THIS weekend at London’s iconic York Hall in Bethnal Green Scotland’s super lightweight unified world champion, Josh Taylor, defends his WBA and IBF belts against Thailand’s Apinun Khongsong.

He does so after 11 months out of the ring following his gruelling encounter with Regis Prograis last October in the final of the super lightweight World Boxing Super Series. However, rather than view such a long lay-off due to Covid and lockdown with the disdain you might imagine, the 29-year-old claims the break has been beneficial.

“It [lockdown] was probably my first real break from boxing since I turned pro five years ago,” he offered when pressed on the subject, “and it’s just been fight after fight and just grinding it out in training all the time.