Josh Taylor has hit back at former trainer Shane McGuigan and insists he had been unhappy for a long time working under Cyclone Promotions.

The WBA and IBF super lightweight champion quit boxing legend Barry McGuigan’s company last month to link up with US company Top Rank.

Shane, Barry’s son, recently claimed the Edinburgh-born fighter did not deserve his time and also took aim at Taylor on social media when he said: ‘If you want loyalty, buy a dog’.

However, Taylor has explained why his relationship with the McGuigans had started to break down.

He said: “I wasn’t happy behind the scenes and I wasn’t happy for a long time.

“Saying I didn’t deserve his time I thought was a bit unfair and his comment that if you want loyalty, buy a dog.

“The time I was with with him I showed them nothing but loyalty and commitment.

"I was away from home 90 per cent of the year staying in c**p hotels, c**p digs, horrible, horrible rooms.

Glasgow Times:

“That was me putting in my time and effort.

“All the team went away to Miami before the Ivan Baranchyk fight and never asked me to go.

“I would love to have gone over there, yes I was out of camp but I had moved my whole life down to London.

“I moved full-time into the flat after the Viktor Postol fight, brought my girlfriend and my dog down and based myself in London to show I was committed.”

Speaking to Boxing Social, Taylor, who is hoping to set up a fight with WBC and WBO champion Jose Ramirez later this year, added: “Before the Regis Prograis fight they all went away to Philadelphia as Luke Campbell had a fight over there.

“I could have been there in the background ticking over and they never even had the decency to leave me a gym key to get in to go and train, I had to go to other places. That’s not loyalty.

“I showed nothing but loyalty and commitment to them.

“If you want loyalty buy a dog, but you don’t buy a dog then go and put it into the kennels.”