Troy Jones Ready to Shine Against Ezra Taylor This Weekend
Unbeaten light heavyweight Troy Jones is set to take a significant step up in class this weekend when he faces highly rated Ezra Taylor at the Nottingham Arena. The fight, which takes place on the undercard of the super featherweight bout between Anthony Cacace and Leigh Wood, will be streamed live on DAZN. According to his trainer, Lee Beard, Jones is more than ready for the challenge.
Beard, a Manchester-based trainer with a reputation for working with top-level fighters, believes that Jones has the skills and experience to make a big impact against Taylor. "He’s 26 years old and he’s been really busy over the last three or four years," Beard told The Ring. "He’s had a lot of experience. He’s built his way up, sparring with Cubans, Americans, Russians. He’s built up well in the fights that he’s had as well. He’s a big ticket seller, he has been on a big show so this is like a progression for him."
Jones, who boasts a record of 12-0 with 6 KOs, has been working with Beard for some time now, and the trainer is confident that his fighter has the ability to adapt to any situation. "Troy’s a quick learner so he would have learned from those thought processes before the Stephenson fight," Beard said. "In this camp now, he’s a lot more focused, composed. He’s not actually talking about knocking anybody out. He’s focused on a big fight on a great show on a big platform. He’s learned from the last fight with Stephenson. He knows he’s got to be fully switched on."
The fight with Taylor, who has a record of 11-0 with 8 KOs, represents a significant step up in level of opposition for Jones, but Beard believes that his fighter is more than ready for the challenge. "When do you actually then take that next step? I think this is it," Beard said. "What I’ve noticed with Troy is the bigger the step – as long as it’s the right step – you get more from him. He’s a very, very confident person within himself anyway. He’s not scared of anyone that he’s going to get in the ring with. It doesn’t matter who it would be, he would be there to fight."
Beard’s approach to training is not about quick fixes, but rather about slowly building a fighter’s skills and confidence over time. "I wasn’t trying to go out there and win the spar but he always looked very good," Beard remembered of Jones’ sparring sessions with Taylor in Dubai. "We weren’t specifically trying to win spars or any of that type of stuff. I was working on certain things, whether it be defence, a jab or controlling the range of a fight or spar. How to navigate rounds. When to put the foot down, when to come off the gas. When to squeeze someone’s space, but do it more in a mental way as opposed to a physical way. So we were constantly working on things."
Jones’ last outing was against Michael Stephenson on the undercard of the flyweight clash between Galal Yafai and Sunny Edwards. Although he admitted to feeling the pressure of fighting on a big show, Jones was able to make the necessary adjustments and pull away in the later rounds. With Beard in his corner, Jones is confident that he has the skills and experience to overcome Taylor and take a significant step up in class.
As Jones prepares to face Taylor this weekend, it’s clear that he has the support of his trainer and the skills to make a big impact in the world of light heavyweight boxing. According to The Ring, Jones is a fighter to watch, and with Beard in his corner, he’s sure to be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.
