England's Essuman defeated Scotland's Taylor to upset the odds and silence a sold-out crowd at The SSE Hydro, Glasgow.
Written off as a massive underdog against a former unified super lightweight world champion, Essuman rode an early storm before coming on strong to land the WBO Global welterweight crown.
The man known as "Engine" lived up to his reputation with a gutsy performance to impress the judges in the main event of an exciting show from Queensberry Boxing on Frank Warren's return to Scotland. Following 12 pulsating rounds before a huge following and a global TV audience, Essuman won the bout by margins of two, three and four rounds.
In defeating Taylor, Ekow can look ahead to a career-defining year as he aims to trade his most recent belt for a recognised world championship. Could we see him share a ring with British number one Lewis Crocker or global leader Jaron Ennis next? Everyone connected to Team Essuman believes their fighter is now ready for the cream of the crop.
Taylor's blistering start cools
Entering the ring following back-to-back defeats against Teofimo Lopez and Jack Catterall, the "Tartan Tornado" Josh Taylor knew Saturday's homecoming was a must-win. The fighting pride of Prestopans in Edinburgh, Scotland, promised much after moving from super lightweight to welterweight. Fans were told to expect a rejuvenated, stronger and hungrier Taylor, but what they got failed to live up to the hype.
Cheered on by a fiercely patriotic crowd, Taylor set the heather alight in the opening rounds. His trademark fast combinations, accurate body shots and swift footwork were there for all to see and enjoy. Josh started well, boxing off a slick southpaw stance as he won the opening rounds. The Scotsman didn't encounter too many problems as he landed punches in bunches before spinning out of distance. But if Team Taylor thought their opponent was about to roll over and show his belly to his host, they were mistaken.
Essuman enjoyed only fleeting success in the first five rounds, but his game plan soon became apparent. Having weathered the storm, Ekow began to assert his dominance with an incredible work rate, tight defence, and an unrelenting will to win.
Better late than never
Essuman may have looked out of his depth for much of the first half of the night, but if he was late to the party in Glasgow, he was there to closing time.
The 36-year-old based in Nottingham had learned a thing or two about having to dig deep and ignore his doubters in a career that brought him multiple awards, including British, Commonwealth and European straps. Whether Taylor ran out of gas following a blistering start or Essuman timed his attack to perfection, the result was the same.
The fighter born in Botswana stuck to the game plan and went through the gears, winning many of the middle rounds by remaining on Taylor's chest, firing hard combinations to head and body. With the tide turning, the crowd began to be silent, and you could feel Ekow taking charge.
Taylor rallied, realising the big night was slipping through his fingers. He used his experience to ensure he remained in the contest and a threat heading into the final round. I had things level with three minutes to fight, believing one man needed to stand tall and grab the victory. That proved to be the "away" fighter and underdog.
The official scorecards at the end of the championship rounds read 116-112, 116-113, and 115-113. Some of my colleagues at ringside believed Taylor had done enough to nick the decision on home turf, but the general feeling was the scorers picked the right man, with the margins the only real talking points.
Tartan Tornado storms off
Following the decision and awarding of the WBO global belt to his rival, Taylor stormed out of the ring, avoiding questions from the waiting media. The man from the capital later apologised for an untimely exit, saying he retreated to the changing rooms to avoid saying something he'd regret in post-match interviews.
Did he think he had won the contest? Will he fight again? How much does he still have to offer a sport he once dominated? Many unanswered questions remain for fans of Scottish boxing's most successful fighter, and they must await those answers.
As for Essuman, the Englishman fought the fight of his career, and it appears there's still more to come from a Cinderella Man who's enjoying the best results in his late 30s. He's shown he's a handful for anyone in the welterweight division, but is acutely aware that time isn't on his side. 2025 must be the year he goes from dangerous opponent to world title challenger, and the sooner that happens, the better for Ekow, his team and boxing fans.
Stars of the future shine on the undercard
Queensberry Promotions gave boxing fans in Scotland a memorable night packed with homegrown talent and some of the best rising talent from across the United Kingdom.
There was disappointment for Scottish boxing in the main event, but fight fans witnessed the birth of a new star in the chief support.
Bearsden's Nathaniel Collins stopped Edinburgh's Lee McGregor inside four rounds to win the WBC silver featherweight title.
The weight of expectation on the shoulders of both Scottish warriors was evident in the first two rounds, with Collins and McGregor producing a scrappy opener. But it didn't take long for Collins' class to shine through. It wasn't easy on the eye, but Collins dropped McGregor in the third round. Lee scrambled off the deck, claiming he was pushed, but Collins wasted no time heaping on the pressure.
There was no doubt about the second knockdown shortly after. Sensing a stoppage, Collins kept the pressure on and finished McGregor at 1:45 of round four with a solid shot through the middle to the body. McGregor's corner throws in the towel, sparking wild celebrations from across the ring.
