TAYLOR BACKS HIMSELF TO BEAT LITTLER
30/09/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
PHIL TAYLOR has backed himself to beat Luke Littler in a dream showdown at the oche.
‘The Power’ won a record 16 World Championship titles in his illustrious career after making his professional debut in 1987 before putting down the arrows in 2018.
World No. 2 Littler has already lifted six major crowns at just 18-years-old since bursting on to the scene at the end of 2023.
But Taylor believes he would triumph against the teen sensation in a bout on the big stage.
He said: “It would be a good game. My prime was probably a 117 average, between 112, and I had 109s every week.
“That was on older boards and different equipment. Nowadays, on the new boards, you can play better on them.
“So I think it would be a hell of a game, a close game – but I think I’d win.
“Don’t tell Littler…”
Taylor also picked out the current stars he believes would form the perfect line-up for next year’s Premier League.
He added: “Luke Littler, Josh Rock, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Nathan Aspinall as he’s entertaining and good for TV, Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price…maybe you throw in a few outsiders, but it’s if the general public know who you are.
“That’s the problem. A lot of them climb the rankings very quickly, and they get up and people don’t know who you are yet.
“Someone asked me, and even I’d say I’ve never heard of them!”
Asked about a return to the Premier League for Michael Smith, Taylor was brutally honest.
He explained: “Michael Smith, no. And he knows that. I’m not going to run him down, but he ain’t good enough at the minute.
“You’ve got to get people up there who can perform, entertain, and put bums on seats. At the minute, I wouldn’t really change a lot.
“Adrian [Lewis] isn’t even in the rankings, that shows how tough it is.”
87-time major winner Taylor is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time.
Former world No. 1 Taylor revealed who makes his darting Mount Rushmore.
He stated: “Mount Rushmore? Eric [Bristow], myself, I’d definitely put Dennis [Priestley] up there, and maybe Michael van Gerwen.
“And Barney [Raymond van Barneveld] really. It’s a hard question, that one.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
