As Josh Taylor heads into his WBO and Ring super lightweight title defence against Teofimo Lopez, the similarities between the Scotsman and his world championship predecessor Ken Buchanan remain positively uncanny.
Take a look:
- Taylor was born in Prestonpans, Scotland, just over 10 miles away from where Buchanan was born.
- Taylor became the first Scotsman to unify world titles since Buchanan.
- Taylor became the first Scotsman to win an undisputed championship since Buchanan achieved the feat some 50 years earlier.
This Saturday, the trend continues when Taylor makes his debut at Madison Square Garden. Known as "the mecca of boxing", Buchanan made the famed venue a second home during his prime in the early 1970s.
MORE: Sign up to watch Josh Taylor vs. Teofimo Lopez, exclusively on ESPN+
Buchanan, who sadly passed away in April, ended his career with a 61-8 (27 KOs) record and entered the Hall of Fame in 2000. He was a brilliant boxer-mover with perfect technique and one of the best jabs in boxing history.
Great to have had a visit at home today from the Tartan Legend, King, Ken Buchanan. He also gave me his clan Buchanan scarf as a gift.
— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorBoxer) November 6, 2019
What a man 😃#TartanLegend #TartanTornado pic.twitter.com/SHNO7A4dQu
Not long after entering boxing, Taylor struck up a relationship with Buchanan, which lasted until the former champ's passing.
"I never knew he was 'The Tartan Legend' when I was picking my own nickname," recalled Taylor in an interview with The Sporting News. "My ex-manager, Barry McGuigan, said: 'How about 'The Tornado' because you're blowing people away?' I said: 'But I want something Scottish in there because I'm proud of where I'm from. I want to be patriotic, so how about 'The Tartan Tornado'?' It wasn't until about a year later when I realised that Ken was 'The Tartan Legend'.
"I also won some of my big titles away from home like him as well. Now I'm going back to Madison Square Garden where he won most of his big fights, so when I win this one it's going to be a great tale to tell the kids and the grandkids that their dad has done what one of Scotland's greatest did and I'm alongside him. It's definitely exciting and I can't wait to get stuck in amongst it."
MORE: Josh Taylor vows to silence his doubters and Teofimo Lopez
Defending his lightweight crown, the great Buchanan defeated Ismael Laguna (UD 15) at MSG with a classic performance in 1971. He lost his title to future all-time great Roberto Duran (TKO 13) but returned to The Garden for wins over former champ Carlos Ortiz (TKO 6) and Chang Kil Lee (TKO 2).
When Taylor enters the ring against Lopez, he won't just have Buchanan's exploits in his mind: the reigning champ will also pay tribute sartorially.
"Even down to my fight shorts for this one, I've done a tribute to Ken of the ones he wore in Madison Square Garden as well," revealed Taylor. "I'm doing that because I couldn't make his funeral and his send-off, so I'm doing this as a tribute to Ken and paying my respects to him in that way.
"This one's a very prideful moment for me and a very special moment for me."
The only thing left for Taylor to emulate is to emerge from Saturday's Lopez showdown as a winner, which is precisely what Buchanan was.
