympics yes, but the way it was in the GB there was a lot of sort of clickiness with coaches and certain boxers and stuff and the way I qualified for 2012 was I'd done it through Scotland with the change that you could only go as one boxer as GB to the qualifiers so I was like I'm not going to get selected over there the favourites that are in the squad were they fine when you left GB or were they brand new, it was a lot of hesitation they made me pay back money so for winning the Commonwealth Games I got £10,000 for Sport Scotland but I also had £5,000 for winning the silver in 2010 so I had to use that but then they made me pay back that £15,000 actually they wanted £30,000 in totals so I had to pay £15,000 back to GB and then they wrote down a clause that if I ever win a British title pay them £5,000 and if I ever win a world title to pay them £10,000 so really they wanted £30,000 of me obviously I've no fought for the British title but I've won the world title so I've paid them £25,000 even though you had won in 2004 and they still wanted that money back because what they said was I was part of the world class programme and if you ever, wasn't there a time limit on it so I've won the world title last year which is what, five years, six years later and they still wanted the money so I've paid the bastards back £25,000 that's bad that they can do that though that they still wanted money back even though you had fought those but again you live and learn you see all these big organisations there were other boxers that left before the Olympics and they never had to pay back a penny which was frustrating which just proved me right it was the right decision that I made I would have never got selected to go to the qualifiers and I would have passed I would have missed a boat so I'd definitely turn pro at the right time So when did you turn pro what camp did you go to? Who was your trainers? I signed by Barry McGwigan so me and my dad knew that we were turning pro after the Commonwealth Games we were turning pro but we never really had any trainer in mind I wanted my amateur coach Terry McCormack he's like a second father to me he's been there since since I was about 17, 18 I used to sneak out the Commonwealth Games village in 2014 and go train with him every day and stuff like that he's just been there every day all my fights is a professional as well but I wanted him to train me but fair play to Terry he said I'm really busy in the gym the gym's taken off now as well I've got a lot of lads amateur and stuff he says if you want to progress to the next level we need to find you a full time better coach cos I just can't do it I still take Terry with me to all my fights and make sure he's there and I go and train with him every day so I've got a lot of love for him so your first seven fights you went by knockout? so what happened was me and my dad were like who are we going to go with? we don't know it was actually my dad that suggested Barry McGwigan to go with Carl cos what they were doing at the time with Carl there was only a small stable I would get the time I needed with me one on one time I needed to concentrate with me rather than going with Eddie Hearns he's got 50-200 fighters you're not going to get if you get beat or you're not going to get flung in at the deep end and stuff like that so that would be a good idea but I hope we're going to get in touch with him and it sort of went quiet for about a month and then I was going down to the boxing writers dinner it happens every year and I was up for the best amateur of the year awards and stuff so on the way down and my dad was going down and my phone goes and it was a withheld number I don't usually phone it cos it shows that my mate is winding me up and stuff like that so I don't answer it of course my dad's been answering it you don't know who it is, you could be anybody so I've got up and went for another carriage and answered it and I said oh Josh it's Barry McGwigan here and I was like what the hell just dropped Barry McGwigan here he's like are you going down to the boxing dinner tonight here you're going down and I says yeah yeah it says well would you like to get a wee chat about you would you like to have a chat about turning professional when we've got a chat to you I'm getting a number of you to see you down there it says oh yeah I played it cool like yeah no problem Barry I'll see you soon put the phone down my smile for ear to ear I went through like that to the carriage and my dad's like what what I was like have you never guessed who that was on the phone he's like who I said take a guess and he went Barry McGwigan and I went aye so then that was that was my mind made up you know sort of straight away a lot of attraction again aye sort of mind made up but obviously I had to commit to anything I went over to my bar to speak to MGM at the time they offered me a great deal and stuff as well but there was only one thing missing was the full time coach and everything at the time that was the best best move for me and you know they took my career and they done it well and they took everything that I said and what they said their plan was brilliant it was great so my career just rocketed. How hard does it to be a professional boxer the first 10 fights when there's no much income is how do you need to tap money how does it works because I've had on who had world class fighters now they've got belts I've had two jobs to still go to gyms and pay for nutrition and all that shit I've been quite lucky that way on the way up I've been quite lucky but at times when I was going to the gym I never had even had a tenner in my pocket to get to the gym and I had to tap Terry for money to put petrol or bus fares and