It’s a new deal and an ambitious agenda. But there’s some mandatory business on Josh Taylor’s schedule before he can move on to pursue the larger opportunities that were created by his new deal with Top Rank.
Before Jose Ramirez, there is Apinun Khongsong.
“I’ve got a mandatory I have to do,’’ Taylor told iFL TV. “I believe it’s the guy from Thailand. I can’t pronounce his name. I need to get that out of the way.’’
The Ramirez bout can’t happen until later in the year anyway. Ramirez defends his two junior welterweight belts against Viktor Postol on Feb. 2 in China (Feb. 1 in the United States on ESPN.)
Taylor (16-0, 12 KOs) has the other two 140-pound belts. Khongsong, 23, is unbeaten (16-0, 13 KOs). All of his bouts have been in Asia. He signed a co-promotional deal with Sampson Lewkowicz on Thursday — the same day that Taylor’s multi-year deal with Top Rank was announced.
“I’m hoping it’ll be in Scotland,’’ Taylor said of the mandatory. “I’m hoping I’ll have a defense in Scotland before then going State-side to chase the Ramirez fight.”