Josh Taylor has a new weight class and a new promoter. But will he also have a new beginning? The start of his welterweight campaign begins this Saturday against Ekow Essuman.

When is Josh Taylor vs. Ekow Essuman?

The main broadcast will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. BST). A preliminary undercard will stream at 11:05 a.m. ET (4:05 p.m. BT).

What channel is Josh Taylor vs. Ekow Essuman on?

Taylor vs. Essuman will stream on DAZN.

Where is Josh Taylor vs. Ekow Essuman?

The fight is taking place at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

Who is Josh Taylor?

Taylor was once the undisputed junior welterweight champion, winning a pair of world titles during the World Boxing Super Series tournament – beating the undefeated versions of Ryan Martin, Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis along the way – and then grabbing the remaining two belts afterward with a victory over Jose Ramirez in May 2021. That was quite a standout run. 

The rest of his reign wasn’t.

Taylor barely held on to his throne with a controversial split decision over Jack Catterall in February 2022. He was soon stripped of or otherwise vacated all but his WBO belt. And then that title and the lineal championship were taken away in a decision loss to Teofimo Lopez in June 2023. Taylor returned in May 2024 and lost his rematch to Catterall via unanimous decision.

So now, at 34 years old, with a record of 19-2 (13 KOs), Taylor is making the move to welterweight that had been teased for years. But with far less momentum. He’s at least headlining a show in his home country of Scotland. Will he be rejuvenated at 147lbs? Was the time away good for him or will this latest stretch of inactivity only exacerbate his issues?

This fight with Essuman allows Taylor to dip his toes into the pool rather than diving straight into the deep end.

Who is Ekow Essuman?

Essuman, 21-1 (8 KOs), is a 36-year-old originally from Botswana and now fighting out of Nottingham, England. The WBO ranks him fourth while the WBA has Essuman slotted at 14th. He’s a solid domestic-level welterweight. Since 2023, Essuman has won a majority decision over the 14-1 Chris Kongo, lost a unanimous decision to the 12-2 Harry Scarff, come off the canvas to stop the 10-0 Owen Cooper and, most recently, won a majority decision over the 10-0 Ben Vaughan.

What other fights are on the undercard of Josh Taylor vs. Ekow Essuman?

The undercard includes the return of rising heavyweight prospect Moses Itauma, 11-0 (9 KOs). The 20-year-old has been making short work of his opponents, including a two-round stoppage of faded former title challenger Mariusz Wach last July and a two-minute drubbing of the 22-1 Demsey McKean in December.

Itauma’s opponent is Mike Balogun, 21-1 (16 KOs). The 41-year-old Balogun took his only loss in March 2023, knocked out in the second round by former cruiserweight titleholder Murat Gassiev. Balogun returned in March 2024 with a unanimous decision over an 11-20-5 foe but has been inactive for the past 14 months.

And in a featherweight bout, Nathaniel Collins, 16-0 (7 KOs), will face Lee McGregor, 15-1-1 (11 KOs). They met previously as amateurs; .

can be seen on BoxRec.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter. David’s book, “,” is available on Amazon.