stuff like that to get up and doing for the gym so I got paid off I got paid off at about four different jobs one year because I was going away to multi tournaments multi nations tournaments and I was getting paid off because I was taking time off work so there was a lot of times where I was like skint and no money and wondering what am I doing this for I'm not getting any money I'm skint I'm living off my mum and dad I'm now 18, 19 years old and like I'm asking my mum and dad for any 20 quid to get to the gym and back and borrow in their car and I'm like what am I doing this for there's no reward but I just keep going and going I love boxing as well so once I got on the GB I was quite fortunate I ended up getting lottery funding so that kind of took the burden away and then obviously won the Commonwealth Games so I got a good deal with Barry and stuff where they paid for for the first two years they paid for my travel up and down my nutrition and they paid me well for my fights as well I got a sign on fee, a sign on bonus and I got paid alright for my first six fights as well so that was quite fortunate that way so boxing can be hard that way that's why I think amateur when you're doing amateur you've got to try and achieve as much as you can because it gives you a better deal and better starting blocks for turn and roll because you've got to fund everything for yourself as a professional it must help though taking a bit of pressure off you when you start moving through your ranks getting a bit of income because I'd imagine it would be stressful to support a family travelling up and down away from your family it was stressful I mean I was getting paid alright but I had to really really budget what I was doing from fight to fight I had to make sure I had enough money there to last me till my next fight because for some reason I just wasn't they never let me get sponsorships there was a couple of guys there that wanted to sponsor me as an early pro no big money but money helped make my life easier helped pay for my petrol and my bills and what I had going out and stuff helped pay for the training camps and physios and stuff like that nutrition and things like that but for some reason I wasn't allowed to get sponsorship or every time someone approached me that kind of fell away by the wayside it was very frustrating so when you won your first 7 fights knockout and then your 8th fight was down to your points I think I won my first title my 7th fight was that I was coming with title against Dave Ryan 5th round knockout and he was here undefeated he wasn't undefeated but he was a good solid domestic level fighter and always gave everybody a hard night do you feel as if you have been fast tracked as well because it feels as if you have had a lot more fights than 17 definitely and you have got to take the hearts off to Barry to the job that he had done because I was 25 when I turned pro which isn't really a it's quite a late to turn professional and I said I didn't want to be going back and fighting journeymen but also his plan was to to push me fast move me aggressively but I think the reason he had done that was because he saw the talent that I had and how hard I worked in the gym so I was definitely fast tracked a little bit but it's what I wanted because I didn't want to be going then having 10-15 fights going back a level we find journeymen and stuff because you wouldn't like to say that you never fought for the British or anything you just went straight to Commonwealth why was that? I think the British was tied up at the time I think it was I think it was maybe Tyrone Nurse that had it he had his mandatory against someone else but the Commonwealth was vacant so me and Dave Ryan fought for the vacant Commonwealth built and I won that and they went for strength to strength they fought I defended it, had another knockout then I fought a former world champion I think it was my 9th fight my 9th for my 10th fight Miguel Vasquez, former world champion and I stopped him in the 9th round the first person to do it Canelo boxed him twice in his early career here couldn't do it so that's another wee achievement for myself as well so I stopped him, so I made a big statement and then after that I boxed a boxed Winston Campos and I blew him away in two rounds but then I got the shout to fight Victor Postal for the world title a laminator and that was the only time I've ever been like whoa that's a big step up I just beat Lucas Matisse and I think he stopped him actually who was a monster at the weight and I was like a fucking hill I'm up against it here I've only had 10 fights or something and I'm up against this former world champion and it was like if you win this you either get a shout out remeer for the WBC the WBSS tournament so I was like oh I put my stuff I had so nervous I put so much pressure on myself like I need to win every round in sparring I need to sprint fast, I need to do this, I need to do that if I don't get this punch off I was getting angry with myself and I said I need to win this fight I need to win this fight writing down Josh Taylor world champion and gonna beat Victor Postal on this notepad and stuff there's only fight where I kinda was half you've got that negative monkey you can't do it the negative thoughts what if you don't do this what if you get beaten you're away from home all the time you're getting stuck in shitty hotels mingin places you're missing appointments for your physios because Shane's all late and we're late for the gym every day these crappy fucking shit places so I was really frustrated as well at the time what happened in your relationship with the McWiggins broke down I started what happened was what happened with Carl at the