Josh Taylor, former undisputed tremendous light-weight world champion, has introduced his retirement from boxing on the age of 34.
The Scottish fighter says {that a} recurring eye concern has pressured him to hold up the gloves.
“I’ve had a recurring concern with my eye that sadly means I now must name time on my profession or danger shedding my eyesight,” Taylor mentioned in a press release. “While the fighter in me all the time needs to field on, I do know I’ve to hearken to the medical professionals and save me from myself. It’s actually not the best way I wished to bow out, however I’ve to hearken to the docs and people round me.
“I’m only a child from the Pans who scaled the very prime of the game, however I couldn’t have finished it with out those that have supported me via thick and skinny. … It’s now time for me to replicate on a one in 70 million profession and sit up for what’s coming subsequent.”
“I’ve lived my dream for the final 10 years and conquered Mount Everest. … Boxing is all I’ve ever identified, however now let’s see what life has to supply on the opposite aspect of the ropes,” he added on social media.
Taylor retires with a document of 19-3 (13 KO), with the three losses coming in his final three bouts, and plenty of would argue the losses ought to have began together with his 2022 win over Jack Catterall, probably the most controversial selections of this decade, perhaps probably the most. After the controversy with Catterall, he dropped fights at 140 in opposition to Teofimo Lopez after which Catterall in a rematch, and his transfer to 147 earlier this yr noticed him fall quick in opposition to Ekow Essuman.
However whereas Taylor has struggled the previous couple of years, the height of his profession was genuinely fairly particular, and that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Taylor received his first world title in 2019, beating Ivan Baranchyk to take the IBF belt at 140 lbs, and adopted that with a giant win over Regis Prograis 5 months later to win the World Boxing Tremendous Collection event and add the WBA title.
Taylor grew to become undisputed in Might 2021 when he went to Las Vegas and beat Jose Ramirez to completely unify the division, selecting up the WBC and WBO titles that evening.
Taylor nonetheless stands as Nice Britain’s solely four-belt, undisputed male champion.
