| Anthony Taylor | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Anthony Taylor (1989-06-23)23 June 1989 (age 36) Berkeley,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 fromBoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Anthony Taylor (born 23 June 1989), known by the ring namePretty Boy, is an Americanprofessional boxer[1][2] and professionalmixed martial artist. He previously fought underBellator.[3] He is currently signed toMisfits 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.
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 joinedBAMMA in 2018 where he fought twice, winning both bouts, before being resigned by Bellator where he faced and beatChris Avila.[5]
After a 5-year hiatus, Taylor is set to make his MMA return againstDillon Danis as the co-feature bout on theMisfits Mania – The Fight Before Christmas boxing card. The bout will take place on December 20, 2025, at theDubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium inDubai, 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 atUFC 322.[7]
Taylor retired from professionalMMA in 2020 to purse a move to professional boxing. Taylor return to the ring after to four years to face English boxerTommy Fury (6–0) at theRocket Arena inCleveland, Ohio on August 29, 2021. The bout took place on theJake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley undercard in which Fury defeated Taylor viaunanimous decision.[8]
Four months later, Taylor fought Americanmixed martial artistChris Avila after obtaining two wins inTijuana, Mexico. Taylor and Avila had previously fought before, the first time as an MMA bout atBellator 238, in which Taylor won.[9] The bout took place at theAmalie Arena inTampa, Florida on theJake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley II undercard on December 18, and saw Avila defeat Taylor viamajority decision.[10]
A year later, Taylor fought Englishmusician Ashley Rak-Su from theRak-Su boyband, on theMF & DAZN: X Series 002 undercard. The bout took place on October 15, 2022, at theUtilita Arena Sheffield inSheffield, England. Taylor defeated Rak-Su via unanimous decision.[11]
On December 6, 2022, Taylor's most challenging matchup was announced forMF & DAZN: X Series 004, being English boxer Idris Virgo (12–0–1). The bout took place on January 14, 2023, atWembley Arena inLondon, England, in which Virgo defeated Taylor via unanimous decision.[12]
On April 13, Taylor vs Filipinoinfluencer Salt Papi was announced forMF & DAZN: X Series 007 for May 13 at Wembley Arena in London, England.[13] Taylor defeated Papi via unanimous decision and was awardedPrime Fighter of the Night.[14]
On June 8, 2024, English megastarKSI uploaded aYouTube video challenging both Taylor and AmericanYouTuber Slim Albaher to a 2 vs. 1outnumbered tag team match, after negotiations to face formerunifiedlight welterweight championAmir Khan failed.[15] Taylor accepted the challenge onTwitter. On June 30, the bout between KSI, Taylor, and Albaher was made official, and was set to take place as the headliner forMF & DAZN: X Series 17 at3Arena inDublin, 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]
Following the cancellation of Taylor's outnumbered match, his next bout was announced to be against South Korean formerkickboxer 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 onMF & DAZN: X Series 16 at theJames L. Knight Center inMiami, Florida. Taylor defeated Ericsson viatechnical knockout in the third round and retained his MFB title.[19]
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 vsDanny Simpson.[20] Originally, Taylor and Silva were set to fight each other onMF & DAZN: X Series 13, but was cancelled following Silva's withdrawal. Taylor defeated Silva via technical knockout and retained his MFB title.[21]
On 6 December, Taylor's next bout was announced to be against formerUFC welterweight challengerDarren Till, following the withdrawal of Fury as Till's original opponent.[22] The bout took place as the headliner forMF & DAZN: X Series 20 at theCo-op Live inManchester, England. Till defeated Taylor via technical knockout in the sixth round.[23]
Following the cancellation of Taylor's MMA bout againstDillon Danis, Misfits announced that Taylor would face Indian professional boxerNeeraj Goyat on the undercard ofMisfits 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 theDubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium inDubai, UAE.[24] Taylor lost to Goyat by unanimous decision.
Anthony Taylor grew up in Alameda, California. He graduated from Encinal High School. Before becoming a professional MMA fighter, Taylor made money as an Uber driver and male stripper.[25] Before his professional boxing debut, Taylor was made homeless.[26]
| 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. |
| 7 fights | 4 wins | 3 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 vacantMFB 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. |