Taylor meets Wilson for USBA cruiserweight crown

Atlantic City, NJ—Andres Taylor, who rarely fights far from his friends in his Johnstown, PA, backyard, is bringing his neighborhood with him when he boxes Garrett Wilson, of Philadelphia, PA, on Saturday evening, April 14, at Bally’s Atlantic City.

At stake in the scheduled 12-rounder will be Wilson’s United States Boxing Association (USBA) cruiserweight title as well as the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) crown. The Wilson-Taylor championship contest tops a seven-bout card which begins at 7.30 pm. in the 1,500-seat Grand Ballroom.

Taylor (left) and Wilson met the first time on Sept. 11, 2010, in Johnstown, PA, in a scheduled eight-round fight which Wilson accepted on three days’ notice. The outdoor match was interrupted by rain after the fifth round and later resumed with one official voting for Wilson, one for Taylor, one for a draw.

Taylor, 33, has not lost since fighting Wilson, earning decisions over Rayshawn Myers, of Cleveland, OH; Kamarah Pasley, of Philadelphia, PA; Mike Alderete, ofAlbuquerque, NM, andGary Gomez, of Salt Lake City, UT.

A pro less than four years, Taylor is 20-1-2, 7 K0s. and rated No. 33 by the WBC. His last fight was Nov. 23, 2010, in Pittsburgh, PA, when he out-pointed Gomez over eight rounds.

Of his 23 pro fights, Taylor has boxed 18 times in Pennsylvania in places like Johnstown, York, Erie, Altoona, Monroeville and Pittsburgh. None of his five road trips took him farther than 200 miles from home. He boxed four times in Ohio (Youngstown, Akron, Campbell, North Olmstead) and once in Maryland (Hagerstown).

When he makes the 300-mile trip to Bally’s Atlantic City, Taylor will be bringing busloads of supporters and sponsors, including Mike Adams, defensive corner for the Denver Broncos, and Artrell Hawkins, former corner for the New England Patriots and New York Jets.

“Taylor is very popular in his backyard,” says agent Chuck Bayley. “He’s bringing a ton of people with him to Atlantic City. After this one, we’ll be in line to challenge for the world title.”