Josh Taylor responds to Cyclone Promotions' statement
In what was an eventful day for the WBA and IBF super-lightweight world champion Josh Taylor, following an announcement of a new multi-year promotional agreement signed with Top Rank, alongside an advisory pact with MTK Global, he was forced to take to social media late last night to offer an explanation for the conflicting statements circulating that day.
'The Tartan Tornado' from Edinburgh announced the new collaborations around midday on Thursday, January 9, only to discover that former partners Cyclone Promotions released their own statement declaring their disappointment in the decision and publicly stating that he was still tied into a contract with them, just hours later.
This immediately set social media into a spin with fans speculating that things were about to get very complicated for the man that was voted as BBN's Boxer of the Year 2019.
The Scot will still make his Top Rank on ESPN debut in 2020 as he continues his quest to become the undisputed junior welterweight king, but there could be issues outside of the ring going forward.
The 29-year-old was forced to break his silence on the matter yesterday evening: "Whilst I acknowledge and appreciate the role that Cyclone has played in my career to date, three weeks ago I terminated my promotional agreement with Cyclone as a result of various breaches of contract including, in particular, breaches relating to a conflict of interest on the part of the promoter.
That allowed me to search for a new promoter, which I have found in Top Rank.
I wanted to part ways amicably and without resorting to court proceedings, I thought and hoped the McGuigans would feel the same way given the litigaton they are involved in with other fighters.
I hope all of us can now move on in a positive way concentrating on things which advance us all."
This statement on social media was in response to Cyclone's announcement here:
"We are very disappointed to read the news today that Josh Taylor has signed a promotional agreement with another promotional company.
Josh Taylor is under an exclusive worldwide promotional contract with Cyclone Promotions.
We have successfully brought Josh to the pinnacle of the sport from the day that he turned professional, including working alongside other stakeholders in boxing to deliver him the biggest fights.
Most recently, Josh became IBF World Champion in May 2019 then unified champion in October 2019, and we have been working since then to plan the next stage of his career.
We are saddened that Josh has felt the need to attempt to break his contract in this manner and frustrated at those who have caused him to do so."
Josh is on a collision course with WBC and WBO world super-lightweight champion Jose Ramirez, who defends his duo of belts to Viktor Postol on February 2 in China.
MTK Global combined with Top Rank are a force that can secure Taylor with the biggest fights in the world but this latest distraction could be a cause for concern.