Anthony Taylor has turned a life on the streets into one in the ring with the help of Jake Paul, who he has tipped for greatness.
It has not been an easy life for Taylor, who had to sleep rough and became a male stripper to make ends meet.
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Now he is part of the Misfits Boxing label and will be fighting at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night on the undercard of KSI vs Tommy Fury and Logan Paul vs Dillon Danis.
And Pretty Boy credits his rise from the bottom to Logan’s brother Jake, who helped him grow from sparring partner to boxing star – and believes he can beat Canelo Alvarez one day.
Speaking to Gambling Zone, Taylor said: “It’s crazy how I’ve made a name for myself, I’m no longer Jake Paul’s sparring partner.
“But I give every credit to Jake Paul in the world. He created this path for me and I’ve snapped up the opportunity.
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“On this Misfits path and with the help of Mams Taylor, I’ve managed to buy a house.
“I was once homeless and now I’m living the good life. Thank you Jake Paul. Thank you Mams Taylor. But also I’m proud of myself for taking the opportunity.
“I’m no longer just Jake Paul’s sparring partner, but I’ll be forever grateful, and you know what, that guy can do anything he wants, achieve anything he wants.
“If he’s backing himself against Canelo, write him off at your peril. Give it a few years and I think he can do it.
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“When Canelo’s slightly more worn and has more miles on the clock and before they both retire, Jake knocks Canelo out.”
Taylor looked to become an MMA star at the age of 25 and moved to Los Angeles in 2015, but he came upon hard times and took a job as a male stripper.
Speaking earlier this year, the 34-year-old said: “I was a stripper, I had nothing. I wasn’t doing anything with my life, I was homeless, nowhere to go, and I was stripping. I was just enjoying life as a bum who had no goals, nothing.
“It was all men who danced and nothing but women who came in. It was kind of like Magic Mike.
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“And that’s how I got into it, I did it for a couple of months, made really good money, and kept at it.
“Those times were low, the lowest times of my life. Having to endure that for such a long period of time really molded the person I am now.”
Taylor made his boxing debut in 2017, beating Donte Stubbs, but had to wait another four years before returning to the ring – taking on Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy.
While he lost that fight via unanimous decision, he will be back on Saturday night to face YouTube prankster Kenny Ojuederie, otherwise known as KingKenny.
Listen to KSI vs Tommy Fury live, exclusive and free on talkSPORT on Saturday night.