time and Carl was obviously told me everything and I was thinking like if they can do that to somebody they consider like family one of their own what they're gonna do to me I was very green at the time every faith and really trusted them and they make it the persona that they're your pal they're this, they're this way, they're that way they couldn't give a shit they really couldn't give a shit they just that's when I started getting my own lawyers and stuff and I started seeing stuff and contracts and what are approaching me for it to get sponsorships and it was fading away and I got an opportunity to have a documentary on me on BBC Scotland and they turned it back because they weren't getting money for it or they weren't calling it McWiggins and stuff like that so that's when I started getting pissed off with them and really downhearted I was way full home all the time I'm spending 90% of my time on my own and then they're all going out at night and going out in the cars going out in the cars with each other and going and getting something to eat and there's me sitting myself in a shitty hotel and now we're away in the train near enough by myself and we're going by myself here, I've shown you that I'm committed by moving away and anyway I got fucking frustrated and stuff like that but this is before a world title fight and your part of shite your rooms and fucking this is before the post-it fight why do you think that was though, do you think just I don't know, try to save money maybe try to save money but it's just it's no way like after you've just lost your best fighter it's no way you want to treat someone who's now your number one fighter it's no way you want to treat someone if you want to keep them, do you know what I mean by pissing them off all the time and making them feel unwelcoming on your own all the time so I started getting pissed off with them with loads of things but having said that in boxing I can't fault for what they did to turn the fights they got me, do you know what I mean they done a great job which I'll take my hats off and give them to for you know, it's just a real shame that the relationships fell away because I have got a lot of appreciation for them and thankful for what they did but it's just what it is it's just a business side of things but the training you can't fault them for because it's helped your career as well definitely, the matchmaking at Barry was brilliant but it was just everything else around it that was a one massive positive shame was a good coach and Barry was a very passionate manager and done a good job but everything else it went with it was just a high high high so how did that affect you then going for a world title and eliminating a did you change teams before that I think I actually that actually showed my performance because I was pissed off I was down and I was just constantly pissed off all the time and I think it showed my boxing style very aggressive and then sometimes forget my defence and forget my feet work because I just wanted to go in and smash the body back take my all my pent up anger and smash his face in so it was frustrating so that was then after that fight I then decided fuck this I'm going to invest in myself I then rented a flat in London moved down full time by myself and then by that time I was paying for everything by myself my nutrition, my sparring, physios my travel up and down when I had to go back and visit my family or my girlfriend and I was wasn't any further forward when I first started so it was lucky I got into that WBSS and I did some great performances you're a phenomenal on that that goes to show for anybody watching how hard it is to be successful that people see you on the telly lifting belts lifting trophies don't see staining the shit apartments, hardly any money travelling constantly away from the family but that will show you your character it's definitely tough but I was so determined that I was putting up with all this shit because I wanted to get somewhere where I wanted to go it's the same everywhere in life when you start an apprenticeship you put up with all this shit and you move up the ladder and put up with less shit do you know what I mean until you're the boss or got your own company or something I put up with the shit because I had a goal of where I wanted to go but it is hard you're spending 90% of your life away from home and on your own do you know what I mean it is a lot of sacrifice it does get shit at times and you're like what am I doing this for I feel shit I'm lonely I'm a bit a wee bit down a bit depressed because I'm not talking at anybody I'm not going out with my mate so you're missing weddings funerals all sorts of stagdos you're just doing it all for the boxing so it is a big big sacrifice but it's been worth it for me and I wouldn't have done it if I didn't enjoy it How do you feel after your first world title how are you feeling then for me it was more like relief oh thank god I've done it it's been worth it all that sacrifice and everything it's been worth it I've done it I wasn't surprised I don't want something big headed but I wasn't surprised that I won a world title that was my 15th fight my 15th fight and I won the world title and I was like job done tick it off now that was one of my that's been relaxed I was just like so I wasn't relaxed I was like I said I've done it now done it now and then I think now that's where now my confidence has grew sky high the self belief they're now 100% you know what I say I really feel at this moment in time that I'm kind of unbeatable at the minute with the way I'm feeling with my confidence and my ability I'm much more relaxed I'm happy I'm just all different my whole my whole team my