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 difficulty has compelled him to hold up the gloves.
“I’ve had a recurring difficulty with my eye that sadly means I now must name time on my profession or threat shedding my eyesight,” Taylor stated in a press release. “While the fighter in me at all times desires to field on, I do know I’ve to hearken to the medical professionals and save me from myself. It’s actually not the way in which 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 high of the game, however I couldn’t have achieved it with out those that have supported me by way of thick and skinny. … It’s now time for me to mirror 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 recognized, 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 report of 19-3 (13 KO), with the three losses coming in his final three bouts, and lots of would argue the losses ought to have began together with his 2022 win over Jack Catterall, some of the controversial choices 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 brief in opposition to Ekow Essuman.
However whereas Taylor has struggled the previous few years, the height of his profession was genuinely fairly particular, and that shouldn’t be forgotten.
Taylor gained his first world title in 2019, beating Ivan Baranchyk to take the IBF belt at 140 lbs, and adopted that with an enormous win over Regis Prograis 5 months later to win the World Boxing Tremendous Sequence 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 totally unify the division, choosing up the WBC and WBO titles that evening.
Taylor nonetheless stands as Nice Britain’s solely four-belt, undisputed male champion.
