Josh Taylor return against Ekow Essuman

Josh Taylor will officially make his move up to the welterweight division on Saturday, May 17, taking on Ekow Essuman in a DAZN main event. The 34-year-old Taylor (19-2, 13 KO) aims to revive his career at 147 lbs after dropping his last two fights on the record. In the eyes of many fans, he has effectively lost three straight, when factoring in the highly controversial decision over Jack Catterall three years ago.

Taylor most recently fell to Teofimo Lopez in June 2023, and suffered a defeat against Catterall in their rematch last May. His last win with no major dispute dates back nearly four years, when he bested Jose Ramirez to become the undisputed champion at 140 lbs.

Essuman (21-1, 8 KO), 35, is a former British and Commonwealth titleholder. After capturing those belts in 2021 with a victory over Chris Jenkins, he defended successfully against Danny Ball, Darren Tetley, Samuel Antwi, and Chris Kongo, before ultimately losing to Harry Scarff in late 2023.