management my team around me my coach in I'm just so much more happy relaxed and the self belief there I really feel at this moment in time that it's going to take a really special fighter to beat me or unless I just have a really bad night but if I'm performing on the way I can perform at the minute I can feel almost unbeatable that's the best way to feel feel unstoppable feel unbeatable your confidence is through the roof and rightly so because when you won the world title but then with the super series that was a phenomenal series man some great fighters in that as well how was that getting into that as well just after the eliminator after the eliminator I took a lot a lot from that postal fight because I was so tight intense and putting pressure on myself to say you need to win this you've got to win this fight sort of like do or die kind of thing mentality that I had putting pressure on myself and it showed them a performance for the first six rounds and they it taught me a lot because it then went the 12 round and I thought oh what if it goes with 12 rounds and I might not be fit enough so that's why I was always like train hard train this train that and smash it and I went 12 rounds with a breeze and I won the fight after like I'll give a I will admit the postal buzzties there on the 7th round they it wasn't a big shot it just hit me right on the chin it hit me like an uppercut left hook then hit me another right hand left hook again four shots in the bounce it was the first time I felt that with my legs like Bambi it was like I was pissed it was like I was pissed it was like oh fuck but I was very calm I was very calm as I say I'm very very calm about it which taught me a lot as well I can be calm under fire and just for that fight I took questions about myself the self doubt that I had answered them passed the tests all the flying colours so for that fight the confidence come the real confidence come and the self belief in the drive put the pressure off myself now I know I can do it I know I'm world class for sure everybody else knows it now as well now it's time to just relax and enjoy That gives you a different energy a different presence a different mindset now as well now I'm just relaxing it enjoying it I feel like I'm flying How was it fighting at the hydro? brilliant my second home it's my second home I won the Commonwealth Games there I won my world title there as well so it's been brilliant it's been brilliant it's a wee bit of shame though because others say I'm an Edinburgh boy I'm not an Edinburgh boy it's a wee bit of shame that Edinburgh's not got any venues do you know what I mean so I would love to have a big fight at Edinburgh Castle or Easter Road but I'd like to try and keep the football side of things out of it I'd love to fight at Easter Road I'd love it but I think people would support you no matter what I just want to keep that football side of things out of it because you'll get people saying oh I'm no gone there or whatever but Easter Road have actually hybds of contact me said they'd be more than welcome to do it they'd love to do it so if the castle one doesn't pull off I'd love to do Easter Road as well but I just think after I beat Ramirez after I whip him up of doing my defence against Caterall at Edinburgh Castle on the Esplanade on a summer's night you know castle lit up in the background at night you know what's going to happen because you've already visualised that that's a lot of attraction again I visualised it a thousand times a million times over me coming out with the bagpipes and all that you know it'd just be amazing I reckon you fit about 15,000 up there as well that would be a class one it would be a one off event as well I would just love to do that and I could happily retire after a many years to go but I would then move up to hopefully 147 and you know there's whatever happens for me now is a bonus I've ticked off what I wanted to achieve in my dream of becoming world champion so anything that happens for me now is a bonus I could retire today and say that's me had enough but that's not my mentality I'm going to do more you've got to keep raising the bar this house is super serious for you brilliant yeah did you again know of that mindset that you were going to win it cos the postal fight cos I answered all the doubts and all the questions I had about myself I answered them and passed the tests with flying colours so I've now mindset it's like I can do this there's no problem there's nobody stopping me now so there wasn't more pressure because you were going in as a world no there was I actually wasn't the favourite I was the second favourite to win at progress great fighter as well so Ramirez actually had the chance to go in for that tournament as well but he knocked it back cos I don't really think he really believed maybe not so much him but he had the chance to go in there and improve it and all the three belts would have been there on the line you know so and he knocked it back so somebody could have been undisputed that doubt him so somebody could have been undisputed champion after that tournament but he decided to knock it back that fight with pro gre was unbelievable it was non-stop starting finish I did genuinely think you would win it anyway were you nervous getting into that fight no I was super just complete confidence complete and utter confidence 100% confident to go into that fight I had absolutely zero doubts that usually when you get up to fights or big fights you get the negative monkey but that fighter was just 100% just I'm winning this there's absolutely no way is that fight of the year I think you got a voted fight of the year as well there's some fighters how did he not get sore after a