Josh Taylor returns to the ring as a welterweight
Prestonpans boxer Josh Taylor will return to the ring, headlining the Land of the Brave event at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday, 24 May.
And after spending his entire career at 140lbs, Taylor will make his official welterweight debut against the relentless WBO European champion Ekow Essuman.
Botswana-born Essuman – the 35-year-old nicknamed The Engine – has won 21 and lost one in his professional career and is the former British and Commonwealth welterweight champion.
Hibs fan Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs), now 34, has signed with promoter Frank Warren's stable for his first fight since losing a rematch to Jack Catterall in May 2024.
He is the former undisputed world champion at super lightweight, but decided to move up a weight after being edged out on points in the rematch of his controversial encounter with Jack Catterall in early 2022.
And on the undercard former European bantamweight champion Lee McGregor (15-1-1, 11 KOs) will face undefeated former British champion Nathaniel Collins (15-0, 7 KOs)n an all-Scottish showdown for the prestigious WBC Silver championship.
Edinburgh born McGregor last fought on 21 December 2024 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the undercard for the heavyweight world title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury where he defeated Isaac Lowe via unanimous decision.
And the Hearts fan is hoping to make it a double celebration that day because the Scottish Cup final will take place at Hampden Park. And if Neil Critchley's men can overcome Aberdeen in the semi-final there will be 20,000 plus fellow Jambos in town.
Tickets for Land of the Brave are available from ticketmaster.co.uk
GLASGOWPictures outside The OVO Hydro Arena. Event – Josh Taylor v Ekow Essuman Launch Press Conference at the Lomond Auditorium, Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow, Scotland on the 5th March 2025. Queensberry Promotions. Credit: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry Promotions
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Rayan Mohammed, middle front, with the James Gillespie's High School S2 team in 2019. | Submitted From Peffermill to Pakistan Football's crazily paved path has already delivered him to Pakistan from the playing fields of Peffermill, the University of Edinburgh pitches where he remembers enjoying kickabouts with friends. It was always football, never cricket – the most popular sport in the land of three of his four grandparents (his father's father grew up in India). 'I never saw the enjoyment in cricket!' says Mohammed. 'My dad loves cricket, he didn't play it himself, he likes watching it. For me, I just saw a football and started kicking it around when I was younger. That has always been No 1 for me.' His dad was born in Manchester, his mum in Huddersfield. 'My mum moved to Glasgow, and my dad moved to Edinburgh. After a couple of years, my mum moved to Livingston. I am not sure how they met, I think through a friend…(But) they both met in Scotland.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His father, Asif, is a former Scottish taekwondo champion. 'So growing up he always put an athletic mindset in my head,' he says. His dad also coached the James Gillespie High School football team. Mohammed is also a graduate from Hutchison Vale, the boys club where the likes of John Collins and Leigh Griffiths developed as players. His three other siblings – two sisters, and a brother – were all born in Dunbartonshire while Mohammed has Edinburgh next to birthplace on his new Pakistani passport. He represented Scotland Schools in the Centenary Shield but not at national age group level. Even had Mohammed been fit to make his competitive debut in next week's clash against Myanmar, it wouldn't necessarily tie him down to Pakistan. Players can still switch from one international team to another providing they have not played more than three competitive matches at senior level before turning 21. Still, despite the current injury, he might well have played four competitive matches for Pakistan before the end of this year – they have further qualifiers against Afghanistan (home and away), Syria and the return match with Myanmar to come. There is also an Under 23s tournament he hopes to be involved in this September; Pakistan are in a group with Iraq, Cambodia and Oman. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rayan Mohammed in action for Forfar during a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth round match against Hibs at Station Park on January 20, 2024. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group Appearances in each of those main qualifiers, either from the start or off the bench, would mean his childhood dream of playing for Scotland and following in the footsteps of Celtic's Paul Wilson, the last player with an Asian background (the striker was born in India to a Dutch/Portuguese mother with Indian heritage) to gain a Scotland cap, will have been extinguished. 'Obviously when Pakistan came knocking, I thought: 'It is a senior team, I have a very good opportunity here'," he explains. "Also the fans of Pakistan – I get multiple messages from them every day asking 'come play for Pakistan, you are a great player, we need you'. 'The fans are great and are putting the effort into asking me to come over. It shows just appreciation for Pakistani players. It is a great opportunity for me to get exposure and things like that.' Like most others his age, he is impatient. 'I thought if I was to play for the Scotland senior team, it would be in 4-5 years' time,' he says. 'But I thought what an opportunity to get international games under my belt and get experience now, and hopefully help Pakistan kick on as a football nation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'When Stephen (Constantine) spoke to me, he said things were going the right way in Pakistan. I thought, 'If we get better as a nation, you never know what might happen?' We can qualify for big tournaments, things like that. Obviously, Scotland was the dream. But Pakistan was also a dream.'
