Devastated pals of young boxer 'murdered' in Glasgow home raise £18k for funeral
Josh Taplin, 28, was discovered dead at a property in Glasgow's Knightswood on Monday.
A fundraiser for the family of a young boxer found dead at a property in Glasgow has raised almost £20,000.
Josh Taplin, 28, was discovered after officers were called to a report of a concern for person at a property on Caldwell Avenue in the city's Knightswood area at around 3.35pm on Monday. Paramedics also attended the address, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Last night detectives confirmed they were treating his death as murder. Inquires remain ongoing.
Devastated loved ones have raised more than £18,000 for his funeral in 24 hours.
Pal Stephen Kelly wrote on a GoFundMe page: "It's still early days from horrible news about Josh. I'm going to sort a whip-around of funds for the family for his funeral to take some pressure off them at a traumatising time.
"Hope everyone can do their bit and that we can do Josh boy proud and get him a send off he deserves. Gutted doesn't cut it."
He added: "Forever young. There's one one Josh Taplin.
"Loved and missed by everyone, my hero, my mate."
Josh's family have been left heartbroken following the tragedy. Tributes flooded in for John on social media last night.
His big brother Gary Taplin wrote: 'Ma baby brother man broken.'
Meanwhile, his devastated girlfriend Toni Stewart added: 'I love you so much Josh.'
Friends hailed Josh as "one of the good guys".
Kathleen Brady said: 'Absolutely heartbreaking, couldn't of happened to a nicer person.'
Mhairi Macleod said: 'Fly high Josh. You will be sorely missed by us all.'
Sean Mullan said: "Canny believe it man, you were one of my best mates Josh. You were genuinely one in a million, rest easy brother taken far too soon."
Kirsty Russell said: 'One of the good guys.'
added: 'One in a million.'
Josh was a boxer for Auchengeich Boxing Club and bagged wins at the Western District Scottish Championships and British Championships.
In a statement posted online the club said: 'We at Auchengeich Boxing are devastated at hearing the news of our boxer Josh Taplin. Josh won Western District Scottish Championships and British Championships.
'Our thoughts and prayers go out to Josh's family."
He was also a former football starlet who played in the youth ranks at Hamilton Accies.
Pictures taken at the scene show a large cordon erected around the property on Tuesday. Several officers were seen guarding the site as investigations into the tragedy took place.
Detective Chief Inspector Graham McCreadie, of the Major Investigation Team, said: 'Our thoughts are with the family of Josh at what is a very difficult time. They are being supported by specialist officers. It is vital that we find answers for them and we are appealing for information as our enquiries continue.
'If you were in the area at the time and saw anything that could assist with our investigation then please get in touch, no matter how small that piece of information might be.
'In particular, I am asking people to check private CCTV footage and see if anything has been captured that could be important. Likewise, if you were driving in the area and have dash-cam that could assist, please contact us. We believe this is an isolated incident and there is no threat to the wider public. Officers remain in the area and anyone with concerns can speak to them.'
Anyone who can assist is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2069 of Monday, May 5, 2025, or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. A dedicated Major Incident Public Portal has also been set up and information can be passed anonymously on the following link -
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