Josh Taylor refused to make any excuses after he relinquished his world crown in New York last weekend.

But he could have been forgiven for offering plenty. Despite what some of the keyboard warriors might say, there was no disgrace in the Scot losing on points to Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden. If anything, producing a performance as competitive as he did was every bit as impressive as anything he’s achieved in his sensational career.

Excuses? How about the fact Taylor went toe to toe with one of the best fighters on the planet just 10 weeks after he could barely walk properly? His promoters did him no favours whatsoever anchoring him to the June 5 booking when they knew he had missed a huge part of his prep with a foot injury earlier in the year.

Taylor needed an extended camp after more than 14 months without a fight - not a reduced one. He was doing the early rounds of promotion for this fight when he still couldn’t go full pelt on a treadmill. It was a miracle Taylor made the weight - which is notoriously brutal at light welter - never might going the full 12 rounds.

There were other factors. He was fighting in Lopez‘a backyard, the fight politics and problems with his promotion teams meant he’d fought just three times in three years and then there is a savage run of contests the 32-year-old has been involved in.

Taylor has NEVER had an easy fight. Not one. He was rushed through the ranks and his CV stacks up with any in the boxing world - not just now, but ever. Get this. Taylor has been involved in 20 fights - and eight of them have been against reigning or former world champions. Six of them in his last eight fights, with his opponents having just two defeats between them.

No one in the global game has taken on that kind of work load. And up until Lopez he’s been successful every time. Folk have short memories. Sure, he had a stinker when he squeezed past Jack Catterall, but he was allowed on after a flawless pro career.

Losing last week wasn’t a major blow. It was a minor set back. And all these eijits who are now jumping to claim Taylor was overhyped can get back in their box. If anything, Taylor has been under hyped. No British fighter has achieved what he has. Not Joe Calzaghe, Ricky Hatton, Chris Eubank, Barry McGuigan, even our own late great Ken Buchanan.

Maybe only Lennox Lewis is up there. Taylor should be fielding offers for Strictly Come Dancing as well as from title opponents.

The fact he’s taken the fast route means he’s not been able to build the UK wide mania of others, because they made their name making mincemeat of duds before building up to championship showdowns. Taylor has gone right in at the deep end every single time.

It’s been rotten luck he’s been unable to build momentum, with covid hitting either when he was about to lift off, splitting with the Barry McGuigan camp and then running into bother with disreputable replacement team Probellum, leaving him in limbo.

But the frustrations of the last couple of years doesn’t mean this is a fighter who is on the way down. Taylor is back to being the hunter rather than the hunted again. Being up close with him over this last decade, you get the sense that’s exactly how he likes it.

He’s been hailed now he’s been written off. It will be music to his ears. Taylor needs to store all that nonsense up and keep it in the dark basement of his soul, the place he goes to on fight nights to find the spite that has made him one of the UK’s greatest ever fighters. He can go up to welterweight, get comfortable with a couple of fights on home soil in front of the folk who love him to bits rather than jab him on social media.

Then gear up for a crack and more world honours. Anyone predicting this is the end of the Tartan Tornado, they are blowing out of their backsides – don’t bet against our man becoming a two weight world champ and underlining his status as one of our greats.