Ohara Davies: ‘Josh Taylor needs to consider his future; people think he’s a joke’

Ohara Davies believes that his former foe Josh Taylor needs to consider his future in the sport before he further tarnishes his reputation.

Davies, who recently decided to hang up his gloves after defeat to Adam Azim last month, believes Taylor should consider doing the same. Davies was vocal in the build-up, suggesting that he had fallen out of love with the sport, and seemed happy to see the back of the game he once loved. He believes he is seeing similar signs in Taylor. 

The Scot, now 33, achieved what many only can dream of in 2021 when he defeated Jose Carlos Ramirez to unify all four belts in the junior lightweight division. Davies believes that after achieving such a feat, Taylor no longer has the hunger of old.

“I don’t know where his mind is at, or where his heart is at,” Davies told BoxingScene. “Sometimes when you’ve won it all and been undisputed champion, the love for the game can go. I think that with Taylor we’re seeing that. He isn’t the same. He hasn’t got the same fire as he had when he was in the World Boxing Super Series and when he won undisputed. He hasn’t got the same fire – that hasn’t been there for a few years now.”

After climbing to the top of the 140-pound division, Taylor’s performances seemed to plummet. He was seen by many to have been fortunate to beat Jack Catterall and then lost his title after being outclassed by Teofimo Lopez.

A further fight with Catterall saw a better performance from the Scot, but this time Taylor was handed a second consecutive defeat. Davies believes these performances and results are damaging Taylor’s reputation, with the former undisputed champion once regarded as one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world.

“Taylor is not the same fighter he was,” Davies said. “I think he needs to sit down and ask himself, ‘Is it worth it? Am I going to further tarnish my reputation?’ Because that has been tarnished after the Catterall fights and the Teofimo Lopez fight. The Taylor that we all know was a fierce fighter; walked through anyone, beat anyone, unbeaten, undefeated, undisputed. Now a lot of people are looking at him like a joke, like he’s a joke fighter, like he’s a walkover. 

“That’s not the Taylor that we all know. Sometimes you need to sit down and ask yourself, ‘Is it worth it? I’ve made the money, I’ve won it all, why am I harming my reputation any further?’ But it’s up to him to sit down and decide. I hope he makes the right choice.”