Scotland’s 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Josh Taylor will box for his first professional title on Oct. 21 when he takes on England’s Dave Ryan for the vacant Commonwealth junior welterweight title at the Meadowbank Arena in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Edinburgh’s Taylor (6-0, 6 KOs) has made an explosive start to his professional career since turning professional with manager Barry McGuigan and Cyclone Promotions last year. ‘The Tartan Tornado’ has swiftly disposed of all of his opponents inside two rounds, with an impressive mix of blurring hand speed and punch power. Now, the Shane McGuigan trained southpaw faces a considerable step up in class when he squares off against former Commonwealth champion Dave Ryan.

The experienced Ryan (17-9, 4 KOs) will travel to Edinburgh confident that he can derail Taylor’s world title aspirations and he has good reason to believe in himself. The game 33-year-old has posted impressive wins over the likes of current British champion Tyrone Nurse, former European champion Paul McCloskey and former Commonwealth champion John Wayne Hibbert.

Josh Taylor quote: “I’m delighted to be fighting for my first title at home. Dave Ryan is a proven operator and I will have to be at my best to beat him. I want to thank my team for getting me this opportunity and I can’t wait to put on a show and win the Commonwealth title.”

Dave Ryan quote: “This is going to be a great fight. I know what it takes to win this title and I’m very confident that I’ll be taking this belt home with me. Josh is a talented lad but he hasn’t been in the deep-end yet. I’m going to make sure he visits it when we fight.”

Barry McGuigan quote: “Taylor versus Ryan has the makings of a cracking fight. The Edinburgh fans are some of the best in British boxing and they’re in for a real treat. This is a good test for Josh Taylor, as Dave Ryan is a former Commonwealth champion who always comes to fight, but we’re very confident that Josh will win and win in style on October 21.”

Shane McGuigan quote: “I’m excited about this fight. It’s a perfect fight for Josh at this stage of his career and we won’t be taking Dave Ryan lightly. I believe Josh can go a long way in this sport and winning a Commonwealth title is a proven path to the top.”

For more information on tickets and the event please go to www.ticketmaster.co.uk / Tel: 0844 844 0444.

£100 VIP tickets will be available from www.cyclonepromotions.com from tomorrow morning (Thursday 25th).