Motown stalwart Bobby Taylor in Rex Tso's corner for Macau fight
Singer who worked with the Jacksons is in the 'Wonder Kid's' corner for his Featherweight Fury bout
Rex Tso Sing-yu will have soul and a bit of rhythm and blues in his corner when he steps into the ring for tonight's undercard for Featherweight Fury.
Bobby Taylor, the Motown artist who helped launch the careers of the Jackson 5, will be with Tso every step of the way, sitting at ringside and accompanying the Hong Kong star for the "Wonder Kid's" latest bout at the CotaiArena.
Taylor, an alternate on the US boxing team for the 1960 Rome Olympics who sparred with Cassius Clay, aka Muhammad Ali, knows a champion when he sees one. And the 80-year-old thinks Tso will go a long way.
I saw [dedication] in his face the first time I saw him [in 2012]. When I first met him, it was just magnifying
"He should be the [world] champion. He's dedicated and he's the kind of kid I would like to teach. I just took a liking to the kid, it's as simple as that," said Taylor, who has lived in Hong Kong for the past five years and has watched all of Tso's fights since December 2012.
Tso (12-0-0, 8 KOs) is looking to stretch his unbeaten streak to 13 victories against Thai challenger Ratchasak Kokietgym (22-2-1, 10 KOs).
"I saw [dedication] in his face the first time I saw him [in 2012]. When I first met him, it was just magnifying," he added.
Tso will put his WBC ABCO super flyweight and WBO Asia-Pacific junior bantamweight titles on the line against WBA Asia bantamweight champion Kokietgym, who became Tso's opponent only last week after two previous foes had to withdraw.