Anthony Taylor (fighter)
American professional boxer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anthony Taylor (born 23 June 1989), known by the ring name Pretty Boy, is an American professional boxer[1][2] and professional mixed martial artist. He previously fought under Bellator.[3] He is currently signed to Misfits Boxing and is the current MFB Light-Heavyweight Champion. He has an unranked record with Misfits of 7 wins, 7 losses, and 2 draws[4] bringing his total MMA and boxing statistics to 24 fights, 14 wins, and 10 losses.
23 June 1989
Berkeley, California, United States
| Anthony Taylor | |
|---|---|
Taylor in 2022 | |
| Born | Anthony Taylor 23 June 1989 Berkeley, California, United States |
| Other names | Pretty Boy |
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) |
| Reach | 169 cm (66.5 in) |
| Style | Free Styler, Boxing |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 3 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 0 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 12 |
| Wins | 7 |
| Losses | 5 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Mixed martial arts career
Taylor made his professional MMA debut in 2015 against Adin Duenas at Bellator 147 losing via rear naked choke following a rocky amateur career of 5 wins and 8 losses. Winning only one fight in four following his debut, he was subsequently dropped by Bellator and joined CFC (Cage Fighting Championships) in 2017. He won his first fight for the promotion via decision against Trey Branch. Losing twice again he joined BAMMA in 2018 where he fought twice, winning both bouts, before being resigned by Bellator where he faced and beat Chris Avila.[5]
After a 5-year hiatus, Taylor was set to make his MMA return against Dillon Danis as the co-feature bout on the Misfits Mania – The Fight Before Christmas boxing card. The bout will take place on December 20, 2025, at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, UAE for the MF MMA light heavyweight title.[6] However, the bout was cancelled following Danis' withdrawal, after not being medically cleared due to his altercation at UFC 322.[7]
Boxing career
Taylor vs Fury
Taylor retired from professional MMA in 2020 to pursue a move to professional boxing. Taylor return to the ring after to four years to face English boxer Tommy Fury (6–0) at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on August 29, 2021. The bout took place on the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley undercard in which Fury defeated Taylor via unanimous decision.[8]
Taylor vs Avila II
Four months later, Taylor fought American mixed martial artist Chris Avila after obtaining two wins in Tijuana, Mexico. Taylor and Avila had previously fought before, the first time as an MMA bout at Bellator 238, in which Taylor won.[9] The bout took place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II undercard on December 18, and saw Avila defeat Taylor via majority decision.[10]
A year later, Taylor fought English musician Ashley Rak-Su from the Rak-Su boyband, on the MF & DAZN: X Series 002 undercard. The bout took place on October 15, 2022, at the Utilita Arena Sheffield in Sheffield, England. Taylor defeated Rak-Su via unanimous decision.[11]
On December 6, 2022, Taylor's most challenging matchup was announced for MF & DAZN: X Series 004, being English boxer Idris Virgo (12–0–1). The bout took place on January 14, 2023, at Wembley Arena in London, England, in which Virgo defeated Taylor via unanimous decision.[12]
Taylor vs Papi
On April 13, Taylor vs Filipino influencer Salt Papi was announced for MF & DAZN: X Series 007 for May 13 at Wembley Arena in London, England.[13] Taylor defeated Papi via unanimous decision and was awarded Prime Fighter of the Night.[14]
MFB light heavyweight championship
Cancelled outnumbered bout with KSI
On June 8, 2024, English KSI uploaded a YouTube video challenging both Taylor and American YouTuber Slim Albaher to a 2 vs. 1 outnumbered tag team match, after negotiations to face former unified light welterweight champion Amir Khan failed.[15] Taylor accepted the challenge on Twitter. On June 30, the bout between KSI, Taylor, and Albaher was made official, and was set to take place as the headliner for MF & DAZN: X Series 17 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.[16] However, fans began to speculate if the bout had been cancelled following KSI deleting the bout announcement across his social media.[17] On 1 August, KSI confirmed his withdrawal in a Twitter post due to an injury sustained.[18]
Taylor vs Ericsson
Following the cancellation of Taylor's outnumbered match, his next bout was announced to be against South Korean former kickboxer Samuel Ericsson. Originally, Ericsson was set to face to face American influencer OJ Rose, but was cancelled after Rose was arrested. The bout took place on MF & DAZN: X Series 16 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. Taylor defeated Ericsson via technical knockout in the third round and retained his MFB title.[19]
Taylor vs Silva
Taylor was then rebooked for MF & DAZN: X Series 17, but this time against Brazilian mixed martial artist Gabriel Silva, serving as the co-main event alongside the new headliner, Danny Aarons vs Danny Simpson.[20] Originally, Taylor and Silva were set to fight each other on MF & DAZN: X Series 13, but was cancelled following Silva's withdrawal. Taylor defeated Silva via technical knockout and retained his MFB title.[21]
Taylor vs Till
On December 6, Taylor's next bout was announced to be against former UFC welterweight challenger Darren Till, following the withdrawal of Fury as Till's original opponent.[22] The bout took place as the headliner for MF & DAZN: X Series 20 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. Till defeated Taylor via technical knockout in the sixth round.[23]
Taylor vs Goyat
Following the cancellation of Taylor's MMA bout against Dillon Danis, Misfits announced on November 16 that Taylor would face Indian professional boxer Neeraj Goyat on the undercard of Misfits Mania – The Fight Before Christmas.[7][24] This comes following Albaher's withdrawal from his bout with Goyat due to an injury. The bout took place on December 20 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, UAE.[24] Taylor lost to Goyat by unanimous decision.
