Josh Taylor faces Ekow Essuman in the main event, live from OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday, May 24. The contest features the former undisputed super lightweight champion, representing the host country, up against the England-based opponent from Botswana. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds at welterweight. The vacant WBO ‘Global’ belt is on the line.
Making his 147-pound debut, Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) looks to rebound from two straight defeats. In his previous outing last May, the 34-year-old southpaw dropped a unanimous decision in a rematch against Jack Catterall. 36-year-old Essuman (21-1, 8 KOs) targets his third straight victory, following a pair of wins last year against Ben Vaughan and Owen Cooper.
The 10-round co-main event is a heavyweight bout between unbeaten Moses Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs) of Slovakia and Mike Balogun (21-1, 16 KOs) of Washington, D.C. The pair battle it out for the WBO Intercontinental and WBA International titles.
On the Taylor vs Essuman undercard, Nathaniel Collins (15-0, 7 KOs) and Lee McGregor (15-1-1, 11 KOs) square off in an all-Scottish 12-round bout at featherweight. Aloys Youmbi (9-1, 8 KOs) of England and David Jamieson (13-3, 10 KOs) of Scotland clash in a 12-rounder at cruiserweight. Local fighters Aston Brown (7-0, 2 KOs) and Reece Porter (5-0, 3 KOs) meet in a 10-rounder at middleweight.
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman results
Get Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman full fight card results below.
Main card
- Ekow Essuman def. Josh Taylor by unanimous decision (116-113, 116-112, 115-113) | Watch video
- Nathaniel Collins def. Lee McGregor by TKO (R4, 1:45)
- Moses Itauma def. Mike Balogun by TKO (R2, 0:46)
- Reese Lynch def. Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira by KO (R2, 3:00)
- Aloys Youmbi def. David Jamieson by TKO (R3, 1:54)
Prelims
- Aston Brown def. Reece Porter by TKO (R3)
- Alex Arthur def. Robbie Chapman by points (40-36)
- Drew Limond def. Ezequiel Gregores by points (40-36)
- Luke McCormack def. Samir Cuentas by KO (R2)
- Lee Welsh def. Tony Morton by TKO (R1)
- Luke Bibby def. Cesar Ignacio Paredes by points (40-36)
Post-lims
- Marcus Sutherland def. Dylan Nixon by TKO (R1, 1:20)
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman live blog
Taylor vs Essuman full fight video highlights
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman full fight video highlights are now streaming.
Taylor vs Essuman fight photos now live
The photos from the event – Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman, as well as the undercard action – have been published.
Ekow Essuman defeats Josh Taylor by decision
Ekow Essuman pulls off an upset, earning a unanimous decision over Josh Taylor. The scores were 116-113, 116-112, and 115-113. England-based Essuman of Botswana improves to 22-1, 8 KOs, securing his third win in a row. Former undisputed super lightweight champion Taylor of Scotland does not succeed in his welterweight debut, dropping to 19-3, 13 KOs and recording his third straight defeat.
Main event time: Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman
The main event features former undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) of Scotland against England-based Ekow Essuman (21-1, 8 KOs) of Botswana. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds at welterweight, with the vacant WBO ‘Global’ belt on the line. Taylor is coming off back-to-back unanimous decision losses to Jack Catterall and Teofimo Lopez. Essuman is aiming for his third straight win, following a majority decision over Ben Vaughan and a stoppage victory against Owen Cooper.
Nathaniel Collins TKO's Lee McGregor in fourth round
Nathaniel Collins (16-0, 8 KOs) stops Lee McGregor (15-2-1, 11 KOs) in the fourth round to lift the vacant WBC ‘Silver’ title at featherweight. The time of the stoppage was 1:45 into the round. McGregor went down three times in the fourth round, prompting his corner to throw in the towel.
Co-main event: Nathaniel Collins vs Lee McGregor
The co-main event pits Nathaniel Collins (15-0, 7 KOs) against Lee McGregor (15-1-1, 11 KOs). The all-Scottish bout is scheduled for 12 rounds in the featherweight division. The vacant WBC ‘Silver’ strap is up for grabs.
Moses Itauma stops Mike Balogun in second round
Moses Itauma (12-0, 10 KOs) of Slovakia dominated Mike Balogun (21-2, 16 KOs) of Washington, D.C. to claim a second-round stoppage victory. Itauma dropped Balogun once in the first round and twice in the second. The time of the stoppage was 46 seconds into the second round.
Up next: Moses Itauma vs Mike Balogun
Continuing the action, Moses Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs) of Slovakia faces Mike Balogun (21-1, 16 KOs) of Washington, D.C. The bout is scheduled for 10 rounds at heavyweight, with the WBO Intercontinental and WBA International titles at stake. (There was a shuffle in the originally announced lineup.)
Reese Lynch stops Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira in two rounds
Scotland’s Reese Lynch made his successful pro boxing debut eliminating Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira (6-27, 5 KOs) of Brazil in two rounds at super lightweight.
Up next: Reese Lynch vs. Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira
Up next, Reese Lynch of Scotland makes his pro boxing debut against Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira (6-26, 5 KOs) of Brazil. The bout is scheduled for four rounds at super lightweight.
Aloys Youmbi TKO's David Jamieson in third round
Aloys Youmbi (10-1, 9 KOs) of England drops David Jamieson (13-4, 10 KOs) of Scotland three times en route to a third-round stoppage victory. Jamieson went down in the first, second, and third rounds. The time of the stoppage was 1:54 into the third round.
Up next: Aloys Youmbi vs David Jamieson
Kicking off the main card, Aloys Youmbi (9-1, 8 KOs) of England takes on David Jamieson (13-3, 10 KOs) of Scotland. The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds at cruiserweight. The WBA Continental and vacant Commonwealth titles are on the line.
Taylor vs Essuman undercard results
Among the Taylor vs Essuman prelims, Drew Limond defeats Ezequiel Gregores by points at welterweight. Alex Arthur scores a points decision over Robbie Chapman at super middleweight. Luke Bibby earns a points decision over Cesar Ignacio Paredes at lightweight. Lee Welsh stops Tony Morton in the first round, also at lightweight.
Video: Josh Taylor wins undisputed title
In case you missed it – one of Josh Taylor’s biggest victories to date came in May 2021, when he scored a unanimous decision over Jose Ramirez to collect all four major belts at 135 lbs.
Taylor vs Essuman: How to watch & start time
Taylor vs Essuman airs live on DAZN. The start time in the U.S. is 2:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PT. The local start time in the UK is 7:00 PM BST. The prelims begin at 11:00 PM ET / 8:00 AM PT in the U.S. and 4:00 PM BST in the UK.
Who wins Taylor vs Essuman?
What’s your prediction for Taylor vs Essuman – or any other bout on the card? Leave your picks in the comments below.
