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Josh Taylor (boxer)

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Josh Taylor
Taylor after winning a silver medal for Scotland at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi
Born (1991-01-02) 2 January 1991 (age 33)[1][2]
Prestonpans, Scotland
Other namesThe Tartan Tornado
Statistics
Weight(s)Light-welterweight
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach69+1⁄2 in (177 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights21
Wins19
Wins by KO13
Losses2
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Scotland
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Glasgow Light-welterweight
Silver medal – second place 2010 Delhi Lightweight
Commonwealth Youth Games
Silver medal – second place 2008 Pune Lightweight
GB Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Liverpool Lightweight
Silver medal – second place 2011 London Light-welterweight

Josh Taylor (born 2 January 1991) is a Scottish professional boxer. He is a former undisputed light-welterweight champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Association (WBA) (Super version) titles between 2019 and 2022, the World Boxing Council (WBC) title between 2021 and 2022, the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title between 2021 and 2023 and the Ring magazine title between 2019 and 2023. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth light-welterweight title from 2016 to 2017. As an amateur, he won a lightweight silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and light-welterweight gold at the 2014 edition.

From May 2021 to May 2022, Taylor reigned as the undisputed light-welterweight champion, unifying all four major titles in the division and being only the sixth male boxer to do so. With his win over José Ramírez in 2021, Taylor became the second Scotsman to be an undisputed champion and the first Briton to do so in the four-belt era.

Taylor is nicknamed "The Tartan Tornado" for his aggressive boxing style.[3]

Early life

[edit]

Born in Prestonpans, Scotland, Taylor has a sister, Finch. As a child, he was passionate about motorcycle racing, and "dreamed about being a world champion superbike racer or a world champion MotoGP racer"; he named motorcycle racers Valentino Rossi and Steve Hislop as his childhood heroes.[4]

Amateur career

[edit]

Taylor was a junior taekwondo champion, and turned to boxing at 15. He spent a short time at Meadowbank ABC and then moved onto Lochend ABC under coach Terry McCormack of Edinburgh.[5] Taylor won a silver medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where he was beaten by Thomas Stalker in the lightweight final by 11–3.[6]

Following the European Qualifying Event in Trabzon, Turkey, the ACB Lochend boxer qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, losing to number two seed Domenico Valentino in the round of 16.[7] Taylor became the first lightweight Scottish boxer to qualify for the Olympics since Dick McTaggart, who won a gold medal in Melbourne in 1956 and a bronze in Rome at the following games.[8]

He reached a Commonwealth Games final again in 2014,[9] this time at light-welterweight. Taylor won the gold medal, defeating Junias Jonas of Namibia in the final.[10] Taylor also represented the British Lionhearts at the World Series of Boxing.[11]

Professional career

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Early career

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Taylor started his professional career in June 2015, signing with Barry McGuigan's Cyclone Promotions, and was trained by Shane McGuigan.[5][12][13] Taylor made his debut in July 2015, defeating Archie Weah with a second round technical knockout (TKO).

In his seventh fight, Taylor picked up the Commonwealth light-welterweight title by beating Dave Ryan with a fifth-round stoppage. Ryan went down twice over the course of the bout. Ryan had previously held the title between 2014 and 2015.[14] Taylor won his first seven fights by knockout (KO). His KO streak came to an end against Alfonso Olvera, who went eight rounds with Taylor at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on 28 January 2017. Taylor won the fight by unanimous decision (UD) with scores of 79–72, and 78-73 twice. On 24 March Taylor defended his Commonwealth title for the first time, beating Warren Joubert with a sixth-round TKO, after hurting him several times with left hooks. Joubert went down in round six and his corner threw in the towel.[15]

Rise up the ranks

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Taylor vs Davies

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On 8 July Taylor faced WBC Silver champion and fellow unbeaten prospect Ohara Davies. The two had previously taunted each other on Twitter. Taylor would also be defending the Commonwealth title.[16] Taylor dominated the fight and stopped Davies, dropping him once in round three and twice in round seven before the referee halted the contest.[17]