fight all those fucking punches as well because that was non-stop for that fight I was fine my body was fine my head wasn't sore nothing but the barancic fight I was sore I was sore for pissing blood for five days as well but it was quite funny because I won that fight and I went straight to Ibiza with my girlfriend my mate and his girlfriend and I'm walking to the gate and I'm like limpin my missus is excited to go she's walking away lefty I can't hear the fucking walk here pissing blood for about four days and my kidneys were sore my head was like a melon my jaw was away out there I've got some photos of us on the first night obviously I hadn't had a drink and it went straight to my head I've put to my bed the first night but I've got a picture of me I'm looking drunk with my head sore swollen I'm like the elephant man what's his name at the goonies my jaw here big lumps there I'm like look at the state where does your missus say when she sees that she's just like that was a great holiday it was just four days we actually hadn't planned my mate and his missus had it planned we were like we'll just jump in so it was four days and it was really really good just to get away and we just chilled out for four days got pissed for four days we just chilled out at the pool went for really nice meals the first was there for half an hour and someone recognised me and I still talked to them today it was really really good Super series final did you think your eye was going to shut over was there a doubt that the fight could have got stopped I don't know because it didn't shut until I think it was maybe the 8th or 9th round so it was already passed anyway and that's when I was coming on strong as well you know I really feel I was taking over that fight it's like round 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 I was dominant in that fight but if it was round 9 I couldn't see I couldn't see a thing with that eye how does that affect you then boxing with one eye well it started hitting me with things I couldn't see so I had to then move the angle was southpaw and southpaw so his left hand which was his best shot was the one that was catching me because I couldn't see it coming so I then had to move my tactics then went out the window because I couldn't really I was thinking fuck if I get hit here I'm going to get knocked out so the tactics went out the window the last two rounds because I couldn't see it was just pure determination and grit to just fight I couldn't see what was coming how was it after the fight because when he got beat he seemed quite decent about it he seemed quite humble he gave you a shout outsage he fought great and shit he was very respectful after the fight the better man won in the night about two or three weeks later the excuses started coming out it was because I was away in London I was away for three weeks I had changed camps and this and that being in America I won the fight I still respect him I still think he's a real cool guy actually but I was like fucking hell man you've not done yourself any favours that are coming away with these excuses but that fight was tough because the last two rounds I couldn't see and I was getting hit with the left hand I couldn't see coming and I thought fuck I'm just going to fight him I'm just going to fucking fight him there's no way you're beating me I was rewehing my father-in-law passed away on the I think it was September I can't remember the date 15th it was like two months not even that it was a month before the fight he passed away quite suddenly I never really believed in the spirit stuff and all that but on that last fight the last round it was like I heard someone gone he used to call me Tinchie he used to call me Muhammad he used to call me Tinchie because he used to wear snapbacks I used to listen to rap music and I used to call me Tinchie's Tinchie's rider and I just heard someone in my voice come on yo he can't fucking dig in he used to call me he can't he said come on fucking dig in yo he can't and it just drove me to just dig in and fucking fight so it's like he pulled me through the fight really and then my Mrs went and got a psychic reading done about about a month after the fight and he was telling us about the house about this about that and telling us things that only me and her would know and I was like fucking hell there's only going to be some furniture or the trophies in that it's going to be the centrepiece of the house and I've just got that wall down in the house and it's like fucking hell it's scary but he pulled me through that definitely 100% How did your life change after that massive win for that super series how does that change your life how did you be shot right into the superstardom then? Weird, I never really changed that much my popularity is shot up through the roof if I go into Edinburgh and things like that I don't get a minute's peace if I'm going to the shops or going out or whatever I don't get a minute's peace but I'm not really that way inclined I don't really go off and show off about and I don't really go out that much so it's not really changed that much for me I'm not a show off and people people didn't like show off and big heads in Scotland so I never really show off and I'm not like that I'm kind of just down to earth and it's not really changed that it has changed but for the good things you get invited to places and meeting new people and famous people and things like that but it's not really changed that much and Edinburgh is still just treating me as Do you know how well you're doing or is it just because you're living it it's not really feeling as reality as much? I think it's maybe a part of it because I'm still zoned in and tuned in but