Heavyweight Pryce Taylor: From Brooklyn to Albuquerque

When boxers talk about preparation, you think of the essentials: running, bag work, and hitting mitts with their trainer while building a physique most envy. What most don’t consider is solitude, reflection, and accountability. Heavyweight Pryce Taylor enters the ring knowing he is the one taking the punches and is willing to call an audible if needed.

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, Taylor carries himself like a “big city” fighter. He shows personality by showboating in fights and is jovial in interviews. He leads with his personality, but beneath the surface is a methodical strategist.

Ahead of Saturday’s bout against Tsotne Rogava at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Taylor is ready to announce himself as the next American heavyweight hopeful.

“I am a strategist; you got to think outside of the box,” Taylor told FightsATW. “You got to think for yourself; you can’t always rely on your coach.”

Taylor (13-0, 8 KOs) started boxing at 21, a grown man used to making his own decisions. Trained by Benny Roman, Taylor believes he needs to make the necessary adjustments in the ring. His trainer is there to help, but ultimately it is all on him.

“I can’t just rely on someone when I am risking my life,” Taylor said.

It is a lesson he learned from a prior athletic endeavor.

“I started playing basketball when I was six years old. I was trying to please my coaches, please my father; it comes down to a point where do I actually know how to play basketball, or just do the movement?” Taylor said. “I didn’t know how to win; I knew what my coach told me to do.”

When Taylor is in the gym, it is silent. He isn’t training to music; he is trying to replicate the fight itself.

“It is a crutch,” Taylor said of listening to music while sparring. “It is like when you are in the gym, and you see bodybuilders wearing a belt. You shouldn’t be using that every day.”

Taylor views a lackluster outing against Robert Simms as a learning experience, having learned to go eight rounds, and against Isaac Munoz he went 10. In comparison, 21-year-old heavyweight Moses Itauma was recently upset by Filip Hrgovic. The big takeaway was that a lack of experience caught up to the surging star. While he may have had performances that underwhelmed, Taylor learned from them, rather than having a bad night in the office that would forever be used to judge him.

At this camp, Taylor turned 30. Instead of cake, ice cream, and gifts, he traveled to New Mexico to acclimate to the altitude. Rogava (13-1, 8 KOs), a 2020 Ukrainian Olympian who lost in the first round to Frazer Clarke, is the most experienced fighter Taylor has faced. The 33-year-old Rogava’s only loss came in the WBC Grand Prix to Ahmed Krnjic by majority decision. In May, he won a fight in Mexico and looks to derail the rise of heavyweight hopeful Taylor.

“I know how to fight; supposedly he knows how to fight,” Taylor said. “We are going to see who is the better fighter.”

Ahead of Taylor’s biggest bout to date, he is treating it like any other day, with no music playing, while grinding through a rigorous workout.

“I just look at it as another fight,” Taylor said. “Anything else comes down to pressure. As long as I don’t put pressure on myself, I am not worried.”

Lucas Ketelle

Lucas Ketelle is a boxing writer and podcaster who has appeared on various platforms throughout his career.

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