Taylor vs Vázquez

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Taylor defended his WBC Silver title against former lightweight world champion Miguel Vázquez on 11 November at the Royal Highland Centre.[18] Although Vázquez' style seemed to pose problems for Taylor in the early rounds, Taylor wore him down as the fight went on. Vázquez went down in round nine from body shots, and he failed to beat the count. This was Vázquez' first stoppage loss.[19]

On 18 January 2018 it was confirmed that Taylor would defend his WBC Silver light-welterweight title against veteran Humberto Soto on 3 March 2018, at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow.[20] On 24 February 2018 it was revealed that Soto had sustained an injury whilst training meaning he had to pull out the fight. On the same day, Winston Campos was announced as his replacement.[21]

Taylor vs Postol

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In June 2018, Taylor fought former WBC light-welterweight champion, Viktor Postol, gaining a UD win in a twelve-round fight, meaning that he was placed in the mandatory position to fight WBC light-welterweight champion, José Ramírez. The fight took place at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow.[22]

World Boxing Super Series

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Main article: 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series – Super lightweight division

On 30 June 2018, it was announced that Taylor would join fellow light welterweights Ryan Martin, Terry Flanagan, Regis Prograis, Eduard Troyanovsky, Anthony Yigit, Ivan Baranchyk and WBA champion, Kiryl Relikh in the eight man tournament.

Taylor vs Martin

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At a gala held in Moscow, Taylor selected to fight Ryan Martin in the quarter-finals. Taylor dominated the fight with Martin throwing few punches. In the seventh round, Taylor landed a flurry of punches that staggered Martin which resulted in referee Victor Loughlin stopping the fight.[23]

IBF light-welterweight champion

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Taylor vs Baranchyk

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Taylor won his first world title, the IBF light-welterweight title, by UD against Ivan Baranchyk in Glasgow on 18 May 2019. Taylor scored two knockdowns in the fight.

Unified light-welterweight champion

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Taylor vs Prograis

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Main article: Regis Prograis vs. Josh Taylor

Taylor won a unification bout against WBA (Super) light-welterweight champion Regis Prograis by majority decision (MD) in the final of the World Boxing Super Series at The O2 Arena in London on 26 October 2019.[24] The fight was shown live on Sky Sports Box Office. Two judges scored the fight 117–112 and 115–113 in favour of Taylor while the third scored it a draw at 114–114. Taylor lifted the Muhammad Ali Trophy as the winner of the 2018-19 World Boxing Super Series – Light-welterweight division along with the vacant Ring magazine title.[25]

Taylor vs Khongsong

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In January 2020, Taylor signed a promotional deal with Top Rank and an advisory deal with MTK Global.[26] In his next fight, the Scotsman defended his titles against undefeated challenger Apinun Khongsong on 26 September 2020 at York Hall, London. Taylor did not waste any time, dropping and stopping Khongsong in the first round with a body shot. The time of stoppage was 2:41.[27]

Undisputed light-welterweight champion

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Taylor vs Ramírez

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Main article: José Ramírez vs. Josh Taylor

Taylor faced WBC and WBO champion José Ramírez on 22 May 2021, at the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada, for the undisputed light-welterweight title.[28] Taylor knocked his opponent down twice in the sixth and seventh rounds, both times with his left hand, en route to a unanimous decision victory with all three judges scoring the bout 114–112 in his favour. The result meant that Taylor became the second Scotsman to be an undisputed champion (after Ken Buchanan); the first British fighter to become an undisputed champion in the four-belt era; and only the fifth man to do so after Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk.[29]

Taylor vs. Catterall

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Main article: Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall

Taylor's first defence of his undisputed light-welterweight title had been scheduled for 18 December 2021, against WBO mandatory challenger Jack Catterall at SSE Hydro in Glasgow.[30] It was announced by Taylor on 21 October that he had suffered an injury, and thus the fight was postponed to 26 February 2022.[31]

