World champ boxer in racist, homophobic jibe at bouncers
WORLD boxing champion Josh Taylor racially abused a doorman during a drunken rant after he was thrown out of a trendy nightclub in Edinburgh.
Taylor admitted hurling abuse at the Asian bouncer when he and a friend were told to leave the Shanghai club in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Police were called and arrested Taylor, who holds the WBA and IBF world superlightweight boxing titles. He was taken to St Leonard’s police station and charged.
The incident occured hours before the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony in Aberdeen. Taylor had earlier launched a foul-mouthed Twitter rant after the BBC left him out of a preview video for the programme.
Accompanied by two burly security men, the boxer appeared yesterday morning at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where he pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner.
The 28-year-old southpaw’s not guilty plea to possessing cocaine at an Edinburgh police station was accepted. Alistair Millar, prosecuting, told the court Taylor was at the nightclub around 3am when door staff asked one of his party to leave due to his drunken behaviour.
Mr Millar said: ‘Security staff said the accused was clearly intoxicated and was asked to leave the premises. Once outside he acted in the manner liabled [stated in the charge] and shouted “you are all s **** , doorman” and “you can’t fight for real”. ‘He said [to one doorman] “your nose ring is gay” before saying he was “gay-looking”’.
Cameron Tait, defending, said his client was a first offender, a professional boxer who had won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and ‘has achieved exceptional heights’ in his career.
Sheriff Nigel Ross noted Taylor was ‘ashamed and had apologised’ and fined him a total of £350. He added: ‘I am sure you are aware of your position as a role model and I am sure you will adjust your behaviour in the future after this.’
Taylor, from Prestonpans, East Lothian, admitted acting in an aggressive manner, swearing and uttering offensive remarks. The charge was aggravated by prejudice relating to sexual orientation, and the offence was also racially aggravated. Taylor was shielded from the press outside court and was rushed away in a waiting white Range Rover. He wrote yesterday on Twitter: ‘I hold my hands up for making remarks which caused offence and I was rightfully found guilty of. I’m ashamed about the whole incident.’
Taylor, the ‘Tartan Tornado’, has a professional record of 16 wins from 16 fights and a knockout rate of 75 per cent.