when you do sit back you get messages from people or you maybe reply back to some people and you'll hear it doing the line you reply back to my wee cousin and it's made his day and he's got into boxing and this and that and he loves you he doesn't realise you have that effect you don't realise that you're a role model Yeah, you're an inspiration that people from the streets of Edinburgh or Glasgow or whatever it is that you can make it by hard working dedication and just fucking pure belief Well that's it, it's like I'm living proof of it you don't have to be in football I used to have this thing I was quite good at football I got up to travel with hearts and stuff and I was too wee, I was tiny but I was a great wee football player but it's just I always had this, I needed my wee beefy Glasgow to get picked up for Celtic or Rangers or you need to be for America to make it to be a superstar or this or that I'm living proof that you can be for anywhere you just need the belief the termination and the sacrifice you've got to be willing to sacrifice and do things that you don't want to do to willing to put up with stuff that you don't want to do and do it, I'm living proof that you don't have to be anybody's special way to achieve your anything, your dreams and I mean For what you're doing it is unbelievable it's brilliant to see that somebody from Scotland is making your heights and making waves and is up there with one of the best fighters on the planet it's phenomenal It's phenomenal It's another one when you say it's like do you sit back it wasn't until the first lockdown in March last year that it's the first time I've had a break for boxing and the longest break I've ever had and I was like sitting there and you've got the I would have had the ring the WBC Diamond Belt but I've got the WBC Diamond Belt I've got the ring magazine sitting there, the WBA, the IBF the Commonwealth Belt the Alley Trophy, my WBC Silver Belt I'm sitting there and then there's my Commonwealth Games gold medal sat there as well, my silver medal and I was like fucking hell you've done all right you've done all right where you started off just gone sparring and kicking people in the head and all that Do you ever remember that going to be kicked in the head I can't remember where it was but kicking people in the head you've got a came a long wife, you've jumped in the head kicking people in the head and all that so you've done all right so that was the first time I've actually sat back kind of acknowledged my achievements you were supposed to was it Defender titles at the Hydro again, was it Kong song I was meant to do that I was meant to do that in March March or April last year March or April last year how was that when that get cancelled it was crap, it was because I should be sitting here talking to you now I was on this bit of jumping I was supposed to box Ramirez probably the later in the last year when I had the fight when I had the fight with Kong song so I should be sitting here talking to you if I were a world undisputed champion Is that the first in Scottish history well for all the four belts I it would be the first but it would be the first since Ken Buchanan you know and that's mental man, the first since Ken Buchanan it's crazy right and that's the story as well it's a great story the first coach I had in boxing was actually one of Ken Buchanan's sons Raymond Fraser Buchanan and his mum was from Preston Pans who obviously Ken was married to and you know that connection there being the first person that's done it in Britain since Ken Buchanan he's also from Preston Pans, the same town it's a bit of a story there it's mad, it's almost like Destiny you know it won't get cheesy now it's mad it's great that's one that I really want to win that fight and take the belts back and choke any cos he's obviously sold all his belts he's ran into financial difficulty that's a shame man he's not keeping too well now either so it would be good to get back and see him and say I told you cos he used to come into lock end and train and stuff and he used to watch me hitting the bags and he used to say you're going to be world champion one day he'd come down to the house after a beat progress he'd say I told you you proved me right well done son I said I've got one more to go and I can bring all the belts back to you so I'll be good to do that when you done Kong song, you done him on the first round he was an undefeated fighter undefeated I had the same record as myself I was 16 and 0 and your body shot put him on the floor were you surprised? no I wasn't surprised because I felt it sinking in and actually about two weeks later we found out that he had three cracked ribs and a laceration on his spleen so it's quite a horrific injury but it doesn't look like much of a punch but I felt it sinking right in and he had a lot of people sort of had a lot of people just he took the money, he dived on twitter he took the money, he dived this and that but he came out there and he flew the punches at me straight away tried to take my head off and me and Ben done a lot of good preparation of what he was going to be like and we knew that when he we were in the clinch when you go to break he threw his punch so he threw the hook and I ducked under it put him against the ropes and I was working on put my head off the line and sink in the body shot and I sunk it in it didn't feel like a it wasn't a particularly powerful punch beautifully and I placed it with speed and he scrambled so it was a good shot but I was due an easy fight last four fights I've been in world class talent and that so I was due a bit of a touch so I had a bit of a touch there an easy fight you seem to want to fight the best the elite straight