One of the biggest fights to make in boxing is between Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez to determine an undisputed junior welterweight champion. Ramirez held up his end of the bargain at the end of August with a majority decision win over Viktor Postol to retain his WBC and WBO titles. It was Taylor's turn to fulfill his side on Saturday against Apinun Khongsong at York Hall in London.
Unlike Ramirez, Taylor didn't even need a full round to put Khongsong away, smashing him with a vicious body punch to win by knockout at the 2:41 of the opening stanza to remain the IBF and WBA (super) junior welterweight champion.
Khongsong tried to set the tone by going right at Taylor with a right hand but missed. Taylor and Khongsong were still feeling each other out when the champion got his opponent against the ropes. They were exchanging shots when Khongsong threw a wide right hook, and Taylor crotched down and landed a picture-perfect left hook to the liver that sent Khongsong crumbling down to the mat in agony. Khongsong attempted to rise to his feet, but the Thai native rolled over in pain and failed to make it up to the count of 10.
Khongsong was in such tremendous pain that instead of walking out of the ring to head back to the locker room, he rolled under the ropes and had to be taken out on a stretcher.
With Khongsong out of the way, the 29-year-old wants Ramirez next to determine who is the best 140-pound boxer on the planet.
"I want Ramirez next, 100 percent," Taylor said in his post-fight interview. "He’s a very good champion. He’s unbeaten like myself, hungry and on top of his game. I thought against Postol, it wasn’t a very good performance at all. I do feel he can perform better than that given the circumstances. I wasn’t impressed with what I seen from him.
“Again, I want that fight now. I believe I whoop his ass all day long."