Josh Taylor vs Cyclone Promotions Will Be an Even Nastier Fight Than Josh Taylor vs Jose Ramirez
By Michael Luciano
Unified world light welterweight champion Josh Taylor, fresh off beating Regis Progaris in London to earn his third belt, made headlines this week when he decided to abandon his promotional firm, Cyclone Promotions. He ditched them in favor of Top Rank, who can boast boxers like Tyson Fury, Terence Crawford, and Manny Pacquiao on its roster, as well as a lucrative broadcast and streaming deal with ESPN.
But Taylor, who was eyeing a fight Top Rank's Jose Ramirez for the right to be the undisputed champion at 140 pounds, is now being accused of illegally breaking his contract by Cyclone, which claims that they are "saddened" by the Scotsman's abrupt exit.
— Cyclone Promotions (@CyclonePromo) January 9, 2020
Taylor himself finally responded on Twitter, and he started off by thanking Cyclone for the role it played in making him a world champion. However, he accused the promoter of breaching their end of the deal, including instances of conflict of interest.
At this rate, his showdown with Cyclone could be full of even more bad blood than a super-fight with Jose Ramirez.
Whilst I acknowledge and appreciate the role that Cyclone has played in may career to date, three weeks ago I terminated my promotional agreement with Cyclone as a result of various breaches of contract including, in particular, breaches relating to a conflict of interest
— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorBoxer) January 9, 2020
Taylor clearly wants to bolt for greener pastures without much fuss, but he could get lawyers involved if he needs to.
And you can bet that Top Rank boss Bob Arum will be more than happy to help if necessary.
I thought and hoped the Mcguigans would feel the same way given the litigation they are involved in with other fighters. I hope all of us can now move on in a positive way concentrating on things which advance us all.
— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorBoxer) January 9, 2020
Taylor is claiming that he has outgrown Cyclone as a company and needs to be with a promotion like Top Rank in order to start fighting the best of the best and cementing his reputation as one of the best in the world in his division. There's nothing wrong with that, but how about you give Cyclone a quick notice next time, champ?
We haven't heard the last of this messy departure. It could very well get even messier if the courts have to get involved -- and overshadow or even threaten the undisputed light welterweight championship bout every boxing fan wants to see.