Josh Taylor has confirmed he has to pay 11 per cent of his fight purse in sanctioning fees to defend his undisputed super-lightweight titles.
The Scottish star will put his belts on the line in a Glasgow homecoming this weekend as he looks to oust his mandatory challenger Jack Catterall.
Taylor is considered one of the leading pound-for-pound fighters in boxing after defeating Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas last year.
However Taylor has revealed it isn't "easy" being champion and understands why fighters often want to relinquish their titles quickly.
“It’s not easy because, you know, you’ve then got all the sanctioning fees,” Taylor told Boxing Scene. “Each one takes a percentage, so there’s four sanctioning fees that you have to pay straight away off your pay check.
"And then after this fight, which mandatory becomes another mandatory becomes another mandatory and rolls into another mandatory defence, from all the different organisations?
“So, it becomes quite hard to then keep hold of all the belts or chase the fights that you want because then you’ve got to deal with mandatories all the time. And that’s a whole lot of money you’re giving away out of your pay check.
"It’s a big percentage of your pay check you’re giving away to the sanctioning bodies. So, you understand why people move on from it or relinquish some of the belts.”
Taylor is preparing to defend his belts against Catterall who has been waiting for a defence for over two years.
The British star stepped aside from cashing in on his mandatory status until after Taylor was able to unify all the belts and become the first British man to do so in the four-belt era.
Catterall could prove a stern test of Taylor's credentials having a blemish-free professional record with wins over the likes of Ohara Davies and Tyrone McKenna.
Who will win - Josh Taylor or Jack Catterall? Let us know in the comments section below
Several options could await Taylor if he is able to progress beyond Catterall including an illustrious clash with American star Terence Crawford.
The 'Tartan Tornado' believes he would have the key to inflicting a first defeat on Crawford, and admitted it is a realistic option for his next fight.
“I think it’s very realistic,” Taylor continued. “I think that fight is a mouthwatering fight, you know, undisputed champion versus undisputed champion at welterweight.
"Hopefully, I can beat him to the punch of being a two-weight undisputed champion and become the first fighter to ever do it at two weights. I know I can box like him. I can be a good rhythm boxer. I can fight him as well. I can match his skills.
"I think I can match him for everything in the game. So, yeah, I feel really confident in myself at the minute. I feel good. I feel that all I need to do is move up to welterweight. But I have a little bit of time to develop into the weight, and it’ll suit me."
