Fast Results From Glasgow: Taylor Dazzles, Burnett Upset in WBSS Quarterfinals

Local fan favorite Josh Taylor was the big draw tonight in the WBSS doubleheader at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro Arena. And Taylor didn’t disappoint. In fact, he dismantled his previously undefeated opponent, Ryan Martin, so thoroughly that even the old-timers were debating whether the Tartan Tornado, a 2012 Olympian, was Scotland’s best pro boxer ever, surpassing Ken Buchanon and Benny Lynch – and this after only 14 pro fights!

Taylor, trained by 2017 TSS Trainer of the Year Shane McGuigan, worked the body effectively while putting on a clinic. He won every round before ending matters in round seven with a hard combination punctuated by a left hook that landed behind Martin’s ear. As Martin slumped to the canvas, the ref waived the fight off. “He looks like Lomachenko,” rhapsodized the ringside reporter for the Glasgow Daily Record, noting that Taylor switched from defense to attack with “breathtaking quickness.”

Up next for Taylor is a bout with Ivan Baranchyk. If form holds up and he meets top seed Regis Prograis in the finals, it will be one of the most anticipated fights ever at 140 pounds.

Burnett-Donaire

In the first of the two WBSS tournament fights, Filipino veteran Nonito Donaire advanced to the next round of the bantamweight tourney when #1 seed Ryan Burnett retired after four rounds because of an apparent back injury. Had Burnett won as expected, he would have faced Zolani Tete in his hometown of Belfast, North Ireland, in the semis early next year.

Donaire, now 39-5 (25), won titles in four weight classes, but was dropping down two divisions and eight pounds to compete as a bantamweight for the first time since 2011. Partly for this reason, the 35-year-old “Filipino Flash,” who was coming off a loss to Carl Frampton, was installed as the underdog.

Burnett, who held a version of the WBA 118-pound world title, started fast and won the first two rounds. Donaire came on in round three, but there was no indication that the fight would go only one more round.

In the fourth, Burnett gripped the area behind his right hip in obvious discomfort after missing a wild right and took a knee. He survived the round but his corner pulled him out and he left the ring on a stretcher.

As an amateur, Burnett was reportedly 94-4 but his Olympic aspirations were derailed by a back injury that may have reared its ugly head again tonight. It was his first loss as a pro after opening his career with 19 wins. Donaire moves on in the tournament

(Naoya Inoue is the #1 seed) and likely cemented his status as a future Hall of Famer.

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Also, former WBC 140-pound champion Viktor Postol outclassed Siar Ozgul, improving to 30-2 with a one-sided 10-round decision. Heading into the match, Ozgul had defeated only three fighters with winning records. And in a domestic dust-up, Zach Parker (17-0) won the British super middleweight title with a 12-round split decision over Darryl Williams (17-1). The decision was roundly denounced as a heist.

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