JOSH Taylor called time on his decorated boxing career just moments ago, citing a ‘recurring issue’ with his eye as the reason for his exit.
The 34-year-old returned to action in May, suffering his third points defeat on the bounce after colliding with a relentless Ekow Essuman in Glasgow, Scotland.
Soon after, ‘The Tartan Tornado’ insisted that he had done enough to edge a decision on the judges’ scorecards, while most spectators saw the unanimous verdict as a fair result.
Either way, the former undisputed super-lightweight champion was forced to collect his thoughts and, since then, has arrived at a rather difficult conclusion.
Despite his fierce competitive spirit, Taylor has admitted on social media that, after receiving advice from medical experts, the time has come for him to finally hang up the gloves.
Most notably, the Scot amassed all the jewellery at 140lbs in 2021, back when a scintillating performance saw him outpoint Jose Ramirez.
Prior to that, two particularly impressive victories over Regis Prograis and Viktor Postol only added to his legacy, several years before Taylor’s controversial contest against Jack Catterall.
He did, of course, edge a widely lambasted split decision against his domestic rival in 2022, only to then lose their rematch in convincing fashion last year.
In any case, though, Taylor has now chosen to sail off into the sunset, not wishing to risk permanent damage to his eye.
“Right folks, this isn’t an easy post for me to write, but on the advice of my doctors, it’s sadly a necessary one,” he wrote on Instagram, before acknowledging his remarkable achievements in the ring.
“As has been publicised before, I’ve had a recurring issue with my eye that unfortunately means I now have to call time on my career, or risk losing my eyesight.”
Dr Neil Scott, the chief medical adviser to the British Boxing Board of Control, has gone into detail regarding Taylor’s ongoing eye problem in a previous interview with Boxing News.
