Josh Taylor will be back in the ring in about a month, it has been formally announced.
The junior welterweight titleholder will defend his belts against No. 1 contender Apinun Khongsong on Sept. 26 at the BT Sport Studio in London. The fight will be streamed on ESPN+ in the U.S.
Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) is coming off the biggest victory of his career, a majority decision over Regis Prograis that unified two titles last October in London.
Khongsong (16-0, 13 KOs) is a 24-year-old who has fought only once outside his native Thailand, when he stopped one-time world title challenger Akihiro Kondo in February of last year in Tokyo.
“I’m excited to be back in the ring after a long layoff,” Taylor said. “The coronavirus had put everything on hold for a few months, so it’s been nice to be in the gym again and back to some normality.
“I didn’t want a warm-up fight, so getting straight back in there against my mandatory challenger is great, as it’s kept me fully focused. I want big fights in my career, so this is an important fight with my belts on the line.”
“Training has been going well and I’m feeling fit and strong. I’ve watched a fair bit of my opponent and I’ve seen his strengths and weaknesses, and I’m very confident going into this fight. I can’t wait.”
Taylor will be fighting for the first time since signing with co-promoter Top Rank, which also promotes Jose Ramirez. Ramirez, who holds the other two major 140-pound titles, defends against Viktor Postol on Saturday.
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