Josh Taylor vs Ryan Martin: WBSS Quarter-Finals Preview!
November 3 in Glasgow, Scotland the fourth and final quarterfinal of the WBSS Jr. Welterweight tournament takes place! Josh Taylor will attempt to defend his WBC Silver super lightweight title against Ryan Martin.
The winner will move on to the WBSS Semifinals to face Ivan Baranchyk. Fans can watch the bout live on the DAZN streaming service.
Josh Taylor (13 – 0, 11KOs)
Taylor has been on the fast track throughout his career. During his last bout, he struggled in spots and was even stunned during the bout. However, he persevered, and found a way to win over former WBC champion Viktor Postol by showing grit.
The southpaw boxer-puncher has shown the ability to switch orthodox during various moments of his career. The 27-year old is blessed with not only excellent hand and foot-speed, but very good head and upper-body movement. In addition, he has power in both hands and has hurt and stopped opponents with single shots.
Advice to Taylor:
Stay disciplined defensively. The Postol fight showed when faced against an experienced fighter with skills, Taylor can be hit, especially while coming forward.
Ryan Martin has excellent hand-speed and does a good job of keeping his punches short and straight. Taylor can’t rely on just fast feet and head movement in this fight. There needs to be better hand placement and discipline. If Taylor hasn’t learned from the mistakes he made against Postol, he will be in trouble.
Ryan Martin (22-0, 12 KO’s)
Yeah, he hasn’t been seriously tested, but he is talented! One of the more well-rounded young fighters in the sport, the 25-year old can do a little bit of everything. Even though he’s a tall Super-Lightweight (5’11”), Martin is not a boxer who stays on the outside.
He likes to keep things at mid-range in using an array of skills. His punches are delivered short, straight and quick. He doesn’t like to waste a lot of shots, but when he decides to punch, he is very accurate. And for a taller fighter, he is a terrific body puncher.
Advice to Martin:
Don’t be sloppy with your feet and use your jab. His weakness is at times when on attack, he does so coming straight down the middle. He can’t afford to fall into that pattern against Taylor who likes to move around the ring.
He must cut off the ring against the elusive Taylor. Also, it’s imperative that he jabs and jabs often to the head and body as this will setup the rest of his attack.
Conclusion
This is a 50/50 – 60/40 fight in my opinion. Taylor had his litmus test against Viktor Postol and while he struggled, he passed. For his part, Martin’s litmus test will be against Martin.
Because Taylor has been tested while Martin has not, that will be the difference in this fight. I believe the favorite has learned from the difficulties of the Postol fight and be better because of it.
This will be a very good fight, but the combination of foot speed, and the activity of the fighter from Scotland will be the difference. Josh Taylor wins this fight by decision in a very competitive contest.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
