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Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Tartan Tornado Josh Taylor a shadow of his former self as Scot is stunned on home soil by Essuman
ON what was supposed to be the start of a new chapter, Josh Taylor's career hit a new low last night as he lost a unanimous points decision against Ekow Essuman at The Hydro in Glasgow. Moving up for his first fight at welterweight, Taylor, who was the red-hot favourite, crashed to a disastrous defeat that will now prompt serious questions about his future as an elite fighter. Now 34 years old, and having lost three fights in succession, the former undisputed world champion at light-welterweight is now in the boxing wilderness. This was a hugely damaging night where Taylor started brightly before totally losing his way in the second half of the fight against the 36-year-old Englishman. Indeed, there was a plausible argument that Taylor lost the whole second half of the fight, starting from round seven and going all the way until the final bell at the end of round 12. As far as comebacks go, this really couldn't have gone any worse for the man who was one of the pound-for-pound best boxers on the planet four years ago. At the end, when the scorecards were read out, Taylor bowed his head. It was a look of resignation from a fighter whose best days look like they are behind him. He will, of course, dispute that verdict. But the body of work against him is now too strong to ignore, going all the way back to his first fight against Jack Catterall three years ago. Subsequent defeats to Teofimo Lopez and in the rematch with Catterall in Leeds last year meant this was a must-win for the Prestonpans puncher if he was to reignite his career. But, in the end, it was a performance which brought the end of his career and possible retirement even more sharply into focus. Taylor's ring walk began with a mocked-up version of the Trainspotting speech made famous by Irvine Welsh and Renton, the character played in the movie by Ewan McGregor. Choose life. Choose boxing. Choose undisputed. Choose leaving it all behind and moving up to a new division. Choose winning another four belts all over again and becoming a two-weight world champion. That was the general idea. The home fans roared their approval as the Lust for Life by Iggy Pop faded and was replaced by the bagpipes for Flower of Scotland. Taylor was on the front foot and looking to be the aggressor over the opening couple of rounds and caught Essuman with a couple of powerful shots which snapped the Englishman's head back. The move up in weight certainly didn't seem to be slowing Taylor down in terms of his ability to beat an opponent to the punch. Another powerful left hook to the body landed flush on Essuman and it was clear that Taylor had taken both of the opening two rounds. But Essuman came out swinging at the start of the third and had Taylor on the ropes buried under a flurry of punches. It was clear that this would be no formality for Taylor against an opponent whom many others have dodged over the past few years. Both fighters landed powerful punches in round four and both were rocked back on to the ropes at different points. The pace eventually began to slow down slightly and Taylor's bright start began to fade, with Essuman refusing to take a backward step. Given that he is nicknamed The Engine, Essuman was only going to grow stronger as the fight wore on. Taylor, meanwhile, was in uncharted territory at welterweight. By the time we reached round seven, Taylor had a nasty cut above his left eye following a clash of heads. A silence had fallen around The Hydro. As was the case here three years ago in his first fight against Catterall, this was proving to be another awkward night for the Tartan Tornado. Heading into round ten, Taylor could only claim to be a round or two ahead, and even that felt slightly generous. The explosive punch power and raw aggression which typified Taylor's rise to the top a few years ago just wasn't there. He was guilty of walking into some big shots at times. Although still landing a few of his own, he was slowing down noticeably towards the end of the fight. Another solid right hand from Essuman in round 11 stopped Taylor in his tracks and it was now undeniable that was looking second best in all departments. How much of an advantage would those good early rounds give him on the judges' scorecards? That was the burning question. There would be no repeat of the reprieve he was given against Catterall in 2022. The scorecards — 116-113, 116-112, 115-113 — were conclusive. As he walked away from the ring, you wondered when we might see Taylor back at the top level of boxing. If ever. Elsewhere on the undercard, Lee McGregor and Nathaniel Collins clashed in a battle of the Scots in the featherweight division. With a possible world title shot on the horizon for the winner, it was the unbeaten Collins who took the victory after stopping McGregor in round four. Nicknamed The Nightmare, it was a clinical finish from Collins. He floored his opponent three times before McGregor's corner eventually threw in the towel. 'That was the best performance of my career,' said Collins. 'I showed tonight that I'm a world-class boxer and I can punch. I'm here to be a world champion.'
