Josh Taylor lost for the third time in his career and has a great decision to make after losing to Ekow Essuman.
Taylor fought in his first performance at the welterweight limit after defeat with Jacek Cattell at 140 pounds.
Essuman gave the Scot everything he could do in Hydro and received a response to every tactic that Joe McNally tried to convey.
However, this was not Essuman, because Taylor had an advantage over the first five rounds. The Scot showed the flashes of his elderly self and Essumana hurt from time to time.
But the second half was all of Essuaman, and the Londonian probably won each of the last six.
Taylor, was the undisputed super lightweight champion, was stunned by the decision of the judges. The truth is that he did it far to nod. All three gave Essuman unanimously judgment 116-113, 116-112 and 115-113.
Karma returned to Taylor after his shocking win, which was never over Jacek Cattell in the same place.
After the fight, Essuman told Dazn: “Respect for Josh Taylor. I have always respected him since the GB team.
“I went to the lion. I remembered things from the time when in the GB team. Now I want the world championship title.
“I beat the undisputed master, and then I want the title of world champion. I did what I had to.”
Compubox Stats agreed with his decision.
“It was the story of two halves. Josh Taylor had a quick start and built an advantage, but Ekow Essuman was sturdy in the second half.
“Essuman landed 140 of 363, 22% in total blows, and Taylor landed 125 of 493, 25%. Finally, Taylor maintained an advantage of 117-115 in the blows, but many of them were done early.”
Leigh Oldney
Card results
Nathaniel Collins He stopped Lee McGregor in the fourth round to leave with the title WBC Silver Feather Wweight.
Moses will bite Mike Balogun devastated in two rounds with a disgusting impact, which occurred after two ponderous knocking.
Aloys Jr. He received the free title of Commonwealth cruise community with the impressive triumph of the third round of David Jamieson.
“Bad man” Aston Brown He abandoned Reece Porter three times to get the free medium score title. Brown put down Porter in the first minute with a trembling shot.
Alex Arthur Jr. He dominated Twardy Robbie Chapman to get off and run in the ranks of heavyweight. The judge’s result was read 40-36.
Drew limond He moved to 4-0 with a win in points on Ezequiel Gregores.
Luke McCormack He recorded his fourth victory Pro when he stopped Samir Cuentas in two rounds.
Wins for Luke Bibby, Reese Lynch and Lee Welsh completed the card.
A planned main event against Jake Paul last November was canceled due to Davis’ external issues, which led to the WBA awarding him the title on hiatus.
Earlier this year, it was reported that “Tank” was in talks for a showdown with former rival Isaac Cruz, but when the Mexican left, fans began to wonder if they would actually see the 31-year-old champion from Baltimore back in the ring.
However, any fears may soon be put to rest Boxing scene reported that Davis is in negotiations to fight Floyd Schofield. The WBA ordered a fight between the duo and gave them until June 22 to reach a deal before financial offers were announced.
The report states that officials close to the negotiations plan for the fight to take place in mid-September or early October.
Schofield is undefeated for 19 years and ranks first in the WBA rankings. He was previously scheduled to fight for a world title against Shakur Stevenson in February 2025 before he was forced to withdraw from the fight during fight week due to illness.
He has since claimed he beat Tevin Farmer by knockout, and his father and trainer, Floyd Sr., has insisted they want to fight Davis next and are extremely confident of winning.
The fight could hinge on Davis’ legal issues, as he was recently wanted by Maryland State Police after allegedly violating probation stemming from domestic violence allegations that resulted in the cancellation of his exhibition with Paul.
“After my last fight, the boxing world really knew who I was,” Muratalla said. “People saw me as an underdog even though I was the champion and I showed that I couldn’t be underestimated.
“Now I’m defending my title against another Olympic gold medalist and I plan to look even better. I’m focused, ready and I’ll take care of things on August 1.”
Conceição is looking to regain his world champion status after previously holding the WBC junior lightweight championship.
“They said it was impossible when I dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal,” Conceição said. “They said that when I fought for my first world title, I achieved both and it’s no different now.
“I have great respect for Raymond Muratalla, but I am ready for this challenge. I want to prove that determination, experience and the heart of a champion are able to overcome any obstacle.
“On August 1, I will fight for myself, my family and all of Brazil.”
Muratalla enters the fight undefeated with a record of 24-0 and 17 knockouts. The California native was elevated to full IBF champion following the retirement of Vasily Lomachenko, and most recently defended his title following a decision victory over Olympic gold medalist Andy Cruz in February.
Conceição (21-3-1, 10 knockouts) became the first Brazilian Olympic boxing gold medalist at the 2016 Games. The 37-year-old won the WBC junior lightweight title by defeating O’Shaquie Foster in July 2024 before losing the belt in a rematch later that year.
Top president Todd duBoef believes the fight will be a forceful addition to the August installment of “The Fight” series.
“Raymond Muratalla has established himself as one of the best lightweights in the world. His recent decisive victory over Andy Cruz reinforced his elite status in boxing,” said duBoef.
“The upcoming defense against Olympic gold medalist and former world champion Robson Conceição will keep fans entertained from the first bell.”
Tomek Galm is a boxing journalist covering the global fight landscape since 2014, specializing in heavyweight analysis, industry trends and fighter psychology.
Terence Crawford, under trainer Brian “BoMac” McIntyre, fought undefeated 42 times before retiring slow last year. Are there any fights left on the table?
The switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska won the world championship in five divisions – undisputed in two – and established himself as the best player of the generation. His swan song was a jump in weight to defeat Mexican icon Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
Crawford is content in his retirement and, unlike many of his peers, he seems to find it uncomplicated to resist returning to the ring. While his skill level is undeniable, a criticism that has been leveled at him from the likes of Canelo and Ryan Garcia is that he doesn’t have many elite names on his record.
I keep talking podcast on the home page“BoMac” was asked if there was any fighter Crawford would like to face in his career, perhaps to further cement his legacy, and without hesitation he mentioned Manny Pacquiao.
“Manny Pacquiao. That would be great.”
Why it didn’t happen McIntyre says promoter Bob Arum, who worked with both fighters when the fight made the most sense, blocked it.
“Vertical [Arum] I just said it the other day. He stopped because he knew how this fight would end. [Pacquiao] he was a cash cow… He didn’t want to spoil the money.”
Crawford previously revealed that he had been pushing for a fight with Pacquiao back in 2015, when he was on his way to becoming the super lightweight world champion, but there were indeed other occasions in the following years where it might have made sense.
Interestingly, “PacMan” also pointed to Crawford as the one who escaped, but he believes that it was Arum who protected the American and not the other way around.
While it appears “Bud” will remain retired, Pacquiao’s career is heading in the opposite direction. The Filipino returned to the professional ranks last year, fighting to a draw with then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios. This year, he plans to have a rematch with Floyd Mayweather, although the details of the event are not yet known.
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