There are many more boxing champions than there used to be. Before, there used to be only eight recognised weights. Now, there is twice that number. Generally, there also used to be only one title-awarding body. Now there are four, and that doesn’t include an unofficial title awarded by The Ring magazine, which, paradoxically, carries at least as much prestige (even if nothing else) than any of the titles won in a match approved by one of the boxing boards. Consequently, there may, at any time, be as many as fifty fighters entitled to style themselves “World Champion.”
Yet last weekend, Josh Taylor from Edinburgh put up his two World light-welterweight titles in Las Vegas against Jose Ramirez, the holder of the other two, won the fight and scooped the lot. He is now the undisputed king of that division.