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
I won't be like Tyson Fury and have seven comebacks, when I retire I'm FINISHED, warns Josh Taylor
JOSH TAYLOR warned he will not contend with Tyson Fury as the comeback king - as he looks to fight against the threat of retirement. The Scottish former undisputed light-welterweight world champion moves up from 140lb to 147lb against Ekow Essuman in Glasgow tonight. And he does so off the back of two consecutive defeats with Taylor all-but putting his career at the top of the sport on the line. But he warned if and when he does retire, it will be for real, unlike his old pal Fury who has made a habit of going back on his word. Taylor, 34, said: "I ain't going to be no Tyson Fury having six and seven comebacks. Once I'm finished, I'm finished. "But I've still got a lot of ambition and I've still got a lot of drive left to achieve more. It [retiring] hasn't even crossed my mind yet to be honest with you "I've not even comprehended losing, it can't come into my mind. It can't happen, it won't happen. "If that does happen and I have to go and climb back down the ladder and fight lesser opponents to get back up to where I am now - no, I'm not doing that. I'm here to be the best." Taylor became the four-belt undisputed kingpin in just 18 fights but escaped with a split-decision against Jack Catterall in 2022. He was then beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2023 and lost to Catterall in their rematch last May. Taylor admits he could retire a happy man - but still has plenty left to achieve after moving up to welterweight. He said: "This is a new journey for me, the first fight at a new weight. "I haven't done anything yet. A lot of people are writing me off, saying, 'He's done, he's finished'. No chance, I'm a long way from being finished yet. "I've got a lot of fire in my belly to prove people wrong again. This is Josh Taylor 2.0 - and it starts on Saturday night with a comprehensive win. "If I become a two-time, two-weight world champion, then I can retire a happy man. To be honest, I could retire a happy man right now. "I could retire tomorrow and be, like, one in 60 million or whatever population in the UK, the only one to become the undisputed world champion in the four-belt era. "I think I can sleep quite easily at night having achieved that. But I know six months down the line, I'd be thinking, 'I could have done more, I could have got more out of it'. That would bug me." 2
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Taylor reboot career with win over Essuman?
Just more than four years to the day since Josh Taylor's finest hour, the Scot finds himself back at the bottom of the mountain starting out all over again. The reboot of a career that scaled the heights then hit the skids starts at the Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday night, when Taylor faces the unheralded Ekow Essuman. He has moved up to welterweight, changed promotor and says he has the fire back in his belly. This will be our first look, according to the man himself, at Josh Taylor 2.0. That night in Las Vegas in May 2021 when Taylor defeated Jose Ramirez to become the first – and so far only – fighter from the UK to capture all four belts in one division remains fresh in the mind, but how much of that Taylor is still there? 'It will be the making of him' - Frampton backs Taylor Taylor 'back to drawing board' for step up in weight He is 34 now and the years between then and now have not been kind to him. The big homecoming fight in February 2022 against Jack Catterall was supposed to be a springboard to a mega-fight with one of the sport's superstars. The great Terence Crawford seemed an achievable match to be made at that stage. Taylor beat Catterall with the benefit of some highly controversial judges' scorecards and, to this day, still receives flak about it. He went from one of the hottest fighters on the planet to a lightning rod for criticism in one night. Rarely has a winner lost so much. Teofimo Lopez was too good when taking the last of Taylor's four world titles in June 2023 in New York and Catterall righted the wrongs with a points win when the pair re-matched in Leeds last year. Injury and inactivity has been a plague on Taylor's career these past few years. Three fights in four years is nowhere near busy enough. The move up to welterweight has come later than it should and the first obstacle on the road to becoming a two-weight world champion is Essuman. It is not a name to set pulses racing, but the Englishman represents a decent test in Taylor's first foray in the 147lbs division. Essuman is a tough, durable fighter – as his nickname 'the Engine' suggests – and, while he is undoubtedly limited in comparison to most of the fighters Taylor has faced in recent years, he will take a bit of shifting. Winning is one thing, looking good while doing so is another, and Taylor will have to do both to start building the sort of momentum that demands a shot at one of the champions of the division - Mario Barrios, Jaron Ennis or Brian Norman Jr. Had he entered the division as the undisputed champion four years ago, Taylor would have done so as one of the top dogs and in prime position to make some lucrative fights across the pond. Right now, it is unlikely any of that American trio of champions has a bout with the Tartan Tornado in their short or long-term plans. Taylor has to find a way to change that, to establish himself as a credible force and commercial draw in the division. He has been written off in various quarters, many believing that his crowning moment against Ramirez was the peak and everything since has been a rapid tumble from the