Josh Taylor
FORMER UNDISPUTED world champion Josh Taylor has announced his retirement from boxing, citing medical advice to protect his eyesight. The 34-year-old Scottish fighter, known as “The Tartan Tornado,” revealed that ongoing issues following eye surgery last year have forced him to hang up his gloves.
Taylor, who lost to Ekow Essuman in May, said continuing his career would put his vision at serious risk.
“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,” Taylor said in a statement. “While the fighter in me always wants to box on, I know I have to listen to the medical professionals and save me from myself. It’s not the way I wanted to bow out, but I have to put my health first.”
Widely regarded as one of Scotland’s greatest-ever boxers, Taylor’s rise was meteoric. He captured gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow before turning professional and becoming a world champion in just his 15th fight, a unified champion in his 16th, and the undisputed light-welterweight champion by his 18th bout. He remains the only male fighter from the UK to hold all four major belts in a single division.
Taylor’s career highlights include wins over Ivan Baranchyk and Regis Prograis in 2019 and a historic victory against Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas in 2021, where he floored the American twice to secure undisputed status. However, injuries and inactivity hampered his later years, leading to title losses to Teofimo Lopez in 2023 and a rematch defeat to Jack Catterall in 2024.
His final bout—a defeat to Essuman in Glasgow two months ago—closes the chapter on a career few UK fighters have matched, cementing his legacy as a modern Scottish sporting icon.