JOSH TAYLOR admits too much booze and junk food were to blame for almost losing all his world title belts.
Scotland’s ring king was lucky to edge a points victory against Jack Catterall in last year’s clash at the Hydro in Glasgow.
Taylor revealed he lost his way after unifying the light-welterweight division following his win over Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas in May 2021.
On June 10 he’ll defend the WBO crown — his only remaining belt — against Brooklyn’s former world lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
When asked what has changed since his Hydro horror show, Taylor said: “Discipline. Discipline and having a whole new team around me.
“When I came back from Las Vegas I took too much time out of the gym.
“I ate too much good-tasting bad food, too many pizzas, Chinese and takeaways. I drank too much beer.
“I took my eye off the ball and I just lost my self-control.
“In between sessions I was going away and cheating on my diet. I wasn’t focused, I wasn’t dialled in, that was the mistake I made.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s always tough to make the weight.
Most read in Boxing
“But my new team is keeping me grounded and disciplined.
“Having said that, the move to welterweight is inevitable. I will be moving up at some point in the future.”
Prestonpans puncher Taylor also confessed he didn’t show Englishman Catterall enough respect.
He said: “At the last fight a little bit of complacency set in, which was the worst mistake I’ve ever made.
“I tried to learn from fighters from the past who overlooked their opponents and paid the price for it. At the end of the day, though, you’re only human.
“And when you’ve achieved what I’ve achieved in such a short space of time, and you’re the only person from the UK to have done it, you do tend to enjoy it.
“I won’t do that again. You’re a fool if you make the same mistake twice.
“I’ve still got huge goals and I want to become a two-weight world champion.”
Lopez will be no rollover for Taylor in New York.
The American held the IBF lightweight title from 2019 to 2021 and the WBA and WBO titles from 2020 until 2021.
Taylor added “At light-welter, there’s nothing left for me to do, but there are still big fights like this one.
“This keeps the fire in my belly and the butterflies in the stomach, the excitement and the nerves.
“It’s got me buzzing to go to the gym again with a spring in my step.
“I never had that for Catterall. I felt I had just climbed Everest and then I was coming back to climb Arthur’s Seat.
“I ended up lowering my operating level because my mindset wasn’t right.
Read More on The Sun
“But for me to achieve my goals I’ve got to win this. Worldwide, this is a huge fight for boxing.”
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
