Josh Taylor Returns September 26 To Face Apinun Khongsong
Unified 140-pound world champion Josh Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) makes his return to the ring on September 26. He will defend the WBA & IBF Super Lightweight world titles against IBF mandatory challenger Apinun Khongsong (16-0, 13 KOs) at the BT Sports Studio in Stratford, England. Taylor – Khongsong will air live on BT Sports in the UK and on ESPN+ in the U.S.
This will be Taylor’s first ring appearance since he defeated Regis Prograis (24-1, 20 KOs) in the finals of the WBSS Super Lightweight Tournament. In the process, he unified the WBA and IBF world 140-pound titles on October 26, 2019.
The 29-year-old from Edinburgh, Scotland released a statement to the media expressing his enthusiasm at getting back into the ring after an 11-month layoff as well.
“I’m excited to be back in the ring after a long layoff. The coronavirus had put everything on hold for a few months. So, it’s been nice to be in the gym again and back to some normality.”
“I didn’t want a warm-up fight, so getting straight back in there against my mandatory challenger is great, as it’s kept me fully focused. I want big fights in my career, so this is an important fight with my belts on the line.”
Taylor has visions of becoming a superstar in the sport. He has not been shy about his desire to face WBC/WBO world Super Lightweight champion Jose Ramirez (25-0, 17 KOs) and become the undisputed world champion at 140 pounds. It’s the main reason he left Cyclone Promotions and signed a multi-fight, co-promotional deal with Top Rank in January 2020.
First and foremost, he must overcome the 24-year-old from Bangkok, Thailand. Khongsong is unbeaten and has stopped his last six opponents.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
