Ivan Baranchyk promises to beat up Josh Taylor in Glasgow

Boxingnews247.com

IBF World champion Ivan Baranchyk (19-0, 12 KOs) has landed in Glasgow with a strong message to WBC Silver champ Josh Taylor (14-0, 12 KOs) ahead of their WBSS super-lightweight semi-final May 18 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

The ‘Beast’ is unleashed in Scotland’s largest city, and the Belarusian strongly believes he will be the one to put a stain on the opponent’s record in a battle of unbeatens.

“I am very confident of winning,” said Baranchyk. “I am going to beat Taylor by beating him again and again and then beating him some more!”

Baranchyk made his way into the semi-final stages of the quest for the Ali Trophy when he halted Sweden’s Anthony Yigit in seven rounds to claim the vacant IBF 140lb title. And he vows the same treatment of Scotland’s ‘Tartan Tornado’ to proceed to the final.

“I know that Taylor is a talented fighter and that the fight is in his backyard, but I am looking forward to putting on a spectacular performance and defending my title. The boxing fans in Glasgow can expect me to beat up their hero!”

Baranchyk told he has been working on his defense and movement since the Yigit fight, and that he recently split with trainer Pedro Diaz to work with another renowned tutor, Freddie Roach out of the famed Wild Card Gym.

“Boxing is life for me and I work hard every day. I am always working,” said ‘The Beast’.

The hard-hitting 26-year-old pictures himself with the Ali Trophy, but the focus is on the task in Glasgow.

“Who can beat me?” he said and answered the question himself: “I will do what I need to do to get that trophy. But, for now, all of my attention is on defeating Taylor on May 18.”

Baranchyk’s coach: “Preparations going excellent for Taylor, we will win the Ali Trophy”

Pedro Diaz, Ivan Baranchyk’s renowned boxing trainer, gives an insight into the preparations for the 140lb WBSS semi-final against Josh Taylor at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

For a year the Miami-based Belarusian has trained under the wings of one of the most decorated coaches in recent history. Pedro Diaz was impressively part of the coaching staff for five Olympic Games – four with Cuba and one with the Dominican Republic – before moving to the professional ranks where he has worked with several world champions.

Now he is preparing Baranchyk for a title defence and a semi-final in the super-lightweight edition of the World Boxing Super Series against Scotland’s Josh Taylor.

When ‘The Beast’ Baranchyk advanced to the semi-final and took home the vacant IBF title, he showed his devastating power against Sweden’s Anthony Yigit and forced the ring doctor’s stoppage in the seventh round in New Orleans, USA. And Taylor impressed in his quarter-final and utterly dominated the bout and stopped USA’S Ryan Martin in the seventh round to pave the way for a sensational match-up between ‘The Tornado’ and ‘The Beast’.

Pedro, how is the preparation for May 18 vs Taylor going?
“The preparations are going really excellent. Baranchyk is a very dedicated athlete and he is going through a very good camp with good sparring partners. Baranchyk loves what he does. He is never late, he never misses a training, he never parties. He always gives 100% in training and he wants to train harder and is constantly pushing himself. Some boxers are tired when the weekend comes, but not Baranchyk, he is unstoppable. His only focus is his training and his future.”

What do you think of Taylor as a boxer?
“Taylor is a great boxer, he is one of the best in the division, and he has a good team around him, but we are very confident and people will see why he is called ‘The Beast’.”

Why do you think Baranchyk has the upper hand to defend his title and go to the Ali Trophy final?
“We feel confident because of the dedication we see in the training. Baranchyk feels comfortable. We have different strategies, so there is always a plan b. What we can say is that we are not going for the KO, we always aim to win all 12 rounds, and we know Baranchyk can keep every round a very high pace.”

Do you think he will go all the way and take home the trophy?
“Like I said, we feel very confident because of what we see every day in the gym. He is a true warrior and has everything to become a superstar.”

Tickets for the hotly-anticipated semi-finals will soon go on sale. Fans are encouraged to sign-up for Ticket Alerts to receive an email reminder when tickets can be purchased.

Fans in the U.S. and Canada can watch the Ali Trophy semi-finals LIVE, exclusively on DAZN.

WBSS Season 2 Semi-Finals:

Bantamweight

Nonito Donaire vs Zolani Tete – 27 April, USA
Naoya Inoue vs Emmanuel Rodriguez – 18 May, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Super-Lightweight

Regis Prograis vs Kiryl Relikh – 27 April, USA
Josh Taylor vs Ivan Baranchyk – 18 May, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Cruiserweight

Mairis Briedis vs Krzysztof Glowacki – 15 June, Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia
Yunier Dorticos vs Andrew Tabiti – 15 June, Arena Riga, Riga, Latvia