Taylor deserves place in Hall of Fame - Frampton

Josh TaylorImage source, PA Media
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Josh Taylor announced his retirement on Monday

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Josh Taylor's accomplishment in becoming undisputed world champion should be recognised as "one of the great British sporting feats ever" and the Scot is deserving a place in boxing's Hall of Fame, says Carl Frampton.

The 34-year-old is retiring on medical grounds after a career during which he won Commonwealth Games silver and gold medals for Scotland, represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and became the first – and so far only – male fighter from the UK to capture all four world titles in a single division.

"Josh should be proud of everything he's done in his career, especially becoming an undisputed champion," former world champion Frampton said.

"We see how much of a big deal it is that people make of the undisputed heavyweight champion when Oleksander Usyk beat Daniel Dubois at the weekend. Josh Taylor was undisputed in 18 fights - that's unbelievable. Hard to fathom, really.

"So I think that's what people should remember Josh for. It literally doesn't happen unless you're someone like a Vasiliy Lomachenko or a Usyk or someone like that. That's the calibre of fighter that achieves this.

"Josh Taylor becoming undisputed champion in 18 fights in a marquee division, not down at light-flyweight where nobody fights or anything like that, a marquee division, should be recognised as one of the great British sporting feats ever.

"Undisputed light-welterweight champion in 18 fights is Hall of Fame behaviour, I think."

Taylor and Frampton, a former two-weight world champion, trained alongside each other when both were under Shane McGuigan's wing, with the Scot making his professional debut on a show headlined by Frampton in Texas back in 2015.

"I was there the whole way, pretty much," Frampton told BBC Scotland.

"Josh is a great friend of mine and he's a good person as well. And he does a lot of good things behind the scenes, which people don't see. Josh is just a good fella.

"I'm very, very proud that I was able to witness some of his greatness up close and personal."

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