Woodall vs Taylor Predictions: ‘The Cannon’ cannot flinch against replacement foe

Former British super middleweight title challenger Steed Woodall steps in to face unbeaten Ezra Taylor this Saturday, October 25. The fight will serve as chief support for Joseph Parker’s big heavyweight showdown with Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London. The card will be broadcast live on DAZN PPV.

Read on for my Woodall vs Taylor predictions.

Woodall vs Taylor Odds

Woodall is your underdog at 5/1 while Taylor comes in as a 1/9 favourite. The draw is priced at 40/1.

Woodall vs Taylor Fight Preview

Taylor was training for a shot at Lewis Edmondson’s British light heavyweight championship when the titlist pulled out on Monday. An injury has sidelined Edmondson and the Lonsdale belt will have to wait. 

Taylor can be applauded for still taking to the ring at the O2. Given his top-contender status for the British belt, he could be forgiven for waiting on Edmondson. But instead, the 12-0 ‘Cannon’ will aim his artillery at Woodall.

‘The Stallion’ was in training for GBM’s one-night tournament card in Hull next month, so Woodall comes in with the majority of a full camp behind him. The workhorse had his own crack at a British belt last year, when Callum Simpson stopped him in two rounds for the super middleweight version. That fight, which was also for the Commonwealth title, said more about Simpson’s skills than Woodall’s fragility, in my view.

Woodall is a well-travelled warrior with some good opponents on his record. He took the fringe contender Padraig McCrory 10 rounds in his opponent’s Belfast back yard in 2023. A win over Lerrone Richards the following year propelled Woodall into the world rankings. Stopping the previously-unbeaten ‘Sniper The Boss’ in six rounds felt like a statement from a fighter who had been toiling in relative obscurity.

Birmingham’s Woodall began his career with a four-round points win over 2-10-1 Daniel Rodriguez at the Kissimmee Civic Center in Florida. An opponent and venue that does not stay long in the memory. But a solid grounding Stateside, with intermittent outings in the Dominican Republic, gave Steed an invaluable education.

Woodall returned from America with a 15-1-1 record in 2021, with the only reverse coming at the hands of world-rated Steve Rolls. His sole defeats upon returning were the aforementioned Simpson and McCrory losses. That pair were also both in at least one world top-15 at the time they beat Woodall. That is both a compliment and a criticism. Woodall loses whenever he enters world level, but until now you have needed to be a ranked fighter to defeat him.

Taylor is not yet a world-rated light heavyweight. Does that mean Woodall is in luck? Kristaps Bulmeistars did not feel lucky when a single looped right hand ended his night in 24 seconds last November. The Latvian is not on anyone’s list of the top 168-pounders, even just in Latvia. But it was still a display of power from Taylor.

There are a few of those highlight-reel finishes on Taylor’s 12-0 record with eight knockouts. But his skills have been tested over 10 rounds and he has come out of those occasions looking decent. Former English light heavyweight boss Troy Jones had a 12-0 record of his own to protect back in May, but Taylor widely-outscored him over the distance to capture the WBA continental trinket.

His other 10-round distance fight was against Carlos Alberto Lamela, the Cuban trialhorse who almost nobody knocks out. Only rising Swede Constantino Nanga has managed it so far. But, as with Jones, when faced with a foe he could not blast out, Taylor dominated him on the cards. 

Woodall is capable of beating Taylor. He showed that with the Richards victory. But Taylor has gone from a slight favourite against Edmondson to a wide one after the switch. The heat is on and his British title shot is in the balance. No pressure, Ezra.

Woodall vs Taylor Full Card

Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley

Steed Woodall vs Ezra Taylor

Juergen Uldedaj vs Rolly Lambert Fogoum

Danny Quartermaine vs Royston Barney-Smith

Mitchell Smith vs Arnie Dawson

Tony Curtis vs TBA

Hassan Ishaq vs TBA

Zayn Ahmed vs Engel Gomez

Jimmydean Wood vs Artjom Spatar

George Crott vs Bahadur Karami

Anton Esson vs Jordan Ellison

Woodall vs Taylor Prediction

We have not yet seen how Taylor will cope beyond British level. But I do believe he is very accomplished against opponents of Woodall’s standing. When you add in the fact Woodall is a super middleweight moving up, I fancy the unbeaten ‘Cannon’ to get this one done inside the distance at 4/9.

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