Ezra Taylor Says Hutchinson Loss Changed His Mindset

Ezra Taylor says his loss to Willy Hutchinson helped him reset as he prepares to face Brad Rea in Manchester this Saturday. The 32-year-old is finishing a training camp in Los Angeles with Malik Scott before returning to Nottingham to complete his preparations.

Ezra Taylor on the Hutchinson defeat

Taylor, who began boxing at 19, says he has come to see the defeat as a useful turning point. The loss had initially left him at rock bottom, but he is now grateful for the people who supported him afterwards.

He had put pressure on himself to get everything right, Taylor said, and believes that mindset was not helping him. He now wants his boxing to be driven by passion rather than the burden of expectation.

The loss also gave him a chance to reassess his approach. Taylor says adjustments made with his team during this camp have worked, and that he has seen a different side of himself in training.

Separating Taylor from “The Cannon”

Taylor has also spoken with a psychologist about keeping his boxing identity separate from his life outside the ring. He says he had begun to think of himself as a robot: a fighter expected to be cold and without emotion.

That outlook was difficult to leave behind at home, where Taylor has a son, a partner and family. He says he struggled to relax because he could not separate the hard-edged boxer from his everyday self. He believes that pressure contributed to how he felt before the Hutchinson fight.

Taylor started out working on the checkouts at Tesco, packing customers’ bags. He has described that job as formative. After more than a decade in boxing, he still values returning to Nottingham and visiting Bilborough Boxing Club, where he can see the children who look up to him.

Taylor’s preparations for Brad Rea

Taylor says the Los Angeles camp has been gruelling, and he is looking forward to finishing preparations at home with family and friends. He plans to return to his old club in Nottingham before the bout.

He expects to meet Rea with a different mindset from the one he had earlier this year. Taylor’s next scheduled fight is against Brad Rea in Manchester this Saturday.