Famous fighting sons
Amazing Alex Arthur and the late Willie Limond are two prized assets of Scottish boxing in recent times. On Saturday, their sons got the chance to steal the limelight.
First up, young Drew Limond claimed a fourth win in four as a prizefighter when beating the experienced Ezequiel Gregores over four rounds.
The beaten man provided a decent test, smiling and cheering through the first couple of exchanges, but his opponent was all business. When settled, Limond fired off crisp three-and-four-punch combos to catch the eye of referee Kevin McIntyre, himself a former champion professional boxer.
Lead uppercuts and strong shots knocked back the head of Gregores, and there were no surprises when Limond was awarded a clean sweep 40-36 victory.
Amazing Alex Arthur 2.0
Next, Alex Arthur Jr made a winning debut when out-pointing the well-respected Robbie Chapman, winning each of the four rounds.
Chapman entered the ring draped in England flags, much to the "amusement" of the early crowd gathering at the Hydro. But he offered little more of note. Arthur paced himself to perfection, working his way into the fight off a typically sharp southpaw jab before putting together combos to head and body in the second, third and fourth rounds.
Alex attempted to encourage Chapman to throw, but his well-travelled opponent knew enough not to be dragged in. Both fighters and teams seemed happy with the result and performance.
Eye-catcher of the night
Another debutant and the man who stood out as the eye-catcher of the night for me was 23-year-old Reese Lynch from Fauldhouse, who defeated Brazilian veteran Jonatas Rodrigo Gomes de Oliveira.
Starting fast, Lynch immediately set about pushing his opponent back with sharp right-hook, left-hand combos off a southpaw stance. Lynch pushed his opponent against the ropes near the end of round two, landing a lovely left hook to the liver, sending Oliveriera down. The referee began counting but called the fight after eight when the beaten man signalled his surrender with a shake of the head.
Keep your eyes on the super lightweight southpaw known as Reecko, who will likely feature again before the end of summer.
Fight night notes
Aston Brown won RSC1 v Reece Porter
Battle of two unbeaten fighters. Porter went on the attack early, eager to show his strength, but played into his opponent's hands. Brown lands a well-timed shot, sending Porter to the canvas. The felled fighter rises and opts to fight fire with fire. It's the wrong move, and he's dropped a further two times, forcing referee Kevin McIntyre to wave it off. Brown wins the Scottish title.
Aloys Youbi won RSC 3 v David Jamieson
Jamieson went looking for big single shots from the opening bell, but Youbi quickly found his range with left hooks to the head, visibly stunning the Scotsman. Jamieson looked open to left hooks to the head and body, which Youbi quickly seized on.
Jamieson blamed a flash knockdown in round 1 on a punch behind the head, and he looked off-balance. But there could be no complaints when Youbi dropped him again in round two. Youbi continued to control the pace and land hooks and uppercuts at will. A switch to the right uppercut sent Jamieson to the canvas for the third time in three rounds. The referee started the count but waved it off at six, with Jamieson in no condition to get up and continue.
Moses Itauma won RSC2 v Mike Balogun
Itauma starts fast, quickly finding his distance in the battle of the southpaws. He backs his opponent up against the neutral corner and drops him with a sharp southpaw one-two. Balogun goes down heavy but rises, and his head seems to clear.
A fast start to round two sees Itauma drop Balogun with a lead right hook. A heavier knockdown and by 46 seconds of round number two, Balogun was down for the third time and stopped.
Luke McCormack won RSC2 v Samir Cuentas
Patient start, good defence and shot selection. Cuentas complained about shots behind the head, but was going back in straight lines, and took a heavy shot midway through round two. The referee waved off the fight after Cuentas rested his head back against the canvas, suggesting he was done.
Luke Bibby won points v Cesar Ignacio Paredes
Perth's 24-year-old lightweight Luke Bibby claimed a shutout points win over his battle-hardened Peruvian opponent, Paredes. The Scotsman wasted no time taking charge and proved he's ready to move through the ranks. With a 10-1-0 record, Bibby has the luxury of time on his side, but it's obvious to see he's straining at the leash as he targets the big names.
Lee Welsh won RSC1 v Tony Morton
Stirling's Lee Welsh blew away Glasgow's Tony Morton, dropping his opponent three times before forcing the stoppage, bringing the curtain down on a fantastic evening in style. Welsh is now 4-0-0 with two stoppage wins, and having worked himself into a promising position, he'll be on the phone to his handlers early on Monday morning, encouraging them to keep him active in 2025.
The team at Flashscore would like to extend their appreciation to Queensberry Promotions, Matt Rich and the team for press accreditation, the warm welcome and ensuring the assembled media had everything needed to cover such a busy and enjoyable evening of professional boxing from the famous old fighting city of Glasgow.