Ezra Taylor vs Steed Woodall Keys to Victory: Breaking down tactics of each fighter

Ezra Taylor had been planning for a fight with Lewis Edmondson but when the latter was injured it left ‘The Cannon’ with a new opponent on short notice.

Now, Taylor will clash with Steed Woodall tonight at London’s O2 Arena, and live and exclusive on DAZN Pay-Per-View. The bout will be the co-main event to the heavyweight showdown between Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley.

The undefeated Taylor (12-0, 8 KOs) is coming off a unanimous decision over Troy Jones this past May and will be seeking his fourth win since November in a busy stretch. Woodall (20-3-1, 12 KOs) steps into the ring on short notice, having last defeated Marcelo Fabian Bzowski via points just in September.

With Taylor and Woodall each having the opportunity to make a splash, which light heavyweight will have his hand raised tonight? DAZN News analyzes the Keys to Victory for both fighters.

Ezra Taylor’s Keys to Victory

Assert jab upstairs, stab to the body

Once Ezra Taylor asserts the jab, he does a nice job alternating the stick between the head and body. Stabbing to the body, in particular, could soften Steed Woodall up enough for Taylor to open up his offense and detonate more devastating punches, making the jab that much more important to the success of ‘The Cannon.’

Don’t stand too upright

Taylor often is guilty of standing too upright while piecing together his measured offense. Standing a bit too stiff could offer Woodall openings, especially on the counterpunch end.

Taylor can remedy this with the addition of slight head movement to throw Woodall off.

Launch the right hand

Over his 12 victories, Taylor has shown the ability to launch an overhand right with blunt force. Just ask Kristaps Bulmeistars who he flattened with the shot back in November.

Considering Woodall is not the quickest fighter, Taylor can time the right hand to either damage Woodall significantly or end his night, altogether.

Steed Woodall’s Keys to Victory

Get inside of Taylor’s jab

With Taylor owning roughly five inches of reach advantage, Woodall should look to get inside of his jab. The more he could do that, the more he will likely increase his chances for success.

Mix it up in cramped quarters

Woodall being kept on the outside could spell early doom for the late-replacement opponent as Taylor has the tools to carve him up and blast him out with a fight-altering shot.

Therefore, Woodall should look to cautiously get inside and throw punches in traffic with Taylor in cramped quarters, especially on the counterpunch end.

Time the counter right

With Taylor expected to stalk and walk Woodall down, perhaps the latter’s best shot at pulling the upset would be timing a counter right.

He uncorks the counterpunch with timing and tonight’s co-feature could get intriguing quickly.

Watch Parker vs. Wardley live on DAZN

Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley fight on Saturday, October 25, to become the WBO mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk. Watch the fight and undercard live and exclusive on DAZN PPV.

Click here for pricing and to buy now.