away I know a lot of fighters go for easy money go for top ten fighters straight away you want to be undisputed how does that feel to just want to go cream of the crop and try to get easy fights that's what I'm in the game for I want to be the best I can be I'm really interested when you say we were talking there off camera about being the best fighter that's ever done it out of Scotland I'm no interested in doing that I'm no interested in being tagged as Scotland's best ever I'm just doing it to be the best I can be compared or competing with anybody else it's done it I'm proud of everybody that's done it in Scotland and kept Scotland on the map Rickard Burns free weight world champion Scott Harrison Alla Carfer world champion Paul Weir Jim Watt and all that as well I'm just in it to be the best I can be and I really do feel that I've no reached my full potential yet So when you is Ramira's fight has that been done yet is it May we're talking it's basically a done deal why we're just waiting to find out when it can happen we think it might be in May I think it's maybe going to be in May some point we've no heard anything yet and it's either got to be in Vegas or over here if it can be over here brilliant but I think I would prefer it to be in Vegas this is you undisputed then and then after Ramira's do you go up weight or down weight because below you you've got Lomachenko, Garcia, Lopez and above you've got Crawford Pacquiao I think I don't know Pacquiao about even a good match but it's a money fight with Pacquiao on it yeah well he's my hero he's my hero I named my dog after him I named my dog Manny and I used to idolise him and try and copy his style and this and that it's a well guard to watch him training and things like that years ago so to share a ring with your hero or your idol that would be brilliant that would be amazing so you would take a fight with Pacquiao of course I imagine sharing a ring and you can imagine being able to say that you share the ring with your idol not many people can do that and then to beat him would be even better so it would just be brilliant the natural plan is win this fight then do my mandatory and then natural plan would be to move up to 147 I call it the sexy division because there's a pool of talent in that weight class and that's where all the life and I mean big life changing money fights is in that division you've got your Sean Porter your Earl Spence your Tennis Crawford Keith Thurman Llaney Pacquiao they're all big money fights so that's obviously what I want to do but we'll see if it comes there's also massive fights at 140 there's a fight there with Jack Catterall basham up at Edinburgh Castle that would be brilliant we've also got fights rematch with progress we've got Lopez not for lightweight so I'm in a real happy position now I don't feel any pressure I've went and achieved my lifetime goal of becoming world champion as I say now everything that happens for now on for me is a bonus and I know I'm going to be in big fights regardless if it's for titles or not now but I've got a burning desire that I'm going to achieve more and I want to do more who's your ideal fight who's the one if you were to pick any fighter who would you love to fight at Edinburgh Castle I think there now would be Ternos Crawford because he's tipped as there's Canelo number one pound for pound then there's him he was undisputed champion at 140 as well so to beat him would be would be the best achievement the biggest fight out there I think to see who the best pound for pound is that would be brilliant win that fight say thanks boxing see ya I'll shove it up your ass now see ya later I'm not pounding my ass making weight and being on my own what's a camp like for you what's a camp like for you what's a training camp for you what's it like it's changed now the last camp we're training more smartly now we're bringing a bit of technology in now as well we're using data stuff and we've got these machines here as well test my maximum CO2 level and things like that you know so it's getting a bit more technical and more smarter on that now still killing myself every day or killing myself but I reckon I was in better shape there for the last fight than I've ever been but I didn't feel like I had panned my fucking ass off as much you know what I mean like every session when McWiggins I'm sure Carl said this on your podcast as well every session with him was was fucking solid it felt like you were gonna die by the time the Wednesday come your bodies and bits like every ounce here was knackered your arms were sore your legs everywhere and then you've got to spar and you're sparring over a couple of hundred rounds before a fight and you're almost half burnt out by the time you get there Carl was a great guy man the four camps that I had the postal the Martin fight the Barranchech four hard camps straight off back to back by the end of the progress fight my body was knackered I needed a rest for boxing completely cos I was fucked I know you're in the gaff now we'll leave McGregor and stuff you've got a few boys in here so shout out to them we'll give Andy McArthur shout out how do you know Andy he's a good lad I've known Andy since I was about 18 and lock in fucking love Andy I've seen him in a video in Vegas mate he's another diamond I call him the boxing who the boxing slag he loves it but he's a great guy and he's getting to do what he loves he's always always loved boxing so he's getting to do what he loves going round all these places and interviewing fighters he's a good lad I've known him for years he's actually the one as well that used to say to me you've got to be world champion when I was 18 19 I was going hi Andy I would never really