Middleweight Marquis Taylor prepares for a possible Austin Williams fight in March

Middleweight Marquis Taylor is anticipating a clash with Austin Williams in the new year as he looks to start 2025 on a bright note.

The 31-year-old Taylor, of Houston, has been in camp preparing for a possible clash with Williams, 28, of Wisconsin, in March. Respectively rated No. 6, 9, and 10 by the WBC, WBA, and IBF, Williams will be a hard nut to crack for Taylor who is yet to make a significant inroad in the ratings.

But Taylor can’t wait to have the opportunity of facing Williams, even though there has been no paperwork to sign. At least not yet.

“We were hearing about Williams fighting in March, so we are hoping to get that fight,” Taylor told BoxingScene. “We’ve beaten prospects and contenders so we’re just trying to get a big fight, big name, big contender, a champion.”

Taylor, 18-1-2 (3 KOs), has been on a five-fight winning streak since moving up in weight to 160, including a 12-round decision over Ivan Pandzic earlier this month. Should the fight with Williams happen, Taylor believes he would be slugging it out with a formidable and familiar foe.

“I know him pretty well. We used to spar as we came up in Houston so I know him pretty well. We stopped sparring a while back and I moved up like two-weight classes since we sparred. And now we’re close to the ranks, so it just makes sense.”

Williams, 17-1 (12 KOs), has two wins and a defeat in 2024, losing to contender Hamzah Sheeraz via 11th round in June. Taylor says he would expect a very tough fight against Williams.

“I don’t know if I foresee a knockout. He’s a tough, durable dude. You know what I’m saying? But I just feel like I’m on a different level. I’m getting the activity that I wanna get right now. I feel like I’m getting a movement that I’ve been wanting to get for a long time. 

“So, I’m happy with it right now. As long as I’m fighting, that’s cool with me.”

Taylor is hoping that he’s able to at least land a world title eliminator before 2025 ends.

“If it’s perfect, we’ve got March and we’ve got July, August. Hopefully, about July, August this summer, an eliminator for a title would present itself. And by Christmas time next year, we want that to be like a title shot. If everything goes right, I’m looking for the big shot by next year.”

Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].