On the night, despite being knocked down by Catterall in the eighth round and being seemingly outboxed by the challenger, Taylor was handed a very controversial split decision victory, with scores of 114–111 and 113–112 in his favour, and 113–112 in favour of Catterall. According to CompuBox, Catterall landed more punches than Taylor in 11 out of 12 rounds. The challenger landed 120 of 525 (23%) total punches, and 81 of 267 (30%) of his power punches, with Taylor throwing and landing far fewer in comparison: 73 of 306 (24%) overall, and 57 of 179 (32%) on power shots.[32][33] Former world cruiserweight champion and pundit Johnny Nelson stated, "It's decisions like this which turn casual fans off. Josh Taylor did not win that fight."[34] The decision was labelled as "the biggest robbery in British boxing history".[35] Irish bookmaker Paddy Power stated that they would be refunding all stakes placed by their customers on Catterall to win the bout, as it "was an absolute robbery".[36] Despite the widespread public opinion, Taylor was defiant in his post-fight interview, saying, "I don't think there is any need for a rematch... I know I won the fight."[37]

Taylor vs. Lopez

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On 8 April 2023 it was officially announced that Taylor would defend his WBO and The Ring light welterweight belts against former unified lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez on 10 June at the Hulu Theater in New York City.[38] Taylor lost by unanimous decision.[39]

Post-title career

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Taylor vs. Catterall II

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On 27 April 2024 in Leeds, England, Taylor was scheduled to face Jack Catterall in a rematch.[40] He lost the fight by unanimous decision with the scores 117-111, 117-111 and 116-113.[41][42]

Personal life

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Taylor is a fan of Hibernian F.C..[43]

In December 2019, Taylor was arrested and charged with behaving in a threatening or abusive manner due to an incident whilst partying in Edinburgh. After being asked to leave a nightclub, he said a bouncer's "nose ring is gay", and referred to the bouncer as a "gay-looking cunt" and a "big orange-looking cunt".[44] Taylor later pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and was fined £350. He said on Twitter afterwards, "I whole heartedly apologise for my stupid actions. It has been a rollercoaster of a year for me, becoming unified world champion and on this occasion I've taken it too far."[45]

Professional boxing record

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21 fights 19 wins 2 losses
By knockout 13 0
By decision 6 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
21 Loss 19–2 Jack Catterall UD 12 25 May 2024 First Direct Arena, Leeds, England
20 Loss 19–1 Teofimo Lopez UD 12 10 Jun 2023 Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Lost WBO and The Ring light-welterweight titles
19 Win 19–0 Jack Catterall SD 12 26 Feb 2022 OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring light-welterweight titles
18 Win 18–0 José Ramírez UD 12 22 May 2021 Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, US Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring light-welterweight titles;
Won WBC and WBO light-welterweight titles
17 Win 17–0 Apinun Khongsong KO 1 (12), 2:41 26 Sep 2020 York Hall, London, England Retained WBA (Super), IBF, and The Ring light-welterweight titles
16 Win 16–0 Regis Prograis MD 12 26 Oct 2019 The O2 Arena, London, England Retained IBF light-welterweight title;
Won WBA (Super) and vacant The Ring light-welterweight titles;
World Boxing Super Series: Light-welterweight final
15 Win 15–0 Ivan Baranchyk UD 12 18 May 2019 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Won IBF light-welterweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: Light-welterweight semi-final
14 Win 14–0 Ryan Martin TKO 7 (12), 2:21 3 Nov 2018 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title;
World Boxing Super Series: Light-welterweight quarter-final
13 Win 13–0 Viktor Postol UD 12 23 Jun 2018 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title
12 Win 12–0 Winston Campos TKO 3 (12), 0:44 3 Mar 2018 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title
11 Win 11–0 Miguel Vázquez KO 9 (12), 2:30 11 Nov 2017 Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland Retained WBC Silver light-welterweight title
10 Win 10–0 Ohara Davies TKO 7 (12), 2:25 8 Jul 2017 Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland Retained Commonwealth light-welterweight title;
Won WBC Silver light-welterweight title
9 Win 9–0 Warren Joubert TKO 6 (12), 1:27 24 Mar 2017 Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland Retained Commonwealth light-welterweight title
8 Win 8–0 Alfonso Olvera UD 8 28 Jan 2017 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US
7 Win 7–0 Dave Ryan TKO 5 (12), 2:45 21 Oct 2016 Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland Won vacant Commonwealth light-welterweight title
6 Win 6–0 Evincii Dixon RTD 2 (8), 3:00 30 Jul 2016 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, US
5 Win 5–0 Miguel Alberto González Mena TKO 1 (6), 1:33 14 May 2016 Ice Arena Wales, Cardiff, Wales
4 Win 4–0 Lyes Chaibi KO 2 (6), 1:40 27 Feb 2016 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
3 Win 3–0 Daniel Cosmin Minescu TKO 1 (4), 0:45 20 Nov 2015 Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
2 Win 2–0 Adam Mate TKO 1 (6), 1:25 16 Oct 2015 Meadowbank Sports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
1 Win 1–0 Archie Weah TKO 2 (6), 1:53 18 Jul 2015 Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas, US

