
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman LIVE RESULTS: Taylor homecoming ON NOW after Moses Itauma scores DEVASTATING KO win
Ekow Essuman has had a slam-dunk boxing career after leaving behind his hopes of being a basketball star.
He started playing basketball while at school and only began boxing in a bid to better his chances on the court.
Essuman told Fight Post: 'When I eventually moved to the UK, I got into football and then basketball and I was doing really well at basketball.
"One season I went to some try-outs for a big team locally and I didn't get in because I wasn't fit enough.
"They wanted me to be more ambidextrous. It really got to me and I wanted to better myself, get fitter and come back stronger for the next season.
I gave it a go and my first session, I had two left feet and struggled with the bag.
"I slowly got into it and it got to the point where I thought 'I'll have one bout' and I just caught the bug."

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The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Liverpool manager Arne Slot responds after Crystal Palace fans disrupt tribute for Diogo Jota at Wembley
Arne Slot has defended the Crystal Palace supporters who disturbed a moment's silence for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva before the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday. The brothers died on 3 July in a car accident in Zamora, Spain after a suspected tyre blowout. The tragedy occurred only 11 days after Jota, a 28-year-old father of three, had married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso. While the majority of Palace fans stood and respectfully observed the silence, a small group could be heard chanting 'Eagles'. Other Palace supporters urged them to be quiet and Liverpool fans at the other end of the stadium booed, before the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the tribute. But Slot suggested the Palace fans involved may not have been aware that the silence was taking place. "I don't think this was planned,' Slot said. 'Maybe the fan was not aware of the minute's silence and was happy and tried to cheer for his team, then the Palace fans tried to calm him down and our fans reacted. I don't think they had a bad intention. 'I'm a positive person. I look at the respect paid to Diogo and Andre across the world.' Liverpool continued their preparations for the new campaign while mourning the death of their Portuguese forward. Their first game of the summer was an emotional win over Preston North End where fans chanted Jota's name throughout. There was also a moving performance of You'll Never Walk Alone by Claudia Rose Maguire, wife of former Preston player Sean Maguire, before kick-off. At Wembley, Liverpool fans waved a banner displaying Jota holding the Premier League trophy with his shirt number, 20, which has since been retired by the club. Ahead of the Community Shield, Slot had told the FA website: 'This summer has been a difficult for everybody connected with the club,' said Slot. 'The passing of Diogo Jota had a big impact on all of us and is something that we are still coming to terms with. We cannot imagine the pain that Diogo's family, his wife, children and friends are going through, and the club will continue to give them all the support they can going forward. 'Diogo's passing has had a big impact on us all, but what has been so important has been the love and care shown from the football world, and in particular of course the Liverpool FC community. 'I also want to mention the strength and the courage of my players here. They have found themselves in one of the toughest positions imaginable, but the way they have come together and the way they have conducted themselves, on and off the pitch, is a credit to them and to this football club. We really couldn't have asked more of the boys, and I am extremely proud of them all. 'We will always carry Diogo with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go.'


The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Arne Slot says Liverpool ‘need to do better' at back ahead of title defence
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot accepts his team must tighten up defensively if they are to stand a chance of retaining their Premier League title. Despite twice taking the lead in the Community Shield, sloppy defensive play through the middle allowed Crystal Palace to equalise both times and that led to penalties, which the Eagles won 3-2. Questions have already been raised over whether Slot needs to bring in another centre-back – they have been linked with Palace's Marc Guehi, who is in the final year of his contract – as the sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen has left him with just three in that position with Joe Gomez injured. Liverpool have not kept a clean sheet in pre-season, conceding 10 times in five senior games – including four against AC Milan – and Slot knows it is an area that needs attention. 'It's a bit mixed feelings. If you look at our attacking play against a team who is so compact, it is maybe a bit better than last season,' Slot told TNT Sports. 'But on the other hand we conceded two goals, which we did against Bilbao and two more against Milan and that's something we need to do better. 'I think we are able to create more now but we are conceding more at the moment and if you want to compete to win the league, one of the things is not to concede chances, let alone goals.' Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson enjoyed his moment in the spotlight, saving two penalties in the shootout. Liverpool's new signings Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong both scored but were pegged back each time by goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr. Mohamed Salah missed his second penalty in a week as one of three failures from the spot in the shootout and Justin Devenny scored Palace's fifth. 'I love the big moments,' Henderson said. 'I love being in that pressure moment. The homework we did on penalties was great. 'They have unbelievable players and have a great team, but two trophies in three months is incredible. 'These emotions are fantastic. With them 2-1 up you think we are out the game. The manager said we'd get chances and we did.'


Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The Review: Will John McGlynn keep faith in the players who helped Falkirk on their epic journey?
Falkirk manager John McGlynn has some serious thinking to do as the euphoria of his team's return to the Premiership gives way to a reality check. Just two games into their first top-flight campaign in 15 years, Falkirk's players are discovering that back-to-back promotions count for nothing when they are asked to make the biggest step of all. Having drawn 2-2 at home to Dundee United on the opening day, they lost 3-1 at Livingston on Saturday in a game that raised big questions about the Bairns. Perhaps reluctant to mess with a winning formula, McGlynn has done only limited business in the transfer market, with Scott Bain, Lewis Neilson and 37-year-old striker Brian Graham the headline arrivals. In a show of loyalty, he has stood by the team who were mostly assembled in League One and rewarded them for their remarkable journey with a chance to go even further. After all, they have repeatedly risen to new challenges. And they have done it with a brand of attacking football that the supporters love. Who is to say that there is not more room for improvement? The problem is that every team eventually encounters a glass ceiling. And the playing style that served Falkirk well in the lower divisions will not necessarily be suited to the Premiership. We have seen it before, more so in England, where Southampton and Ipswich lasted only one season in the top flight after sticking too stubbornly to their principles. Might Falkirk pay a similar price for doing the same? It's a nice theory, but McGlynn is better than that. Hugely respected for his work across three decades as a coach, he has plenty of time to get it right in Falkirk's 36 remaining games, perhaps tweaking his tactics in the process. What he doesn't have long to procrastinate over is the quality of his players. If he fears that some of them are not good enough, he will need to get ruthless before the transfer window closes in three weeks' time. By whatever means, his defence needs to get better. In West Lothian on Saturday, Neilson was caught in possession during the build-up to Scott Pittman's opener. Then Lewis Smith was given too much space to double Livingston's lead, albeit with a wonderful strike. Ross MacIver pulled one back with a clever header, but the hosts sealed all three points when Jeremy Bokila strode through a gaping hole in Falkirk's back four. There are no easy games in the Premiership, yet Falkirk would have hoped to take more from their first two, especially against the team who came up from the Championship with them. It's only going to get tougher, with a visit to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup this Friday followed by league matches against Hibs and Aberdeen. McGlynn has work to do in the days ahead, maybe even some big decisions to make.