Josh Taylor Looking To Knock Out His Upcoming Challenger
The final press conference was held on September 23 in London for IBF/WBA “Super” World Junior Welterweight champion Josh Taylor’s (16-0, 12 KOs) upcoming title defense against the unbeaten IBF’s world 140-pound mandatory challenger, Apinun Khongsong (16-0, 13 KOs). Bout will take place on September 26 at the York Hall and will air live on ESPN+.
The challenger from Bangkok, Thailand, is grateful for the opportunity. Still, he has one mission: to take out the defending champ by stoppage. During the presser, which was aired live on BT Sports Boxing, Khongsong said the following:
“I am happy to fight here and being behind closed doors is good for me because there will be no people and boxing fans.
I am very proud to fight Josh Taylor because he is a very good champion… The plan is to stop Josh Taylor by knockout.”
THE CHAMP RESPONDS
For Taylor, this will be his first fight in nearly a year. Also, it will be the first fight under the guidance of a new trainer, Ben Davidson. While being careful not to disclose publicly any possible changes to his style, he told reporters that things have been going smoothly and that the challenger is in trouble come the night of the fight.
“You will see on Saturday what changes I have made working with Ben (Davison) and I am not going to give away what we have been working on. It is good and we’ve been working on a lot of things and this is a nice start to a whole new book, a new chapter. This is the start of it. It is going to be better than the last one and I can’t wait to get going on Saturday.
Khongsong is standing in the way of where I want to go, so I need to get rid of him. This is his introduction to world boxing, and I am going to make it a painful one for him. He doesn’t belong at this level, and I am a couple of levels above him. I am going to go in there and knock him out on Saturday.
I have seen a lot I can exploit. He is a very good fighter and very strong, punches with both hands with power. But it is not enough to beat me. I am just really looking forward to getting in there on Saturday and putting on a strong performance”
HIGH STAKES
A win by Taylor clears the path for a mega-showdown against WBC/WBO World 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) in 2021. So, it’s safe to say much is on the line; he can in no way afford to slip up and lose.
For Khongsong, this is a major step up in class. And on paper, it’s credible to see why Taylor thinks the Thai is not in his league. Truthfully, the challenger is raw, wild and is not on the level of the champ in terms of skill. Many believe his only chance of victory is to land with power shots. Should he pull this off, it would be considered a big upset.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
