Former undisputed world champion Josh Taylor retires from boxing

Former undisputed world champion Josh Taylor has revealed that he has been forced to retire from boxing on medical advice.

Taylor underwent surgery to deal with an eye issue last year but after a return to the ring and a defeat to Ekow Essumen in May, he has been told by specialists that the risks are too great to continue fighting.

The 34-year-old Scot now draws a line under a career that say him rise to the very top and establish himself as one of the country’s greatest ever boxers.

He began his career as an amateur and made headlines with a Commonwealth Games gold in front of a home crowd at Glasgow 2014.

From there, the fighter known as “the Tartan Tornado” went on to become world champion and then become the first British fighter to unify the titles in the four-belt era and one of few to ever do it.

Injuries forced him to vacate three of his belts and he lost the WBO belt to Teofimo Lopez in 2023. Defeats to Jack Catterall and Essumen followed and he said it’s sad to be having to hand up his gloves now.

A statement on social media read: “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.

“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.

“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 is certainly not the way I wanted to bow out but I have to listen to the doctors and those around me.

“I am just a kid from the Pans who scaled the very top of the sport but I could not have done it without those who have supported me through thick and thin.”