GLASGOW – Josh Taylor believes he is being written off ahead of his fight on Saturday with Ekow Essuman.
The Scot is moving up to welterweight, where “The Engine” has promised to give him a hard night at the Hydro in Glasgow.
Taylor, stepping into a new weight class after spending his career at junior welterweight, understands he has to prove himself all over again.
“I haven’t done nothing yet,” he said. “A lot of people are writing me off. ‘He’s done.’ ‘He’s finished.’ I’ve got a lot of fire in my belly to prove people wrong again. This is Josh Taylor 2.0, and it starts on Saturday.”
The Scottish southpaw is 34 years old, a former undisputed champion at 140lbs, and boxing at the same venue where he has beaten the likes of Ivan Baranchyk, Ryan Martin, and Viktor Postol.
“It is great to be back here and this has been my home since the Commonwealth Games,” he added. “I’ve had most of my big fights here; Viktor Postol; my first world title against Ivan Baranchyk, so I’ve had most of my big nights here, so I am looking forward to getting back. It has been a little while since I’ve been here, so I am looking to put on a big show on Saturday.”
Taylor, 19-2 (13 KOs), who last boxed when losing a narrow decision to his old rival Jack Catterall, said he is happy with the weight, and was full of energy with not having to shift another seven pounds. He is hoping victory over Essuman will propel him toward more big fights, having done everything he could at 140lbs. It is the new challenge that motivates him.
“At 140lbs what else was there left for me to do?” he asked. “I’d completed boxing in a sense and won every single belt in boxing you can win. What else was there for me in terms of challenges; setting new targets? There was nothing to do. So, what there was, was moving up with an assault on becoming a two-time, two-weight world champion…
“The way I’ve been performing in the gym, if I perform the way I have been in the gym, it won’t go the distance.”
Essuman, 36, did not have much to say at Thursday’s final press conference, but stood his ground and thanked his team for landing him the opportunity.
“It is what it is; he’s in my way; I’m in his way,” said the Botswana-born Nottingham-based fighter, who is 21-1 (8 KOs).
He is actually two years older than Taylor, and promised he would be “More crafty; more creative; throw some magic in there and do what I do.”
“It doesn’t matter about being his backyard or if it was back in Nottingham or in London,” he added. “I don’t have a lot of shows I’ve boxed on in my home city – like big shows – so I am used to being the away fighter.
“It is just the same job, different venue.”
Essuman also felt Taylor had made a poor choice of opponent.
“He’s obviously trying to make a statement – all I can say is it’s the wrong choice to make,” he said. “He’s been amazing in the past and it’s time for me to make my statement.”