Do you guys remember Josh Taylor? Y'know, the guy who just a couple of years ago was the undisputed junior welterweight champion and considered one of the best boxers in the world pound-for-pound. Yeah, that guy. Well, he is facing Ekow Essuman this Saturday from the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
In 2025 he's just another fighter down on his luck and testing the waters at 147. (To be truthful, the guy I'm looking forward to seeing the most on this DAZN broadcast is rising heavyweight, Moses Itauma).
But we should look back at what the 'Tartan Tornado' was at one point. After defeating the difficult Victor Postol in 2018, he was entered into the World Boxing Super Series, where he defeated the likes of Ryan Martin (KO7), Ivan Baranchyk (W12) and then in the tournament finals he engaged in one of the best fights of 2019 as he defeated Regis Prograis over 12 spirited rounds to capture the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
Then like every other boxer in the world at the time his career momentum was stalled by the pandemic in 2020. Eventually by 2021 he met the undefeated Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas for the undisputed crown at 140. Over 12 rounds he out-pointed Ramirez, scoring two knockdowns in the process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqwawUvT52g
At this juncture Taylor was on top of the world. Taylor was a fighter who could control distance from the outside with his long frame, and wasn't afraid to mix it up inside. Not only was he versatile, Taylor was also a bit salty inside that ring. He boxed with precision but fought with attitude. The blade was sharp.
And then it got dull.
DAZN
In his next outing in February of 2022 he won a very dubious decision against Jack Catterall, who is certainly a clever boxer but coming into this contest wasn't thought of as much of a threat. Taylor was downright dismissive of his foe, almost to a point feeling as though he was beneath him. But over 12 rounds, it looked like Catterall was in control of things and scored a knockdown. But in what could be charitably described as a 'house decision' it was Taylor who had his hand raised in victory.
Then 14 months later at the Theater at Madison Square Garden Taylor received no such benefit of the doubt as he was thoroughly out-boxed and out-fought by Teofimo Lopez. It was a flat and listless effort for Taylor who was never really in the fight after the early rounds.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
After another layoff of 11 months, Taylor met Catterall once again. This time around Catterall's victory was decisive enough that he actually got the decision.
It's often said by an acerbic boxing scribe (that would be me) that, ''activity matters''. Since the Ramirez victory, Taylor settled into a pattern of fighting once-per-year, meaning long stretches away from the gym, and then the inevitable tough weight cut on his 5'10 frame. Would he have been better off being a bit more active? But was he even remotely interested in that?
Or maybe, at age 34, Taylor is a guy that simply out-grew the weight, and as long as he stayed at junior welterweight this precipitous decline was inevitable. The reality is that most fighters as they see the other side of 30 fight much less than they did in their 20's. But keep this in mind, Taylor even now only has 21 fights (19-2, 13 KOs) to his credit.
Physical primes in boxing can vary depending on the discipline and lifestyle of a fighter. It's often fleeting, and many times squandered. No two boxers ever age quite the same. There are very few with the monastic approach of Bernard Hopkins. Unfortunately, not enough boxers understand that time is finite in this game till it's too late to really do anything about it. What do they say about youth being wasted on the young?
Who knows what version of Josh Taylor exists at this juncture. Maybe the move up to welterweight will revitalize him, or perhaps he's just another faded guy chasing one last good payday.
It wasn't that long ago he was among the premiere prizefighters in the sport. But it seems so far away.
