Big 2nd half powers Essuman passed Taylor, who drops 3rd in a row
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For about five rounds the fight seemed to be going just how Josh Taylor wanted it to go. The former undisputed junior welterweight champion, seeking to reignite his career after a difficult past three years, moved up to welterweight and was looking sharp against former Team Great Britain amateur teammate Ekow Essuman.
Taylor was outboxing the slower Essuman and landing the more eye-catching punches — until he wasn’t.
That’s because Essuman came on strong in the second half and took over the fight to score an upset unanimous decision for the biggest victory of his career in the main event of the Queensberry Promotions card on Saturday on DAZN at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, Taylor’s home country and the arena where previously had much success.
Unlike the perceived home cooking Taylor received in his heavily disputed split decision win in an undisputed title defense in his first fight with Jack Catterall at the same arena in 2022, the judges were on point with their scoring: 116-113, 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Essuman, who handed Taylor his third consecutive loss — four for many who count the win over Catterall as a defeat — and left his career in tatters.