Pay-per-view bouts

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United Kingdom
Date Fight Buys Network
26 October 2019
 Regis Prograis vs. Josh Taylor 176,000[46] Sky Box Office

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Josh Taylor". Team GB. British Olympic Association. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Biography Preview". AIBA. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  3. ^ Carvalho, Leonardo (18 May 2021). "Why is Josh Taylor Called 'The Tartan Tornado'?". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  4. ^ McKenna, Chris (23 October 2019). "Josh Taylor on the Ken Buchanan touch of class he's planning after WBSS Final". Daily Record. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b "About Me". Josh Taylor Boxing.
  6. ^ "Tom Stalker was a class apart in taking Commonwealth boxing gold". 14 October 2010.
  7. ^ Davies, Gareth A. "London 2012 Olympics: Boxer Josh Taylor crashes out after 15-10 loss to number two seed Domenico Valentino". The Telegraph. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Scotland's Josh Taylor secures London 2012 boxing spot in qualifiers". The Guardian. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  9. ^ Glasgow 2014: Josh Taylor into the 64kg final with unanimous win, BBC Sport
  10. ^ Dirs, Ben (2 August 2014). "Glasgow 2014: Northern Ireland win first golds as Scots also shine". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  11. ^ "Josh Taylor - British Lionhearts". Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  12. ^ "Josh Taylor: Commonwealth gold medallist targets success as pro". BBC Sport. BBC. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  13. ^ Lewis, Jane (14 October 2015). "Bio". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Josh Taylor outclasses Dave Ryan for first title success". BBC Sport. 21 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Scotland's Josh Taylor sees off Warren Joubert to defend Commonwealth title". BBC Sport. 24 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Davies vs. Taylor set for 7/8 in Glasgow". 31 May 2017.
  17. ^ "Taylor stops Davies in Glasgow". 8 July 2017.
  18. ^ "Josh Taylor vs Miguel Vazquez set for November 11". 20 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Josh Taylor Knocks Out Miguel Vazquez in Ninth Round". 11 November 2017.
  20. ^ "Josh Taylor to meet Humberto Soto in Glasgow". BBC Sport. 14 October 2018.
  21. ^ "Josh Taylor to defend title against Winston Campos after injury to Humberto Soto". BBC Sport. 24 February 2018.
  22. ^ "Josh Taylor aims to keep it perfect against Viktor Postol". The Independent. 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  23. ^ "World Boxing Super Series: Josh Taylor beats Ryan Martin to book semi-final title shot". BBC Sport. 3 November 2018.
  24. ^ "Boxing: Josh Taylor beats Regis Prograis on points to unify IBF & WBA super-lightweight titles". BBC Sport. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Josh Taylor outpoints Regis Prograis via majority decision, wins WBSS 140-pound final and Ring title". The Ring Magazine. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  26. ^ Anson Wainwright (9 January 2020). "Josh Taylor signs with Top Rank, Cyclone Promotions not impressed". The Ring.
  27. ^ "Josh Taylor blasts out Apinun Khongsong in one round, targets Jose Ramirez". The Ring. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  28. ^ Idec, Kieth (19 April 2021). "Jose Ramirez-Josh Taylor Card To Be Held At Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Venue May 22". Boxing Scene.