summit. Does he have another two or three big performances in him? Time is slipping away and, unless he demonstrates some of the old skill, timing and downright badness that he displayed in that epic run to become undisputed champ, it will be hard to escape the feeling that Taylor is simply fighting a losing battle to get back to the lofty heights he once graced. Taylor spoke this week about no longer having the burden of an expectant nation resting on his shoulders and how that had been a weight lifted. You can bet he would love nothing better than to get it all back – the expectation, the pressure, the plaudits. That would mean he is back operating at the level he has always wanted to be, where he feels he belongs - and where he believes he can get to once again. Boxing schedule and results 2025 Watch every Born to Brawl episode Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Josh Taylor eyes ‘big fights' after welterweight test against Ekow Essuman
Josh Taylor has said he is eyeing 'big fights' after his homecoming clash with Ekow Essuman this weekend, as he begins an 'assault' on the welterweight division. The Scottish star fights on home soil on Saturday as he takes on Essuman at Glasgow's SSE Hydro, in a must-win bout for the former undisputed champion. Taylor, 34, retained all four major belts at super-lightweight with a controversial decision against Jack Catterall in 2022, before vacating the WBC and IBF straps, being stripped of the WBA title, and losing the WBO gold to Teofimo Lopez. Taylor then fell to a defeat by Catterall in their rematch last May, meaning he is eyeing a return to winning ways on Saturday (24 May). 'It is great to be back here, and this has been my home since the Commonwealth Games,' Taylor said at a press conference on Thursday. 'I've had most of my big fights here – Viktor Postol, my first world title against Ivan Baranchyk. 'It has been a little while since I've been here, so I am looking to put on a big show on Saturday. Obviously training has been gruesome and hard, hard work, but it feels like I am at holiday camp this week. 'No dieting, cutting weight or drying out tonight, getting the last bit of water you can out of you. There is none of that this week, I am full of beans, full of energy with a spring in my step. I can't wait to get going on Saturday. 'I will get this journey rebooted and kickstarted again, take care of business on Saturday, do it in a good fashion and look forward to moving on to big fights in the future. 'At 140lb, what else was there left for me to do? I'd completed boxing in a sense and won every single belt you can win. What else was there for me in terms of challenges, setting new targets? There was nothing to do, so what there was was moving up with an assault on becoming a two-time, two-weight world champion. 'I am planning on taking this guy out on Saturday and that is what I'm going to do.' Essuman, 36, responded: 'I don't take offence to it, it is what it is. He's in my way, I'm in his way. Of course he believes it, he should. That is good; if he wants to try and end it early, it might be to his detriment. I came prepared for the best Josh Taylor there can be, so this is just confirming what I thought would come. 'It doesn't matter about being his backyard or if it was back in Nottingham or in London. I don't have a lot of shows I've boxed on in my home city, like big shows, so I am used to being the away fighter. It is just same job, different venue.'
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman start time, undercard and how to watch fight
Josh Taylor enters must-win territory this weekend, as he fights Ekow Essuman in Glasgow. The bout marks a Scottish homecoming for Taylor, and his welterweight debut, as he ends the super-lightweight chapter of his career. And what a chapter it was, as Taylor became Britain's first – and so far only – undisputed champion at any weight in the four-belt era. He achieved that status with a masterful win over Jose Ramirez in 2021, but fans may end up remembering the 34-year-old more for his duels with Jack Catterall. Taylor won a highly-controversial decision against Catterall in 2022, before losing a thrilling rematch with the Chorley man last May, and the Scot's world titles slipped away one by one between those bouts. Taylor has not fought since his second clash with Catterall, and as he seeks a fresh start in a new division, here's all you need to know. When is the fight? Taylor vs Essuman will take place on Saturday 24 May at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. The main card will begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with main-event ring walks due from 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch the fight? The event will stream live exclusively on DAZN, which will show the action in more than 200 countries worldwide. Purchase a subscription to DAZN here, with plans starting at £14.99 a month. DAZN has apps available for all of the following platforms: Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire Tablet, Android Phone & Tablet, iPhone & iPad, Android TV, LG, Smart TV, Panasonic Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, SmartCast, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Roku. Odds Taylor – 1/3 Essuman – 16/1 Draw – 12/5 Via Betway. Get all the latest boxing betting sites' offers. The Independent vets betting sites for usability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms. Fight card (subject to change) Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman (welterweight) Nathaniel Collins vs Lee McGregor (featherweight) Aloys Junior vs Davie Jamieson (cruiserweight) Moses Itauma vs Mike Balogun (heavyweight)
