Scottish fight fans are licking their lips as their former undisputed world champion, Josh Taylor, is back in ring action in his homeland for the first time since his original clash with Jack Catterall in February 2022. It’s been a tough few years for ‘The Tartan Tornado’, and he hopes that fighting in front of a fervent and frenzied Glasgow crowd will bring about an upturn in fortunes as he takes on the current WBO European champion Ekow Essuman on May 24.
Edinburgh-born Taylor made his professional debut back in 2015 following an impressive amateur career that saw him win silver and gold medals at back-to-back Commonwealth Games (2010 & 2014). Within six years, he was sitting pretty at the top of the super lightweight ladder after collecting the WBC & WBO, WBA & IBF belts following wins over Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis & Jose Ramirez.
Taylor successfully defended those belts with a controversial points win over Jack Catterall three years ago, but his world would come crashing down in 2023. He lost his unbeaten pro record, suffering back-to-back defeats. The first of those came against Teofimo Lopez, and then Catterall would gain revenge by coming out on top in their rematch. Both those fights were away from Scotland, so he remains undefeated on home turf, which will put fire in his belly for this upcoming encounter. As well as heading back to the land of his birth, Taylor will also be hoping that a step-up in weight class sees him rediscover his winning touch. He’s fighting at welterweight for the first time, having been in the super lightweight ranks during his rise to stardom.
Getty Images While Taylor may be a novice at welter, Ekow ‘The Engine’ Essuman has been fighting at that weight since 2017. Essuman, who lost his British, Commonwealth and IBF European welterweight titles when suffering his first career defeat against Harry Scarff in November 2023, bounced back positively to beat Owen Cooper and claim the WBO European Welterweight belt. He would successfully defend that crown when last in action vs Ben Vaughan six months ago.
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman headlines the Queensberry-promoted ‘Land of the Brave’ bill that includes a host of homegrown fighters. There are two sizzling all-Scottish showdowns. At featherweight, Lee McGregor and Nathaniel Collins clash for the vacant WBC Silver championship and at middleweight, Aston Brown goes toe-to-toe with Reece Porter for the Scottish super welterweight championship. Elsewhere, East Kilbride's David Jamieson challenges Aloys Youmbi for his WBA continental cruiserweight title, and there’s also a professional debut for Alex Arthur’s teenage son, Alex Arthur Jr.
Let GOAL help guide you through all the essential information you need ahead of the live Glasgow action, including start times, how to watch and who else is fighting on the card.
When is Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman?
Date | Saturday, May 24 |
Location | OVO Hydro Arena, Glasgow, Scotland |
Time | The DAZN show starts at 7 pm GMT / 2 pm ET / 11 am PT |
Main event ring walks (approx) | 10 pm GMT / 5 pm ET / 2 pm PT |
The OVO Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland, which was officially opened in September 2013, with a concert by Rod Stewart. It is located adjacent to the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo and hosts international musical stars, global entertainment and sporting events. The Hydro has a maximum capacity of 14,500 and attracts up to one million visitors each year. It was the largest entertainment venue in Scotland before the opening of Aberdeen's P&J Live in 2019.
In 2015, the UFC held their inaugural Scottish event, UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs Leites, at the Hydro and in the same year, the arena hosted the Artistic gymnastics world championships. The 'Land of the Brave' card will be the first boxing event staged at the Glasgow venue since Nathaniel Collins beat Jacob Robinson in their Commonwealth featherweight title bout in May 2022. Josh Taylor has been a regular competitor at the Hydro, having fought there five times between 2018-2022.
How to watch or stream Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman and the supporting card can be watched and streamed live in the UK, US & worldwide on DAZN. You can download the DAZN app for PC, Apple, Android, Fire TV, Roku, your Smart TV and many others. You can subscribe to DAZN in the UK for £ 14.99 a month on a 12-month deal ($19.99 in the US) or subscribe to the flexible pass, worth £24.99 a month, which you can cancel anytime ($29.99 in the US). An annual (pay upfront) package is also available for £119.99 ($224.99 in the US), which offers the best value for money.
Watch Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman from anywhere with a VPN
If Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman isn't available to watch live in your area or if you're travelling, you can use a VPN to tune into the action from wherever you are. A VPN creates a secure connection to bypass geographical restrictions and access your favourite streaming services from anywhere. We recommend NordVPN if you're unsure which VPN to choose, but you can also check out our in-depth VPN guide to determine which one is best for you.
Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman Fight card
Weight class | Fight |
|---|---|
Welterweight | Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman |
Featherweight | Nathaniel Collins vs Lee McGregor |
Heavyweight | Moses Itauma vs Mike Balogun |
Cruiserweight | Aloys Youmbi vs David Jamieson |
Middleweight | Aston Brown vs Reece Porter |
Josh Taylor professional boxing stats
- Age: 34
- Height: 5' 10" / 178 cm
- Reach: 69.7" / 177 cm
- Total fights: 21
- Record: 19-2-0
- % wins by KO/TKO: 68
Ekow Essuman professional boxing stats
- Age: 36
- Height: 5' 10" / 178 cm
- Reach: 66" (168 cm)
- Total fights: 22
- Record: 21-1-0
- % wins by KO/TKO: 38