Who is Josh Taylor? Fight record, stats, next bout and more
Josh Taylor returns to action this weekend when he faces Ekow Essuman at the OVO Hydro arena in Glasgow this Saturday.
A former undisputed champion at super lightweight, Taylor will make his welterweight debut after losses to Teofimo Lopez and Jack Catterall.
As Britain's only undisputed champion during the four-belt era, Taylor is a well-known name in the British boxing scene.
Catch all the latest boxing action on DAZN
But just in case you are not familiar with the man they call the 'Tartan Tornado', DAZN News profiles the Scot, covering his fight record, career history, personal stats, and details of his next bout.
Who is Josh Taylor?
Josh Taylor is a Scottish boxer who has fought the entirety of his professional career to date as a super lightweight, winning the WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles between 2019 and 2023.
Born in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland in 1991, the 34-year-old is stepping up a weight class for the first time to compete at welterweight.
Prior to making his professional debut in 2015, Taylor was a talented amateur, qualifying for the 2012 Olympic games and twice reaching the final of the Commonwealth games, winning gold in 2014.
Nationality: British
Age: 34
Height: 5' 10"
Reach: 69 ½"
What is Josh Taylor's record?
First trained by Shane McGuigan, Josh Taylor enjoyed a rapid rise in the professional ranks after a successful amateur career. By his seventh fight, he was competing for the Commonwealth super lightweight title, defeating Dave Ryan by fifth-round stoppage.
Taylor began his career with a streak of seven knockouts, a run that ended with a unanimous decision victory over Alfonso Olvera in Las Vegas.
The Scot's unbeaten streak continued, building towards his first title shot after 15 fights. In front of a home crowd at the OVO Hydro Arena, Taylor won the IBF super lightweight title via a unanimous decision over Ivan Baranchyk, his dominance clear by the two knockdowns he dealt his opponent in the sixth round.
One world title quickly became two, when Taylor defeated WBA belt holder Regis Prograis via majority decision to unify. Taylor would defend his titles against Apinun Khongsong, before unifying all four belts with WBO and WBC title holder Jose Carlos Ramirez in 2021.
In Las Vegas, Taylor proved he was the man to beat in the super lightweight division by knocking down Ramirez in rounds six and seven en route to a unanimous decision victory.
A controversial win over fellow Brit Jack Catterall saw Taylor defend his undisputed status, but the southpaw would relinquish three of his belts in order to make a rematch with Catterall.
In the interim, he fought American Teofimo Lopez in 2023, losing for the first time in his career via unanimous decision. That meant when Taylor finally rematched Catterall in 2024, he had lost his final world title, the WBO belt.
Catterall enacted revenge on Taylor, inflicting the second loss of his career to leave the Scot with a record of 19-2 (13).
When is Josh Taylor's next fight?
Josh Taylor is in action this weekend, when he welcomes Ekow Essuman, 21-1 (8), to the OVO Hydro Arena. Taylor is unbeaten in five previous bouts in the arena, and will expect support from the majority of the venue.
The bout marks Taylor's first fight at welterweight, with the Scot headlining the card promoted by Queensberry Promotions. All of the action will be shown live on DAZN, with the main card starting at 7pm BST.
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