Josh Taylor is bidding to become the first British fighter, male or female, to hold all four world titles in a single weight division when he faces Jose Ramirez on Sunday.
Records on the Line
Taylor puts his IBF and WBA super-lightweight belts on the line, while Ramirez is risking his WBC and WBO straps in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The pair both boast undefeated records but the likelihood, barring a rare draw, is that one will leave the ring with a first career defeat.
Scottish southpaw Taylor, priced at 20/51 to win, is rated as the ninth-best active pound-for-pound boxers by The Ring after earning 13 of his 17 victories via stoppage.
Sunday’s bout, which takes place at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, will be his first outside the UK since 2017 when he defeated Mexican Alfonso Olvera via unanimous decision.
Ramirez goes into the contest as the underdog and can be backed at 9/5 to have his hand raised in Nevada.
Taylor to Benefit From Top-Level Camp
Taylor is primarily based in the UK but he has spent this camp Stateside alongside the likes of Billy Joe Saunders and Tyson Fury.
Training with high-quality fighters can only be regarded as a huge benefit for the Tartan Tornado, who has already revealed a desire to defend all four titles back on home soil at Easter Road or Edinburgh Castle in the future.
Backing Taylor to win via KO, TKO or Disqualification at 7/2 looks the way to go, taking into account his impressive stoppage record.
The 30-year-old boasts a 76 percent knockout-to-win ratio and he put in a high-level showing when last seen in September, beating Thailand’s Apinun Khongsong by knockout just with two minutes and 41 seconds on the clock in round one to defend his titles.
Taylor to Leave It Late
Although Taylor offers value to win inside the distance, it’s likely that he will have to be patient to get the job done on the Las Vegas Strip.
With so much on the line, Ramirez isn’t expected to come out swinging and this could prove to be a chess match in the opening rounds.
It’s also worth noting that the American hasn’t previously been stopped and Taylor will need to bide his time before looking to wrap up proceedings.
The expectation is that Taylor should have the tools to pick his opponent apart and that will force Ramirez to make rash decisions in the latter stages.
With that in mind, backing a late stoppage offers interest. Taylor is priced at 14/1 to win in rounds 10-12 and he is available at 11/1 to win in rounds 7-9.
*All odds correct at time of writing