JOSH Taylor has vowed to be ready to step back into the ring – whenever and wherever that bout takes place.

The double world boxing champion had been due to face Apinun Khongsong in Glasgow on May 2 before the bout was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Taylor, who would have been making his first appearance in Scotland as a world champion, had no idea when or where the rescheduled fight would take place but has no plans to take his foot off the gas in the meantime.

He said: “I’ve been training and I am still doing a bit of something every day. I have been doing a bit of running, I have got a bag set up in my garage and I have been doing a bit of groundwork; that sort of thing. I am doing a bit of cycling; I got myself a bike and I have been going on long distance cycles. It is a wee bit tough to keep motivated but at the same time I have to keep myself in decent shape.

“I am still training and still keeping fit so that when I do get the call I am not too far off the pace and not far out of shape, unfit or too heavy.”

Taylor, now living in Haddington, would have been returning to the SSE Hydro for the first time since he lifted the IBF World Super Lightweight title with a unanimous points decision over Ivan Baranchyk 12 months ago.

The 29-year-old would go on to defeat the previously unbeaten Regis Prograis at the O2 Arena in London to pick up the WBA World Super Lightweight title.

Khongsong, who has a record of 16-0, with 13 knock-outs, was named as the mandatory challenger for the two titles but the bout was cancelled on March 17.

Taylor said: “The Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of fight week I felt pretty rubbish.

“I was supposed to be fighting at the weekend and in terms of emotion, I should have been getting ready to fight.

“In a fight week, I would be losing weight and going to do the weigh-in – I did not miss that but I will never miss that – but everything else, the emotions,and getting excited and ready for the fight; I missed that.

“I had a lot of time to get over it though. On the Saturday night, I was sitting in the house and my mum, dad and little sister came down for an hour and a half outside of the house. We were just saying how we would be getting ready to go the venue, I would be getting my hands wrapped and getting ready to fight. It was all right – we were all OK and all over it but it would have been good to fight on the Saturday, get the win and keep my career progressing. It has come to a sudden halt.”

Previously, Taylor revealed he feared he might not fight again in 2020 due to the coronavirus but was confident his next bout would still be against his Thai rival.

He was unsure where or when that bout would be but vowed there would be no upset as he looks to face the winner of Jose Carlos Ramirez and Viktor Postol, who Taylor previously defeated in Glasgow.

Ramirez currently holds both the WBO and WBC World Super Lightweight titles and a bout with Taylor would set up a unification fight.

Taylor, who won gold in the light-welterweight section at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, stressed he would not underestimate Khongsong to ensure he was in poll position for the chance to hold the division’s four titles.

The county fighter has watched videos of Khongsong and noted his punching power but was confident he possessed the necessary tools and would “not be able to live with it”.