Time catches up with Josh Taylor amid Ekow Essuman loss
The 34-year-old former undisputed junior welterweight champion from Prestonpans moved up to 147lbs after losing his previous two bouts to Jack Catterall and Teofimo Lopez.
Taylor's debut at welterweight against the 36-year-old opponent in the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, with the WBO Global Welterweight Championship up for grabs, started encouragingly for the home fighter.
However, the contest turned towards Essuman in the second half with the judges scoring 116-113, 116-112 and 115-112 in favour of the hardy Botswana-born fighter from Nottingham.
There will be questions about Taylor's future – his record is now 19-3-0 – and former two-weight world champion Frampton, an ex-stablemate of the Scot, weighed in.
Read more: Rangers fan admits throwing bottle at Celtic goalkeeper as sentencing deferred
Ianis Hagi breaks silence on Rangers exit & details options
He said: 'I seen glimpses of real good stuff at the start from Josh and then it just started to fade in the second half and just sadly, it looks like he's not the fighter that he once was and that's what happens when you're involved in hard fights and you get older.
'It happened to me and it happens to us all. It's a shame to see, a real shame to see.
'But again, like I've always said about Josh, he's someone who never got the credit he deserved when he should have had it.
'The guy should have been Sports Personality of the Year.
'Incredible, what he did when he became undisputed and who he fought to win it and how quickly he did it in his career.
'But it's clear to say that he's not the fighter that he used to be.
'He just slowed down a bit and Ekow the engine, that's his name and he's fit and he's gritty and dogged and going to be there all night.
'This is what happens as you get a bit older.
'I know Ekow is older than Josh, but he hasn't been in the hard fights that Josh's been in and it just takes something away from you.
'I'm sure Josh has earned plenty of money and he's got a lovely wife, Danielle, and a good family and it's not up to me to tell anybody what they do with their life, but he's reached the pinnacle.
'He's done what no one even dreams they can do and become an undisputed (champion).
'No one thinks about that when they turn pro. He done it in a marquee division and he should be very proud of that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
33 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rangers transfer news: Russell Martin 'eyes up two signings' as 16y/o prepares for exit door
EPL defender reportedly on Rangers' radar Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rangers' attempts to strengthen their squad now that Russell Martin has been appointed as head coach are gathering pace, with defender Conor Coady and striker Dor Turgeman heavily linked with moves to Ibrox. Martin was named as Rangers head coach on Thursday morning, six days on from the takeover by an American consortium led by Andrew Cavenagh and 49ers Enterprises. His arrival comes hot on the heels of Kevin Thelwell taking up office as sporting director on Monday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rangers need to bring in players ahead of their Champions League qualification starting in mid-July, with centre-half an obvious area of concern given Leon Balogun's departure at the end of the season and the impending departure of Robin Propper, who is poised to move back to FC Twente in his homeland of the Netherlands. England internationalist Conor Coady is currently at Leicester City. | Wolves via Getty Images England internationalist Coady is currently at Leicester City, who were relegated from the English Premier League in the season just past. The 32-year-old was a regular fixture in Ruud van Nistelrooy's team, but his future at the King Power Stadium is now uncertain following demotion. Capped ten times by England, the 32-year-old started his career at Liverpool before moving to Sheffield United, Huddersfield and then Wolves, where he spent seven seasons. He had a loan spell at Everton in the 2022/23 campaign, where his paths crossed with Thelwell during his time as sporting director at Goodison Park. Coady has one more year on his contract at Leicester, with a potential loan move mooted between the Foxes and Rangers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the other end of the pitch, Rangers have also been linked with Israeli striker Turgeman, who is currently at Maccabi Tel Aviv in his homeland. The 21-year-old, who has scored one goal in seven international appearances, netted 16 goals in 32 appearances as Maccabi landed the Israeli title and is expected to move abroad this summer. Rangers could field bids Turgeman's asking price is reported to be in the region of £4 million and there is anticipated interest from other outfits on the continent. Rangers currently have Cyriel Dessers, Hamza Igamane and Danilo on the books as striking options, although there has been interest in Igamane since his form ignited last winter. Rangers hope to have in the region of £20m to use in the transfer window after fresh investment from the new owners. They may also have to field bids for a couple of their star men, with clubs keeping tabs on midfield duo Nicolas Raskin and Mohamed Diomande.