Taylor vs Floyd
On April 24, 2026, Misfits announced that Taylor would defend his MFB light heavyweight title against Australian former UBO light heavyweight world champion Matt Floyd as the co-feature bout on Misfits 23 – Beauty vs. The Beast on June 13 at Manchester Arena.[25] During the bout, Taylor began to complain that he cannot see, began hitting the ground in frustration.[26] The referee waved off the bout and called it a no contest, which resulted in Taylor charging towards Floyd.[27] Taylor accused Floyd of using Tiger Balm, which resulted in the burning sensation in his eyes. Mams Taylor confirmed an investigation is underway with the commission.[28] On 18 June, the World Combat Sports Federation notified Misfits that there was no foul play, there by overturning the no contest to a disqualification victory to Floyd.[29]
Personal life
Boxing record
Professional
| 6 fights | 3 wins | 3 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 1 | 3 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Win | 3–3 | Samuel Ericsson | TKO | 2 (5) 2:52 | Aug 10, 2024 | James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida, U.S. | Retained MFB light heavyweight title |
| 5 | Loss | 2–3 | Chris Avila | MD | 8 | Dec 18, 2021 | Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 2–2 | Jose Camargo Cabanez | UD | 4 | Oct 16, 2021 | Big Punch Arena, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 3 | Win | 1–2 | Juan Manuel Rodriguez Chavez | TKO | 2 (4) 2:11 | Sep 25, 2021 | Big Punch Arena, Tijuana, Mexico | |
| 2 | Loss | 0–2 | Tommy Fury | UD | 4 | Aug 29, 2021 | Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Donte Stubbs | SD | 4 | Jun 1, 2017 | The Hangar, Costa Mesa, California, U.S. |
MF–Professional
| 8 fights | 4 wins | 4 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Loss | 4–4 | Matt Floyd | DQ | 5 (6), 0:58 | Jun 13, 2026 | Manchester Arena, Manchester, England | Loss MFB light heavyweight title Originally a TKO win for Floyd; overturned due accusations cheating from Taylor. On 18 June, World Combats Sports Federation overturned the result to a disqualification win for Floyd after investigation determined no foul play. |
| 7 | Loss | 4–3 | Neeraj Goyat | UD | 6 | Dec 20, 2025 | Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, Dubai, U.A.E. | |
| 6 | Loss | 4–2 | Darren Till | TKO | 6 (8) 1:05 | Jan 18, 2025 | Co-op Live, Manchester, England | |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Gabriel Silva | TKO | 3 (5) 2:54 | Aug 31, 2024 | 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland | Retained MFB light heavyweight title |
| 4 | Win | 3–1 | King Kenny | UD | 5 | Oct 14, 2023 | AO Arena, Manchester, England | Won vacant MFB light heavyweight title |
| 3 | Win | 2–1 | Salt Papi | UD | 3 | May 13, 2023 | Wembley Arena, London, England | |
| 2 | Loss | 1–1 | Idris Virgo | UD | 4 | Jan 14, 2023 | Wembley Arena, London, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Ashley Rak-Su | UD | 3 | Oct 15, 2022 | Utilita Arena Sheffield, Sheffield, England |
Exhibition
| 4 fights | 0 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By decision | 0 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Non-scored | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | N/a | 0–2–1 (1) | Jack Fincham | N/a | 4 | 13 Nov 2022 | Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, UAE | Non-Scored bout |
| 3 | Draw | 0–2–1 | Ryan Taylor | MD | 4 | 31 July 2022 | P7 Arena, Dubai, UAE | |
| 2 | Loss | 0–2 | Drew Mournet | SD | 3 | June 11, 2022 | Showboat Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S | |
| 1 | Loss | 0–1 | Jay Cucciniello | UD | 4 | March 5, 2022 | Wembley Arena, London, England |
Mixed martial arts record
| 12 matches | 7 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By submission | 1 | 4 |
| By decision | 5 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 7–5 | Chris Avila | Decision (majority) | Bellator 238 | January 25, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Inglewood, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–5 | Brandon Faumui | Decision (split) | URCC: Rumble By The Bay | August 10, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Daly City, California, United States | Catchweight (160 lb) bout. Won the vacant URCC MMA catchweight championship |
| Win | 5–5 | Ryan Reneau | Decision (unanimous) | Combate 36 | May 10, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Stockton, California, United States | |
| Win | 4–5 | Mike Hales | Decision (unanimous) | BAMMA Fight Night: London | June 28, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | London, England | Catchweight (150 lb) bout. |
| Win | 3–5 | Dean Barry | Submission (rear-naked choke) | BAMMA 35 | May 12, 2018 | 2 | 0:39 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Loss | 2–5 | Adrian Guzman | Submission (rear-naked choke) | CFC 2: Champions Will Be Crowned | April 14, 2018 | 2 | 3:14 | Sonora, California, United States | Lightweight debut. For the vacant CFC lightweight championship |
| Loss | 2–4 | Brian del Rosario | TKO (punches) | Celtic Gladiator 17 | December 8, 2017 | 1 | 4:59 | Burbank, California, United States | Catchweight (150 lb) bout. |
| Win | 2–3 | Trey Branch | Decision (unanimous) | CFC 1: King of the Mountain | November 18, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Sonora, California, United States | |
| Loss | 1–3 | Ádám Borics | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 177 | April 14, 2017 | 1 | 4:12 | Budapest, Hungary | |
| Loss | 1–2 | James Gallagher | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 169 | December 16, 2016 | 3 | 1:52 | Dublin, Ireland | |
| Win | 1–1 | Victor Jones | KO (punches) | Bellator 154 | May 14, 2016 | 1 | 0:27 | San Jose, California, United States | |
| Loss | 0–1 | Adin Duenas | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 147 | December 4, 2015 | 1 | 2:43 | San Jose, California, United States | Featherweight debut. |