Date: Saturday, May 24th, 2025
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Prediction: Josh Taylor to Win by Unanimous Decision

Josh Taylor returns to action on home soil this Saturday, headlining in Glasgow against Ekow Essuman in a must-win fight that could determine the trajectory of his career at welterweight. The Tartan Tornado is stepping into the ring not just to win, but to rebuild his legacy.

Once considered one of the best fighters in the world, Taylor’s stock has taken a hit following two consecutive defeats and a highly controversial points win over Jack Catterall in 2022.

That fight, intended as a triumphant homecoming in Glasgow, instead marked the beginning of a downward spiral. Since then, he’s looked a shadow of the man who went on one of the greatest undisputed title runs in British boxing history—beating the likes of Ivan Baranchyk, Viktor Postol, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez.

However, a move up to 147lbs may be exactly what Taylor needs. Weight cuts have clearly taken their toll—his drained appearance on the scales, especially in the Catterall fight, was a red flag. Welterweight could be a new lease of life for the former unified champion, especially with the buzz of a supportive Glasgow crowd behind him once agai

Ekow ‘The Engine’ Essuman is no pushover. The Nottingham fighter has compiled an impressive record on the domestic scene, with solid wins over Chris Kongo in particular. He’s durable, technically sound, and has never been stopped. Ekow knows coming into this fight that a win over a former undisputed champion will be transformative for his career and life. A tantalising prospect which could give him the extra 10% on the night.

His only professional loss came to ‘Horrible’ Harry Scarff in a tight affair for the British, Commonwealth, and IBF European titles.

But that’s the key difference in this matchup—Essuman is a solid domestic-level contender, while Taylor, at his best, is elite on the world stage. Even with recent setbacks, the Scotsman’s resume and ring IQ are on another level and should set him apart in this fight.

That said, it’s been five years since Taylor last recorded a stoppage win, with his first-round KO of Apinun Khongsong in 2020. Even in his peak performances—such as the dominant win over Jose Ramirez where he dropped his opponent twice—he was unable to get the finish. Essuman’s durability further supports the view that this won’t end early.

The most likely outcome? Taylor grinds his way to a dominant points win, re-establishing himself in front of a raucous home crowd. If the weight cut really was the issue and he’s now firing on all cylinders at welterweight, we could see flashes of the relentless, body-punching pressure fighter that stormed to undisputed glory.

This fight is tailor-made for Taylor to remind the boxing world who he is. Expect a smart, calculated performance and a wide points victory on the cards. He’s obviously coming into this a betting favourite so the odds aren’t great on a straight up points win. But I think we’re going to see a dominant performance here so I am going with a UD win for the Scotsman.

Odds: 11/8 at Bet365