JOSH TAYLOR warned he will not contend with Tyson Fury as the comeback king – as he looks to fight against the threat of retirement.
The Scottish former undisputed light-welterweight world champion moves up from 140lb to 147lb against Ekow Essuman in Glasgow tonight.
GettyJosh Taylor with Tyson Fury in 2021[/caption]
And he does so off the back of two consecutive defeats with Taylor all-but putting his career at the top of the sport on the line.
But he warned if and when he does retire, it will be for real, unlike his old pal Fury who has made a habit of going back on his word.
Taylor, 34, said: “I ain’t going to be no Tyson Fury having six and seven comebacks. Once I’m finished, I’m finished.
“But I’ve still got a lot of ambition and I’ve still got a lot of drive left to achieve more. It [retiring] hasn’t even crossed my mind yet to be honest with you
“I’ve not even comprehended losing, it can’t come into my mind. It can’t happen, it won’t happen.
“If that does happen and I have to go and climb back down the ladder and fight lesser opponents to get back up to where I am now – no, I’m not doing that. I’m here to be the best.”
Taylor became the four-belt undisputed kingpin in just 18 fights but escaped with a split-decision against Jack Catterall in 2022.
He was then beaten by Teofimo Lopez in 2023 and lost to Catterall in their rematch last May.
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Taylor admits he could retire a happy man – but still has plenty left to achieve after moving up to welterweight.
He said: “This is a new journey for me, the first fight at a new weight.
“I haven’t done anything yet. A lot of people are writing me off, saying, ‘He’s done, he’s finished’. No chance, I’m a long way from being finished yet.
“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 night with a comprehensive win.
“If I become a two-time, two-weight world champion, then I can retire a happy man. To be honest, I could retire a happy man right now.
“I could retire tomorrow and be, like, one in 60 million or whatever population in the UK, the only one to become the undisputed world champion in the four-belt era.
“I think I can sleep quite easily at night having achieved that. But I know six months down the line, I’d be thinking, ‘I could have done more, I could have got more out of it’. That would bug me.”
Kenny Ramsay23.05.2025 Josh Taylor v Ekow Essuman Official Weigh-In …………………………[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
