Josh Taylor, 34, is looking to reignite his career on Saturday night at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow.

The former undisputed super-lightweight champion is making the move up to welterweight, facing Nottingham’s Ekow Essuman.

The glory days of holding all four belts feel like a distant memory, as Taylor aims to bounce back from the only two losses of his 21-fight career.

After years of battling to make the super-lightweight limit, Taylor has finally accepted that his time in the division is over. His struggles to hit 140lbs were well documented—most notably in the BBC documentary focused on his first fight against Jack Catterall, a bout that ended in a controversial win for Taylor.

Now, he’s relieved to be moving up and avoiding the gruelling weight cut.

‘I can’t wait [for the fight]. It’s been a little while since I’ve been in the ring,’ Taylor told TalkSport.

‘I’m most looking forward to fighting at welterweight and not having to boil myself down so much to get down to 140lbs.

‘It’s like a walk in the park to make welterweight (147lbs); it’s almost like my natural weight. I’m eating a hell of a lot more, I’m feeling a lot stronger, fitter and fuller. I’m full of energy.’

Ekow Essuman is far from an easy welcome to the division. A career-long welterweight, Essuman has suffered just one defeat; a unanimous decision loss to Harry Scarff in 2023.

Since then, he’s been in two absolute wars. A dramatic 10th-round TKO win against Owen Cooper last July, followed by a majority decision victory in a brutal toe-to-toe battle with Ben Vaughan four months later, has seen his profile rise under the Queensberry Promotions banner.

At 36, Essuman is in the twilight of his career but arguably in his best form. He’ll see this as the perfect time to take on Taylor.

There are questions about whether Taylor is past his peak, and no one knows how he’ll perform at the higher weight. Essuman will believe he’s the bigger, stronger fighter, and his relentless pressure will be a problem from the opening bell.

Both men were part of Team GB at the same time, but Taylor’s rise was extraordinary, cementing him as one of the best British fighters of the modern era.

While Taylor’s resume and pedigree suggest he’s a level above Essuman, he can’t afford to be complacent.

In many ways, this is a fresh start. A loss to Jack Catterall in their rematch, followed by a deflating defeat to the brilliant Teofimo Lopez, has left Taylor needing a win. Another setback against Essuman would end any hopes of becoming a two-weight world champion.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for Taylor, and all eyes turn to fight week as the festivities get underway.

Images: Getty