'Taylor & Lopez dislike each other - this is real'

Taylor is realising a lifetime ambition to fight at Madison Square Garden

The animosity between Josh Taylor and Teofimo Lopez appears to be real, and their disdain for each other genuine.

Both have scaled heights few other active fighters can lay claim to, but they find each other at a point in their careers when they are both being questioned like never before.

Taylor's points victory over Jack Catterall last year, when the Scot was given the most generous of decisions by the judges, seems to have induced a collective amnesia amongst a certain section of boxing fans.

They seem to believe that one contentious decision somehow wipes out everything that came before, Taylor's run of victories against unbeaten fighters and world champions to rule the 140lb division as the first undisputed champion from the UK in the four-belt era.

• Taylor promises top-tier display

It may have intensified over the past 15 months, but being taken for granted is nothing new for Taylor. The Tartan Tornado's achievements have long been overlooked in favour of other less talented, though perhaps more marketable, fighters.

"If he retired next week, the man will have done everything - every belt, Ring Magazine champion, financially secure for the rest of his life," Joe McNally, who replaced Ben Davison as Taylor's trainer after the Catterall fight, tells BBC Scotland.

"So appreciate him while he's here. If he wins on Saturday he might turn round in two weeks and say, 'That's it, I've had enough, I've done everything', so we should appreciate him."

At 25, Lopez is seven years Taylor's junior and yet some are questioning whether the Brooklyn fighter may have already peaked.

His stunning victory over Vasyl Lomachenko in 2020 turned Lopez into a star, and "The Takeover" was tipped to become one the faces of boxing.

In his three fights since, he has struggled to live up to the hype. In his first defence of the IBF and WBO lightweight titles, he fell to a shock defeat against George Kambosos.

And his subsequent performances against Pedro Campa and Sandor Martin after moving up to light-welterweight have done little to dispel the notion that Lopez is a fighter desperately searching for the combination to unlock his full potential.

"We'll see how well Teo has adjusted, but he just doesn't seem as mentally focused as Josh," Mikaela Mayer, the former unified super featherweight world champion, tells BBC Scotland.

"I think, honestly, that they both lost their last fight. I don't know if many people will agree with me but when Lopez fought Sandor Martin, I thought he lost.

"I know a lot of people thought Catterall should have got the decision against Josh Taylor, but what I am looking at is who has made the most adjustments.

"I just see Josh very happy and excited, he looks healthy and strong and I think he is taking it very seriously. He learned his lesson when he came to camp a little heavy last time so I'm giving the edge to Josh.

"They obviously don't like each other and that makes it exciting for the fans. I think it's a real rivalry."

Ring rust an issue for Taylor?

Taylor has not fought since a controversial split-decision victory against Jack Catterall in February 2022

The questions surrounding both fighters is what makes this fight so intriguing.

Taylor has fought only once in two years - the non-performance against Catterall 15 months ago. Can he really find his very best once again after so little action under the lights in recent times?

And is Lopez in the right frame of mind to fulfil his ambition of becoming a two-weight world champion?

"Do I still got it?" the American was captured asking his team after the Martin fight. Does he really believe he is on the road to greatness as he - and his outrageously vocal father - likes to exclaim so often?

This one could ignite into a firefight and finish early. Conversely it could be a fascinating tactical battle between two elite fighters that goes the distance.

It is that thing we see so rarely in boxing, a genuine 50-50 fight where anything could happen.

"Teo's strength is his footwork," says Mayer. "He's very elusive and he's got a big left hook and a big right hand, he's very strong and you don't want to get caught with that. He's can be sneaky, he's got punches coming from all different angles.

"Josh is a discipline fighter - he can box and move and what I like about him best is once he gets on the inside he's going to bang your body. He's not just going to pull back out and try and box again, he's going to stay in there and bang with you.

"He doesn't want to do that too much with Teo. But if Josh does what he does, he boxes and moves and he digs to the body and gets that respect from Teo when he can then I think he'll pull off the win."

The winner at the Theatre in Madison Square Garden on Saturday will find all sorts of doors opening for lucrative mega-fights down the track. Devin Haney. Ryan Garcia. Regis Prograis. Terence Crawford. Errol Spence.

The possibilities are endless, just as the questions will be for the loser.