Taylor’s ‘badge of honour’published at 20:12 GMT
Taylor v Hutchinson
Image source, Getty ImagesEzra Taylor has put in the hard yards to prepare for tonight’s encounter with Willy Hutchinson.
Taylor is undefeated in 13 fights as a professional and boasts nine victories by knockout, but can’t afford to sit back and admire his work just yet.
The Nottingham fighter relocated to Los Angeles to work with American trainer Malik Scott, who worked with former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder, as he attempts to move closer to his dream of becoming a world champion at light-heavyweight.
“There’s times when we were in California during camp and his knuckles would just be bloody,” Scott told BBC East Midlands Today.
“One thing a fighter is always going to know how to do is throw punches. But what I’m talking about is power.
“I’m making sure Ezra is bending his knees, is turning his knuckles when he hits the shield I hold, and it’s mission accomplished with bloody knuckles. I look at that as a badge of honour because I’m doing my job and he is doing his.
“As time goes on those knuckles don’t get bloody no more because he is toughening and roughing them up. And this, to me, is how you take someone that hits hard and you turn them into a solid power puncher.”
