Josh Taylor Announces Retirement: Eye Injury Forces Scottish Boxing Icon to Hang Up Gloves
Josh Taylor has officially announced his retirement from boxing, news that has sent shockwaves through the UK’s sporting community.
The 34-year-old, often hailed as one of Scotland’s finest fighters, has been forced to step away from the ring due to a persistent eye condition.
Despite undergoing surgery last year, recent medical advice following his May defeat to Ekow Essuman has made one thing clear: continuing to fight could cost him his sight.
“It’s sadly a necessary one,” Taylor said in a heartfelt statement shared with fans. “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.”
This isn’t the farewell Taylor, or his supporters, would have hoped for. But with his health on the line, the decision was inevitable.
Born and raised in Prestonpans, East Lothian, Josh Taylor’s journey was nothing short of phenomenal. He first caught the nation’s attention as an amateur, representing Team GB at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Two years later, he clinched gold on home soil at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, an early glimpse of the greatness to come.
Taylor’s rise in the professional ranks was meteoric. He claimed his first world title in just his 15th bout. By his 18th fight, he had unified all four major belts, WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO, at light-welterweight.
That achievement made him the first, and still the only, male British boxer to become undisputed champion in a single weight class.
His career-defining moments include outclassing Ivan Baranchyk in Glasgow, outpointing Regis Prograis in a thriller at London’s O2, and toppling Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas to seize undisputed glory in 2021.
That bout—where Taylor dropped Ramirez twice—cemented his legacy on the global stage.
But the glory was followed by a turbulent chapter.
Injuries, inactivity, and criticism clouded his reign. A controversial decision win over England’s Jack Catterall in 2022 ignited debate and marked the beginning of Taylor’s decline.
As physical setbacks mounted, he relinquished three of his four belts. Then came the loss to Teofimo Lopez in 2023 and a rematch defeat to Catterall in Leeds.
The final blow came this past May, when he was bested by Ekow Essuman in front of a home crowd in Glasgow. Behind the scenes, his eye condition continued to worsen.
“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,” Taylor admitted. “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.”
Taylor exits the sport with his head held high. A Commonwealth Games champion, an Olympian, and a unified and undisputed world titleholder, his résumé stands among the best in British boxing history.
Though the curtain closes earlier than hoped, his impact is enduring. Not just for Scottish boxing, but for fighters across the UK dreaming of climbing to the very top.
In a sport often defined by grit and glory, Josh Taylor gave fans both, and he walks away as a true legend.