  29. ^ "Taylor defeats Ramirez to unify division". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  30. ^ Christ, Scott (6 August 2021). "Josh Taylor to defend undisputed title against Jack Catterall on Dec. 18". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  31. ^ "Josh Taylor 'gutted' after injury delays bout with Jack Catterall in Glasgow". HeraldScotland. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  32. ^ Christ, Scott (26 February 2022). "Highlights and results: Josh Taylor retains undisputed title by split decision over Jack Catterall". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  33. ^ CompuBox (27 February 2022). "Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall - CompuBox Punch Stats". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  34. ^ "Josh Taylor controversially outpoints Jack Catterall to cling on to undisputed title in Scotland homecoming". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  35. ^ "The biggest robbery in British boxing history as Jack Catterall is mugged". World Boxing News. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  36. ^ Paddy Power (26 February 2022). "Paddy Power refund Taylor-Catterall stakes tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Josh Taylor insists there will be no rematch with Jack Catterall while Jamie Moore says Catterall was 'absolutely robbed'". Sky Sports. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  38. ^ Christ, Scott (8 April 2023). "Josh Taylor vs Teofimo Lopez official for June 10 at MSG's Hulu Theater". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  39. ^ "Teofimo Lopez back on top of boxing world again, silences critics after defeating undefeated champ". Fox Sports. 11 June 2023.
  40. ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (16 February 2024). "Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall rematch set for April in Leeds, England". FIGHTMAG.
  41. ^ Iskenderov, Parviz (25 May 2024). "Jack Catterall bests Josh Taylor by decision to take revenge". FIGHTMAG.
  42. ^ Stumberg, Patrick (25 May 2024). "Jack Catterall digs deep, beats Josh Taylor in grueling rematch". Bad Left Hook.
  43. ^ "World champ Josh enjoys special day at Hibs". East Lothian Courier. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  44. ^ "Josh Taylor pleads guilty to racial abuse". The Independent. 18 December 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  45. ^ "Josh Taylor pleads guilty to racist and homophobic abuse of nightclub doorman". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  46. ^ "UK Pay-Per-View COLLAPSE fears as Taylor vs Prograis, YouTubers flop". World Boxing News. 30 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
John Wayne Hibbert 		Commonwealth
light-welterweight champion
21 October 2016 – January 2018
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Glenn Foot
Preceded by WBC Silver
light-welterweight champion
8 July 2017 – May 2019
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Jose Zepeda
World boxing titles
Preceded by IBF light-welterweight champion
18 May 2019 – 24 August 2022
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Subriel Matías
Preceded byas World champion WBA light-welterweight champion
Super title
26 October 2019 – 14 May 2022
Stripped 		Vacant
Title next held by
Alberto Puello
as World champion
Vacant
Title last held by
Terence Crawford 		The Ring light-welterweight champion
26 October 2019 – 10 June 2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by WBC light-welterweight champion
22 May 2021 – 1 July 2022
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Regis Prograis
WBO light-welterweight champion
22 May 2021 – 10 June 2023 		Succeeded by
Teofimo Lopez
Vacant
Title last held by
Terence Crawford 		Undisputed
light-welterweight champion
22 May 2021 – 14 May 2022
Titles fragmented 		Vacant
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