- One of the world's best boxers was bullied as a kid.
Josh Taylor said the bullying lasted for weeks but ended when he socked his bully in the face.
Josh Taylor was an elementary school kid when he became a victim of bullying that lasted for weeks.
His bully would pick on him, mock his smaller stature, until one day, Taylor "plucked up the courage" to sock him right in the face.
He was never bullied again by that boy.
Through the years, Taylor gravitated toward combat
It was a tricky sport to answer straight away as
He's used to doing things the hard way, though. Now a battle-tested, double-hard, unified super lightweight world champion in the pro game, Taylor has run through a gauntlet of top-tier opponents to get to where he is today.
He's legitimately one of boxing's best fighters but is yet to truly break through into the mainstream consciousness.
That, he believes, is changing.
"I did it the hard way, the tough way," Taylor told Insider days before he defends his belts against Jack Catteral at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow. "I came up quick, and I came up hard. I never ducked any challenges."
He certainly didn't.
In just 18 pro fights to date, Taylor has beaten Miguel Vazquez, Regis Prograis, and Jose Ramirez. He won the World Boxing Super Series and has unified all of the major titles in the super lightweight division.
Taylor is the undeniable man at 140-pounds.
"I've a huge, huge set of balls as I took massive risks at times that were pivotal moments in my career. And it paid off."
It certainly did.
But the way Taylor tells it, it's like he's only just beginning.
"I've got the right platform behind me now in Top Rank, and I've got Sky Sports over here," in the UK.
"So, I've got the right platforms at the back of me now, and I never had that before. I'm getting my name out there, on the TV more, getting more well known to the wider public, which is great, coming in at the perfect time of my career."
Taylor fights Catterall on ESPN this weekend
Taylor fights Catterall on Saturday in an event broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK and ESPN in the US.
During their final face-off Friday, things got tense between the pair as they spoke aggressively at close-range, with Taylor throttling Catterall.
"I definitely won't shy away from a fight if it presents itself," he said earlier this week, regarding a reputation that he's ready to throw hands regardless of whether that fight takes place inside a ring, or out.
"If it comes to it, I won't shy away from it. But you know, obviously, I'd rather not! I'd rather not fight with anybody. I'd rather keep it in the ring.
"But if someone obviously attacks me or raises their hands to me, I'm gonna defend myself straight away."
Away from boxing, Taylor says he's "relaxed" and doesn't like to have confrontations. "I'm quite a nice person away from boxing."
Taylor called Catterall a "good fighter" but has spotted weaknesses in his fighting style that he's ready to exploit.
"He makes a lot of mistakes, and that's what I believe I'm gonna capitalize on the mistakes that he makes. He makes plenty of them. It's up to me to expose them on Saturday, but I believe I will."
He said he had butterflies this week as public life seems to be returning to normal, with the buzz of a live crowd following him at workouts open to fight fans this week.
It's what makes Taylor want to perform "whether they're for me, or against me. I just love the extra buzz that a set of fans bring," he said.
As for what's at stake or what's next for him beyond Catterall, Taylor was loathe to open up fully.
"I'm just the down-to-Earth guy who loves what he's doing, and is the best in the world at it. I don't feel like I'm anything special, or big. I just happen to be the best — and I love it.
"Obviously, I've had one rival in Prograis, but I do think that's what I'm lacking — another rivalry.
"But there's plenty of fights and fighters coming through both at 140-pounds and at 147-pounds.
"The target is in the big fights — against Terence Crawford — to really cement my name in the legacy books."