Boxing betting tips: Josh Taylor vs Ekow Essuman live on DAZN

Boxing betting tips: Saturday May 24

2pts Josh Taylor to win by unanimous decision at 11/8 (bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

It’s no exaggeration to say JOSH TAYLOR’s career is on the line this weekend.

The former undisputed super lightweight champion has lost his last two fights and now steps up to welterweight to face Ekow Essuman at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Saturday night.

That fact Taylor is ‘only’ 4/11 to beat Essuman shows how far his stock has dropped, and anything but a victory here could result in him hanging up his gloves.

That’s not to say that Essuman (21-1) is a bad fighter – far from it. The 11/4 shot is tough, durable and has won the Lonsdale belt outright thanks to his four defences of the British welterweight title. However, he hasn’t fought anyone near the level of Taylor, who was once considered one of the best fighters in the world.

Let’s not forget what Taylor achieved in such a short space of time. 'The Tartan Tornado' went on an unbelievable run between 2018 and 2021 which saw him beat world champions such as Viktor Postol, Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis, the latter in a Fight of the Year contender at a packed O2 Arena in London.

Then, in May 2021, came his crowning glory when taking on Jose Ramirez for all four belts at 140lb and he produced a brilliant performance – dropping his man twice en route to a unanimous decision victory. That ended a stunning run during which he beat six opponents with a combined record of 136-1, and he was undisputed champion after just 18 professional contests.

However, what was meant to be one last fight at the weight he was struggling so much to make ended in huge controversy. Taylor’s homecoming at this same arena against Jack Catterall in February 2022 turned into a nightmare, as the home fighter was well off the pace and appeared to lose a close decision. There was uproar when the judges gave Taylor the nod and the fallout from that controversial decision was very ugly.

Fourteen months later he went to New York to take on American star Teofimo Lopez and was clearly beaten (points), with the same fate happening in the rematch with Catterall last May when he dropped another unanimous decision. It’s now nearly four years since he looked good, and the 34-year-old is banking on this long-awaited step up in weight rejuvenating him.

Taylor has chosen no ‘gimme’ for his first outing at 147lb, as Essuman is a strong, compact and effective pressure fighter whose high work-rate has earned him a nickname of ‘The Engine’. He may be 36 but he’s in the form of his life, having bounced back from the sole defeat of his career to Harry Scarff by beating two unbeaten foes in Owen Cooper (TKO10) and Ben Vaughan (MD) in a couple of barnstormers.

You can guarantee he will bring the heat and there is no secret about what he wants to do, which is to walk forward and get up close to work away on the inside. He has never been hard to hit, though, and his defensive skills are levels below those of Catterall and Lopez, so Taylor should find the target with much more regularity than we have seen in his last three outings.

It’s a long time since Taylor has fought at this kind of level and he will relish the drop in class, but has too much time ed for him to still be effective?

Taylor himself was known for his high output approach in his pomp, as he out-willed and outlasted many a top-class opponent with his relentless approach.

However, his faltering engine has been the most noticeable thing about his decline, and he hasn’t been able to maintain such a furious pace of late. That may be down to being drained at the weight and we could see the ‘old’ Taylor again now that he has an extra 7lb to play with. Or has the damage already been done by staying at super lightweight for too long? We won’t know the answer to that until after the first bell.

A peak Taylor would most likely have too much for someone like Essuman and overwhelm him to record a stoppage victory, which is priced up at 7/2 here. However, the worry is that weight-making troubles have left their mark on the favourite, and he just isn’t the same fighter now.

Still, even 70% of the all-conquering version of Taylor should be enough to get past Essuman, who is game and sturdy but nowhere near as skilful as his opponent. There is no doubt the extra weight will help Taylor but maybe not as much as it would if he had moved up three or four years ago.

Also, the southpaw stance of Taylor could be crucial. While Essuman has beaten ‘lefties’ Darren Tetley and the aforementioned Vaughan, he was caught an awful lot by the latter and he struggled with the switch-hitting of Scarff in his one defeat.

Therefore, I expect Taylor, who is taking a notable drop in class, to know a little too much for Essuman. His superior speed and punch variety, especially from the southpaw stance, should be enough for him to get back on the winning trail.

The underdog is durable, though, and Taylor may have to do it on scorecards, which is 10/11. That can be boosted to 11/8 for the Edinburgh man to win by UNANIMOUS DECISION and that is the bet for me.

Easy for Itauma

A tremendous all-Scottish affair between the unbeaten Nathaniel Collins (16-0) and Lee McGregor (15-1) provides the chief .

As the more natural featherweight, Collins is the 8/15 favourite with his good points victories over the unbeaten Zak Miller (MD) and sco Grandelli (UD) representing strong form.

However, former European bantamweight champion McGregor (7/4) recorded the best win of his career when boxing his way to an impressive decision success over Isaac Lowe at this weight in December and he will be full of confidence.

This is a superb match-up and, with little to choose between them in my eyes, it could be one to sit back and enjoy without a financial interest.

Likewise when young starlet Moses Itauma continues his rise up the heavyweight ranks against Mike Balogun, with quotes of 1/100 about the former showing what is expected from him here.

Balogun (21-1) was stopped in two rounds by Murat Gassiev a couple of years ago and this one might not last much longer.

Posted at 1330 BST on 23/05/25

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