believe that it's mad how everybody believed in you at that time while you were still not doubting it but you were always hesitant how's it been in me Lee as well is he going for the European champion he's fighting in two weeks over in Dubai so we're off to Dubai again next week for that fight he's fighting for he's coming wealth he's coming wealth on the line and he's fighting for the European title as well so he's flying now as well and it's good to have him a wee pal back because he was with me before when we were with him with the McGuigan's so he left obviously before me but he's back now so it's good to have a wee pal with me again That's him brother for coming on today and telling your story the career is just blossoming you're going into super stardom you've got a whole of Scotland behind you everybody talking about you but plans for the future going forward through everything which are in product and all To be honest I've never really thought about it I've never thought about what to do after boxing obviously I've invested a bit of money in properties and things like that but I've never really thought about it maybe open up my own gym and maybe train, I don't think I would get any managing and promoting or anything like that there's too much hassle that goes with it I think I would like to open up my wee gym and maybe train some lads coming through maybe I don't know get back into my motorbikes motorbikes was my first love I never for one minute thought I would be world champion at boxing that could have been I couldn't have been any further away from whatever I wanted to be I wanted to be even growing up I wanted to think about boxing I always thought I might be a world champion at motocross racing motorbikes or something I've been on motorbikes since I was about 5 years old that's my first memories being on motorbikes You told to stay off them now because obviously they're high profile It's just sort of common sense now I've not got much of that either I'm always thought I'm still flying about my bikes but I kind of put them away for the time being but after I've finished boxing I'll maybe get back into my bikes and keep myself busy because I think it will be tough for me when I retire because I just like fighting I need something to take my aggression out and I need something to take focus my aggression and my sort of my energy into it I need something to channel it so I think bike racing would be good because that's quite aggressive as well Adrenaline junkie How does it Is that why you think a lot of boxers struggle at the end of their career because they're just no fuck all they have to do I think so because you've got that there's honestly if you could bottle up that feeling winning the fights I see you like winning your world title fights and the big fights see if you could bottle that up and sell it you'd be a millionaire How long does that feeling last for though It's a couple of days and then you hit a massive downer because you've got all that time building up to the fight you win it you have your celebration and then on the Tuesday or Wednesday you're back to normal life quiet again obviously doing all your interviews and this and that and then fades away and you're back to normal life just back and you're like you hit a downer for a couple of days you're like fuck what am I going to a day and then all your mates are back to work and you're a bit fucking bored you know what I mean so you can see why a lot of people struggle with it because it's a fucking buzz the buzz they're winning the adrenaline buzz it's amazing so you can see why a lot of people and a lot of fighters struggle with it but I think I'll be alright I'll be fine mate you're presenting jobs mate get a joke get I'll get back on the bikes and I'll maybe get back in the head I'll be a bit of bare knuckle boxingers before we finish up with your mon dan that must be fucking proud of you just stuck by you and believed it now you're lifting trophies and belts and they must be buzzing man it's good to see that somebody can make it and do well for themselves man I'm proud of you it's good to see not looking forward to seeing your journey against Marie how you say her name Ramirez and then undisputed champion and then whatever else whatever a lot of gopher down it's going to be fun I think the lads have turned the heating up in here it's like a fuck in a state of art any kids for any kids just before we finish up for any kids that are watching there's maybe what to turn to boxing and give it a go what advice would you give for them enjoy it you know it's like it's too hard to get me enjoy it so you've got to enjoy it for one you've got to enjoy it enjoy the training if you're thinking about doing it seriously and professionally you've got to really really be prepared for making a lot of sacrifices in your life you know doing things you don't want to do maybe even being a bit lonely at times being lonely but you've got to be prepared to work hard work your ass off have that self-belief in yourself if things aren't going for you cos I've had ups and downs in my career all the time down those when I'm like why am I doing this to myself and what for I've not got any money and blah blah blah you've got to have that self-belief and you just got to work hard and dedicate yourself to the sport because if you don't dedicate yourself it's too hard a game to be getting in and doing a half-hearted you can get seriously hurt Josh, nice to meet you I'm going to get a fucking show on my table for coming on to your story it's unbelievable mate you've got the whole nation behind you I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your journey I appreciate it, thanks for having me on, cheers mate