The National
35 minutes ago
- The National
'Leading contender' to replace Postecoglou at Spurs revealed
Despite leading the North London club to Europa League glory just over a fortnight ago, Spurs confirmed their decision to sack the ex-Celtic boss on Friday afternoon. Read more: Now, Frank, who is currently in charge of Brentford, is the frontrunner to replace Postecoglou, claims The Athletic. The 59-year-old released a statement following his Spurs departure. He said: "When I reflect on my time as Manager of Tottenham Hotspur, my overriding emotion is one of pride. "The opportunity to lead one of England's historic football clubs and bring back the glory it deserves will live with me for a lifetime. Sharing that experience with all those who truly love this club and seeing the impact it had on them is something I will never forget. "That night in Bilbao was the culmination of two years of hard work, dedication and unwavering belief in a dream. There were many challenges to overcome and plenty of noise that comes with trying to accomplish what many said was not possible. ""We have also laid foundations that mean this club should not have to wait 17 more years for their next success. I have enormous faith in this group of players and know there is much more potential and growth in them. "I sincerely want to thank those who are the lifeblood of the club, the supporters. I know there were some difficult times, but I always felt that they wanted me to succeed, and that gave me all the motivation I needed to push on. It's important to acknowledge the hard-working people at Spurs who gave me encouragement on a daily basis. "And finally, I want to thank those who were with me every day for the last two years. A fantastic group of young men who are now legends of this football club, and the brilliant coaches who never once doubted we could do something special. "We are forever connected. Audere est Facere."
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Battling Bob MacIntyre still afloat in Canada ahead of sink or swim US Open test
Scottish star scraps in Friday round in his Canada effort Battling Bob MacIntyre scrapped to keep himself afloat in his defence of the RBC Canadian Open. The Scottish star endured a frustrating second day at TPC Toronto in his quest to go back-to-back at the prestigious event. MacIntyre made a strong start to the tournament with opening round of 65, but he was unable to make further steps forward in his next effort. The Oban star started positively enough with a birdie at his first hole. However, a double at the next and three more dropped shots left him hovering dangerously close to the cut mark with a third of his round remaining. MacIntyre needed to show his quality and fighting spirit to stave off any more setbacks and picked up a couple of shots in that closing half-dozen holes for a 72 to get it back to a score of three-under par at the halfway stage and safely into the weekend. With 36 holes to go, the Scot faces a mammoth task to get his trophy back with leader Cameron Champ setting a midway mark of 12-under, nine ahead of last year's winner. But, with the US Open looming at Oakmont next week, MacIntyre's grit and determination to stay in the battle offers encouragement for the third major of the campaign in Pennsylvania. The Tartan star has more work to do in Canada, but looking ahead, he has urged the USGA to make the US Open a fair test as he admits he might not enjoy Oakmont. MacIntyre will be the country's sole representative and, having been made aware about the perils of the track, admits tournament organisers need to find the right balance between tough and fair. He explained: 'From what I'm hearing, I don't know if I'm going to enjoy it. I don't think anyone's going to enjoy it unless you're holding the trophy at the end of the week. But going back to these historical golf courses, I'm a big believer in lengths of golf courses. 'I talk about all this modern technology and stuff. We're talking about how long rounds of golf are taken because of lengths of golf courses. 7,800 yards with five-inch-thick rough. So I don't know if I'm the sort of guy that'll enjoy it unless I'm up there competing at the top end. It's going to be an absolute grind from the start.' Speaking to Sky, he added: 'You can [enjoy it]. I mean, I don't want to get too much into it, but if it's set up right, if the fairways are wide enough, then you can have as thick or rough as you want. If the fairways are wide enough, I'm fair game. 'But when we went to Winged Foot, the fairways weren't wide enough. So it just fed into the hands of who's going to hit it the furthest, the longest guys, who's going to chip it the best out of them 15 guys. I know there's a bit more to it than that, but that's the way it feels. 'At Oakmont, I know there's no trees and it's just so open, but hopefully the fairways have got enough width that we can play golf, so that then if you are going to go into the five-inch thick rough, it's a bad tee shot, which I'm fair game. I do like a tough test, but let's make it a fair, tough test.'
