By Andrew Wake
That first fight without the vest and head guard provides a massive learning curve for all boxers, but one suspects Upminster’s Ryan Taylor learned more on his pro debut than most.
Named as the first ever Prizefighter Prospect, the stage was set for the young man they call “Crash Bang” to shine in front of his home fans at the historic York Hall.
But late in his four rounder with Dan Carr things went awry for Taylor as a coming together of heads left him nursing a series cut before his eagerness to apply pressure upon his foe lead to a point deduction from referee Howard Foster.
Despite his early good work, the outcome of the bout was a draw.
“I learned things the hard way from that fight,” Taylor says now. “Looking back I really wish that fight didn’t happen. I rushed in there and I thought I could get him out of it but then in the third round the head clash happened and that was all she wrote.
“As an amateur I was on people, right in close, but you don’t realise how much the head guard saves you from head clashes. I was in close with this fella and I thought I was on my way to a stoppage because he was hurt and then we clashed heads and there was blood all over him. I carried on hitting him and then I realised it was coming from me.
“I had a point deducted when I got a little frustrated. I just thought that with the blood and everything I had to work that bit harder to show that I was in charge, but I ended up getting too close to him.”
That’s all in the past now and Taylor, 23, has bounced back with solid wins over York’s Graham Fearn and Latvian southpaw Janis Puksins.
On the undercard of the battle between Carl Frampton and Kris Hughes this Saturday night, Taylor will be looking to take his slate to 3 – 0 – 1 when he faces one of the sport’s most loved and well known triers, Robin Deakin.
“He’s one of the most well-known boxers on the scene. I’ve seen him quite a few times and he’s a tough lad with a bit heart,” Taylor, who is trained by Tony Sims, said.
“I’ll just go in there and do what I need to do. I’ll deal with him. I’ll give him crash bang Taylor treatment.
“I believe this going to be my last four rounder and then I’ll be moving onto six-threes.
“I think six rounds will suit me because I’ve been running out of time. In my second fight I nearly stopped the geezer in the fourth round and in my last fight I dropped and hurt the geezer in the fourth and they just managed to survive.”
Like all fighters Taylor dreams of one day being able to take titles back to the parents which have supported him since he first laced up a pair of gloves. But the level headed East Londoner knows that time is on his side and furthering his fistic education should be his main focus point for the time being.
He said: “Because it’s still early in my career so I’m not rushing things until I’ve done more rounds. I’m learning new things in the gym each day and when the time comes I’ll take whatever fights Tony or Eddie Hearn can get for me.”
Subscribe to feed
