JEFF POWELL: In his darkest of hours Josh Taylor was humility itself as he congratulated Teofimo Lopez on his ‘incredible’ performance at Madison Square Garden
- Teofimo Lopez dominated Josh Taylor at Madison Square Garden on Saturday
- Taylor showed signs of ring rust in New York after being away for 15 months
- Lopez took the Scot’s unbeaten record with a unanimous points victory
The reborn darling of the boxing cathedral of Madison Square Garden had vowed to kill Josh Taylor in the ring.
Teofimo Lopez settled instead for diminishing the Tartan Tornado to a spring zephyr. Settled for out-speeding the fastest punch-slinger in the east of Scotland.
Settled for terminating Taylor’s long reign over the light-welterweight division.
Settled for out-boxing, out-punching, out-thinking and repeatedly hounding the noblest stag of Lothian to the precipice of unconsciousness.
And most cruelly at times humiliating his prey with posturing mockery. Only repenting when the torment was over by praising the defiant courage which somehow carried Taylor to the final bell through fog more blinding than the smoke which turned the New York skyline orange at the weekend.
![Josh Taylor was gracious in defeat but never looked close to sealing a win over his opponent](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/11/21/72001801-12183717-Taylor_was_gracious_in_defeat_but_never_looked_close_to_sealing_-a-1_1686516062825.jpg)
Josh Taylor was gracious in defeat but never looked close to sealing a win over his opponent
Taylor only took a backward step when he was sent staggering and reeling about the ring by this mischievous, bewildering genius. Which was often.
Whether he can recover his footing, his poise, his balance and his belief sufficiently to regain one his 140 lb titles he will need time to ponder. As for his dream of joining the pantheon of two-division world champions, that looks as broken as his heart. At least for the time being.
What he did redeem from this persecution is a genuine fighting man’s self-respect. Taylor had been chastised for not conceding that he was fortunate to be given victory over Jack Catterall.
In this darkest of hours he was humility itself. He turned to Lopez and said: ‘You were incredible. Brilliant.’ Then took one of his hands in both his own in supplication to a rare talent. Albeit that Lopez cannot refrain from humouring himself at the expense of those less extravagantly gifted.
Still, the pleasantries were preferable to the menaces of the death-threatening build up. Lopez’s virtuoso performance all the more so.
Astonishingly, this was the New York born son of Honduran parentage who had turned to his father and corner after struggling to win his preceding fight and asked them: ‘Do I still got it?’
Oh yes he does. It was Taylor’s misfortune to be in the firing line of a shooting star on the Broadway night he decided to prove it.
Perhaps the judges were blinded by the surprise shared with all we critics who predicted unanimously for Taylor. The pair of goons who scored it only 115-113 for Lopez not only added to boxing’s mounting despair at the eccentric marking of big fights but did the victor himself a gross injustice. The third judge had better eyesight with which to see it 117-111.
![Teofimo Lopez celebrates with his belts after dominating Josh Taylor at MSG on Saturday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/11/21/72001797-12183717-Teofimo_Lopez_celebrates_with_his_belts_after_dominating_Josh_Ta-a-3_1686516079677.jpg)
Teofimo Lopez celebrates with his belts after dominating Josh Taylor at MSG on Saturday
Much as I admire Taylor I could give him no more than three of the 12 rounds. And one of those was a stretch.
Where he goes from here will need careful thought. In hope of satisfying his desire for a title at a second weight, promoter Bob Arum’s plan of matching him against the winner of the imminent super-fight between Errol Spence Jr and Terrence Crawford has gone from enticing to alarming.
There are good matches still to be made at light-welterweight but would it be wise go near Shakur Stevenson, Gervonta Davis, Vasily Lomachenko, Devin Haney or Ryan Garcia straight away?
Perhaps the sensible course is to give Catterall the rematch, which he has promised to do, as the beginning of the road back from Saturday night’s car crash in the Big Apple.
Meanwhile it is young, brash Teo not seasoned, admirable Josh who has got his mojo back. For him, the yellow brick road beckons brightly once more.