Ekow Essuman delivered an upset for the ages, defeating Josh Taylor to capture the vacant WBO Global Welterweight Championship on Saturday night in Scotland.
It was clear from the get-go that Taylor was on another level than Essuman, and likely took the first two rounds handily. Essuman finally got his offense going in the third, landing a big right hand that broke the guard and appeared to momentarily rock Taylor.
Towards the end of the round, Taylor landed a right hook, but Essuman snapped back with a shot of his own that had Taylor going back to his corner on wobbly legs.
Taylor bounced back in the fourth round, but it quickly became clear that the tide was starting to turn, with Essuman walking down his opponent and frequently freezing Taylor with his right hand.
After a relatively competitive fifth and sixth round, Essuman started to pull away from his opponent, landing the bigger shots for the next several rounds. With the fight potentially hanging in the balance, both fighters turned up the heat in the 12th.
But while Taylor was offering up one shot at a time, Essuman was putting together combinations, putting an exclamation point on a stellar performance.
Official Result: Ekow Essuman def. Josh Taylor via unanimous decision (116-113, 117-112, 115-113) to win the WBO Global Welterweight Championship.
