Three years ago, if someone told you Darren Till would one day be preparing to fight American Anthony Taylor in a boxing match, you could be forgiven for thinking they didn’t have a clue what they were talking about.
Yet here we are.
Till, a former UFC title contender and one time face of the sport in the UK, will make his return to the spotlight in the squared circle rather than the octagon on a Misfits boxing card in Manchester, England on Saturday.
He was originally set to fight Tommy Fury, until Fury withdrew citing safety concerns after Till said he would kick him in the head during the bout. Till has denied his comments were serious, but it left the Liverpudlian needing a new opponent.
Now Taylor, who as an amateur fighter without a home or job, became an Uber driver and stripper to pay the bills, will step up. Like Till, Taylor has an MMA background, with a 7-5 professional record which included a spell in Bellator. He also has a 3-3 boxing record. With his career trending downwards after he left Bellator in 2020, Taylor tried to keep his relentlessly positive attitude, which he credits as the reason he has another opportunity.
“I left [Bellator], I was depressed, I went through some really dark times, but I had to get my life together. I’ve always kept a positive attitude. I had to manifest some s—,” Taylor tells ESPN.
His rollercoaster career in the octagon was at a crossroads when a call from BJ Flores — Jake Paul‘s coach at the time — came in.
“That’s where my life changed,” Taylor says. Taylor had to choose between taking off to Miami to spar with Paul or continue grinding in MMA with the faint dream of one day reaching the UFC.
“I took the opportunity to spar with Jake Paul because one: Jake Paul is a big name and two: he would offer me $2,500 a week. You’re not going to pass $10,000 a month for nobody,” Taylor says. “So, I did that. Me and Jake became friends. He started inviting me into his house, started eating with him and his family. Then he gave me the opportunity to fight Tommy Fury.”
Taylor lost to Tommy Fury on the Paul vs. Tyron Woodley undercard in 2021, but it opened his eyes to the emerging world of crossover boxing. Fast forward to 2025, and Taylor has another chance to make a name for himself.
But Till and Taylor’s paths couldn’t be more different.
In 2018, while Taylor was slogging it out as an MMA battler, Till fought for the welterweight championship against Woodley, losing via submission in Round 2.
He lost his next bout to Jorge Masvidal, but a move up to middleweight was inevitable. He was still a major draw, particularly with the UFC looking to grow its base in the UK. While Taylor was treading water as an amateur, Till was almost at the top of the mountain, with all the fame and fortune that comes with it. However, Till failed to get the results needed in one of the promotion’s most competitive divisions.
A split decision win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244 got him back on track, but three straight defeats to Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and Dricus du Plessis knocked him back down the pecking order. Of course, all three of those opponents are elite level fighters, but winning is the key currency in combat sports.
Things could have been different, with the margins inside the octagon so small. A tantalising bout with Israel Adesanya was even floated, at times by Adesanya himself, but it never eventuated. After losing to Du Plessis, Till was granted a release from the UFC in February 2023. Few would predict it would cast him into the wilderness for two years.
After the initial fight with Fury was announced in November, Till told ESPN he wanted to push to get back to the UFC. A fight with Taylor isn’t as big of an attraction in England, but it gives Till the chance to get back under the bright lights.
“I just want to get back out there, feel it again. It’s been a long time coming. I’ve had so many fights fall through, it’s been so disheartening,” Till tells ESPN. “But the fact I’ve stayed true to the game and stayed in the gym just shows the level of depth of where I’m willing to go.
“I’m just glad to be back a part of the fight game.”
Taylor is a relentless optimist, who also has aspirations of breaking into the WWE this year. His persona suits crossover boxing, but he has also talked the talk when it comes to beating Till — even predicting a quick knockout. Till, though isn’t buying it for a second. At times, he plays down the level of his opponent and the significance of the bout, but it isn’t long before the competitive fires inside him flare up again.
“I’m just going to be extremely violent towards Anthony Taylor. I’m not going to give him an inch. I’m just going to make it really uncomfortable in there for him because it’s what I do,” Till says.
For two fighters who have trodden contrasting paths, Saturday’s fight presents another fork in the road for them both.
Source: espn.com