British boxer Josh Taylor has made history by becoming the UK’s first undisputed world super-lightweight champion.

The undefeated Scotsman, from Edinburgh, floored Jose Ramirez twice in Las Vegas on Saturday night to score a unanimous points victory and become the first Briton to claim the WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC world super-lightweight titles.

Taylor, 30, is only the fifth champion to hold all four belts in the sport, joining fellow elite fighters Oleksandr Usyk, Bernard Hopkins, Jermain Taylor and Terence Crawford.

He is also the first Scot to be undisputed world champion since Ken Buchanan won two belts 50 years ago.

Both Taylor and Ramirez, from California, had two titles and unbeaten records going into the ring, while Taylor also retained the Ring Magazine belt.

Speaking after his victory, Taylor said: “I’m ecstatic. I’ve trained my whole life for this. I’ve dedicated my whole life for this moment.

“I’ve dreamt of it so many times over, man. I’m so, so happy. I’m over the moon. I’ve trained for this moment all my life.”

Ramirez gave Taylor a run for his money, giving out some heavy shots in the third and fourth rounds before the Scot caught Ramirez with a counter left hook in the sixth round.

In the seventh round, an uppercut from Taylor rocked Ramirez further and Taylor was then in control, managing to keep out of the way of his opponent’s attempts to land a late knockout.

Taylor apologised to Ramirez after getting in fight mode during the first face-off and weigh-in.

“I’ve got nothing but love for Ramirez. This week was no disrespect,” he said.

“It was all part of the mind games to get in his head, to make him more eager to jump in at me and be more aggressive, to use his aggression against him.

“It worked perfectly, I walked him into some good shots.

“I thought the scorecards were a little tight. I thought they were well wider than that.

“I wasn’t too happy with the selection of the judges, but I wasn’t going to moan. I was confident in winning this fight anyway.”

Taylor could now be set to fight English boxer Jack Catterall, who had been the mandatory challenger for the WBO belt.

The champion added: “I still don’t feel I have reached my full potential. Until I feel I don’t think I could do any better, I am going to keep going and going. I am hungry for more.”

Related posts:

‘Arctic trough’ could see white Easter in parts of UK as ‘big swing’ forecast for weather COVID rates in England continue to fall across most regions and ages – apart from 5 to 9s Five teenagers appear in court over Newport murder Wales to ease COVID rules from Saturday – but face masks still needed indoors and on public transport ‘We will all be rooting for you’: Duchess of Cambridge wishes Emma Raducanu the ‘best of luck’ ahead of US Open final Rapper Bugzy Malone punched two men outside his house in ‘self-defence’, court hears Storm Barra: More ice, wind, and rain to come, along with flooding 30,000 trees to be felled in UK as climate change drives disease Record levels of child sexual abuse online in 2021, internet watchdog finds PM cancels visit after family member tests positive for COVID ‘No convincing case’ for ‘Britcoin’ cryptocurrency, committee says Manchester United player racially abused on social media after penalty shootout miss