Josh Taylor weighed in at 146.8 lbs and his opponent, Ekow Essuman, at 146.4 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in for their fight this Saturday, May 24th, at the SSE Hydro, in Glasgow, Scotland. Saturday’s event will be streamed live on DAZN.
Can Taylor Revive His Career at 147?
Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) is fighting for the first time at welterweight, and is in a position where he has to win to keep his career afloat. He said today that fan will see “Taylor 2.0” on Saturday, but people are skeptical. The 34-year-old has looked like the shell of his former self in his last three fights, losing two of them.
Essuman (21-1, 8 KOs) is being brought in as an opponent for Taylor to fight to get his feet wet at 147. Josh isn’t being thrown in the deep end right away against the killer sharks at welterweight. Still, it’s a risky fight for Taylor because this is Essuman’s big chance to put himself in position for a nice payday. Losing to Essuman would show that Taylor has nothing left.
Is Itauma the Next Heavyweight Star?
The fight that many boxing fans are interested in watching on Saturday is heavyweight Moses Itauma (11-0, 9 KOs) vs. Mike Balogun. Itauma, 20, is being hyped by his promoters as the next star in the division. However, we don’t know how good Itauma, 6’2″, is because he’s been matched exclusively against sub-level opposition. He wasn’t a blue-chip amateur. So, he’s being fed soft opposition to learn on the job, but still being hyped like he’s the next star in the heavyweight division.
Itauma weighed in at a bulky-looking 254 lbs today. The little-known Balogun (21-1, 16 KOs) came in at 241. He supposedly is a big puncher. It’ll be interesting to see if Balogun can last long enough to test Itauma’s chin, because the hyped prospect has been knocking out everyone within 1 or 2 rounds. Itauma should have already been given a step up, but it hasn’t happened.
“I’m looking to see the Josh Taylor of old,” said commentator Carl Frampton to DAZN Boxing, talking about Josh Taylor’s debut at welterweight against Ekow Essuman this Saturday night at the SSE Hydro.
It’s unrealistic to expect the Taylor of old,” because he’s in his mid-30s, and his war with Jose Ramirez in 2021 took something out of him. He also had a grueling fight against Regis Prograis in 2019. In Taylor’s loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2023, he didn’t get hammered, but was totally outclassed in a one-sided 12-round defeat.
“Josh Taylor looked fantastic at 147,” said commentator Ade Oladipo.
“Yeah, he’s looked bad as far back as four or five years, when he was winning all the titles when he was unifying the [light welterweight] division. He was doing it, but it was hard for him to do,” said Frampton about Taylor.
Taylor’s poor performances in his last three fights had nothing to do with his having problems making weight. He’s getting older, and his habit of battling his opponents in wars has taken something out of him.
“So, I genuinely think when people step out of that division and move up, seven pounds doesn’t seem like a lot, but it was life-saving for me going from super bantamweight to featherweight,” said Frampton. “That’s only four pounds. You have so much more energy than you do, and it’s so much easier to make the weight.
“You’re not having to worry about cutting too much and having to battle with the scales. So, I have a feeling that we’re going to see a very good Josh Taylor.”
“For Ekow, 36, this is what he’s been craving since he turned pro. Like a real big fight night,” said Ade. “He’s the main event against a big name, Josh Taylor. He’s coming to rip up the script here.”
WBO Global Welterweight Championship (Vacant) – 12 Rounds: Josh Taylor – 146.8 lbs (66.6 kg), Ekow Essuman – 146.4 lbs (66.4 kg)
WBO Inter-continental & WBA International Heavyweight Championships – 10 Rounds: Moses Itauma – 254 lbs (115.2 kg), Mike Balogun – 241 lbs (109.3 kg)
WBC Silver Featherweight Championship (Vacant) – 12 Rounds: Nathaniel Collins – 125.6 lbs (57 kg), Lee McGregor – 125.4 lbs (56.9 kg)
WBA Continental & Commonwealth Cruiserweight Championships – 12 Rounds: Aloys Jr – 199 lbs (90.3 kg), David Jamieson – 198.4 lbs (90 kg)
BBBofC Scottish Area Middleweight Title (Vacant) – 10 Rounds: Aston Brown – 159.6 lbs (72.4 kg), Reece Porter – 159.4 lbs (72.3 kg)
Super-Welterweight Contest – 4 Rounds: Drew Limond – 148.8 lbs (67.5 kg), Ezequiel Gregores – 150 lbs (68 kg)
Super-Lightweight Contest – 8 Rounds: Luke McCormack – 143.2 lbs (65 kg), Samir Cuentas – 144 lbs (65.3 kg)
Light-Heavyweight Contest – 4 Rounds: Alex Arthur Jr – 171 lbs (77.6 kg), Robbie Chapman – 171 lbs (77.6 kg)
Lightweight Contest – 4 Rounds: Luke Bibby – 135.3 lbs (61.3 kg), Cesar Ignacio Paredes – 134 lbs (60.8 kg)
