Josh Taylor returns to his home country this weekend in a must win fight against British and European mainstay Ekow Essuman.
Taylor returns in a fight which is a real crossroads in his career and in his title aspirations. The Scotsman is at the end of a bad 3 fight streak including a loss to Teofimo Lopez and Jack Catterall, he also beat Catterall in one of the most controversial decisions in British boxing history. Taylor is at the latter end of his unbelievable career which has seen him become the only British undisputed champion at his weight class and beaten the likes of Regis Prograis, Jose Carlos Ramirez and Ivan Baranchyk. A loss to Essuman could see an end to Taylors career but a win could kick start an Indian summer for the Scotsman.
Ekow Essuman on the other hand is looking to push onto world honours after an impressive British and European run. Essuman has only the one loss on his record to the tough and very unorthodox Harry Scarf but has since bounced back by taking the unbeaten record of both Owen Cooper and Ben Vaughn. The Botswana born Welterweight will be going into the lions den with the Scottish fans being behind the hometown hero Josh Taylor. A win for Essuman over the decorated Taylor will push him to heights he hasn’t seen in his career.
Josh Taylor Vs Ekow Essuman Full Card-
Josh Taylor (19-2-0) Vs Ekow Essuman (21-1-0) IBO International Welterweight Title-
Nathaniel Collins (16-0-0) Vs Lee McGregor (15-1-1) WBC Silver Featherweight Title-
Moses Ituama (11-0-0) Vs Mike Balogun (21-1-0)-
Aloys Jr (9-1-0) Vs David Jamieson (13-3-0)-
Aston Brown (7-0-0) Vs Reece Porter (5-0-0) BBBofC Scottish Area Middleweight Title-
Luke McCormack (3-0-0) Vs Samir Cuentas (4-5-0)-
Marcus Sutherland (7-0-0) Vs Dylan Nixon (0-2-0)-
Lee Walsh (4-0-0) Vs Tony Morton (1-17-0)-
Drew Limond (3-0-0) Vs Ezequiel Gregores (3-22-0)-
Luke Bibby (9-1-0) Vs Cesar Ignacio Paredes (18-18-1)-
Reese Lynch (Debut) Vs Jontas Rodrigo Gomes De Oliveira (6-26-0)-
Alex Arthur (Debut) Vs Robbie Chapman (13-49-9)-
Live Updates-
Luke Bibby Defeats Cesar Paredes by Unanimous Decision
Lee Welsh Defeats Tony Morton by First-Round KO
Luke McCormack Defeats Samir Cuentas by Second-Round KO
Drew Limond Defeats Ezequiel Gregores by Unanimous Decision
Alex Arthur Defeats Robbie Chapman by Unanimous Decision
Ashton Brown Defeats Reece Porter by First Round KO
Aloys Jr Defeats David Jamieson via Third Round KO
A strong performance from Aloys Jr, who continues his excellent form up to 10 wins, after starting strong with dropping Jamieson twice in the first two rounds. He was too strong for the Scot as he knocked him out in the third with a accurate left hook to finish the fight as he remains the current WBA Cruiserweight Continental champion.
Reese Lynch Defeats Jontas De Olivera by KO
A strong debut for the Scottish amateur who drops De Olivera in the second round as he looks for a good start to his professional career in the super-lightweight division.
Moses Itauma Defeats Mike Balogun via TKO
Moses Itauma wipes the floor with Mike Balogun after knocking him out three times in two rounds to continue his streak to 12-0 as he continues to show why he is the future of heavyweight boxing. With Bakole watching on from ringside, this kid could be a future fight for him but at the moment the sky’s the limit with Moses Itauma.
Nathaniel Collins Defeats Lee McGregor via KO
In a back and forth all Scottish clash that meant to a lot to both, but it was Nathaniel Collins knocks down and beats Lee McGregor in the fourth round with an excellent knockdown who is now knocking on the door for the world title. Collins now 17-0 with the biggest win of his career has elevated himself for the biggest names in the featherweight division. The Scotsman started well and was punch perfect throughout he said in his interview people we’re going to see a perfect performance and we did, an exciting time for him now some big matchups in the works including Stephen Fulton.
EKOW ESSUMAN DEFEATS JOSH TAYLOR BY UNANIMOUS DECISION
Round 1 – In a awesome atmosphere and in a new weight Josh Taylor started brightly with the jab with Essuman taking his time on the backfoot.
Round 2 – A few fantastic shots from Taylor straight away, but the right hand of Essuman been the main danger for the Brit, with Taylor working well to the body at end of the round.
Round 3 – The big right for Essuman again causing problems for Taylor, with Essuman knowing the Welterweight level more than Taylor, but Taylor is pressuring Essuman with trades of the right hand.
Round 4 – Glimpses from both so far in what they can do with Taylor showing quick hand speed, with catching Essuman with a left, but seconds later Essuman catches Taylor with a right in a end to end round.
Round 5 – Essuman has grew into the fight so far, but just punching from a little too far out, with some good ideas so far but Taylor doesn’t seem to be unfazed at the moment.
Round 6 – Excellent work rate from Taylor so far, but Essuman defending well and looking for the body in a uneventful round.
Round 7 – Taylor looking healthy at the new weight so far with him still controlling the middle of the ring, with Essuman looking the busier man at the moment with still plenty of time in the fight.
Round 8 – A swelling has seemed to appear on Taylor with the momentum seem to be shifting towards Essuman at the moment, who is growing in confidence at the moment.
Round 9 – Essuman has seemed to deal with the step up in quality so far, Taylor at the moment looking for the big shot but it hasn’t come with Essuman edging it at the moment.
Round 10 – A better round from Taylor though with his digging body shots pushing Essuman back and trying to switch the momentum but Essuman giving him a strong welcome to Welterweight.
Round 11 – Essuman just looks the fresher of the two with Taylor needing the crowd to up his urgency as the engine of Essuman doesn’t seem to be stopping.
Round 12 – In a very important round for both men, with Essuman using his weight to almost drain Taylor when he is leaning on him as the Scottish fans hold their breath for the decision.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
