Can Josh Taylor Win A Belt At 147?

Josh Taylor will box at 147 for the first time, as he faces Ekow Essuman this weekend, but can he win a world title in the weight class? 

Taylor’s form has come into question of late, as he no longer looks like the same fighter who was once the Undisputed Junior Welterweight Champion. The question marks started when Taylor won a split decision against Jack Catterall, where most of the boxing community felt he had lost. Taylor vacated his belts, except the WBO title, to face Teofimo Lopez next rather than rematch Catterall immediately. Josh lost the Lopez fight conclusively, as he later rematched Catterall. Taylor lost that fight too, as he moved up to 147. 

Taylor’s Challenge

The problem for Taylor at 147 is that he is not the biggest puncher. His last knockout win was against ​​Apinun Khongsong in 2020. While some may argue that the weight cut at 140 hampered Taylor’s ability to stop fighters, he will face more durable boxers at 147. Fighters such as Jaron Ennis have the ability to bully and dominate their opponents. 

Taylor may also struggle to make the big fights. Jaron Ennis holds the IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine Welterweight Titles. Meanwhile, the WBC belt is held by Marios Barrios. Brian Norman Jr. holds the remaining WBO belt. Ennis is in talks to fight Teofimo Lopez, while Barrios will box Manny Pacquiao. Norman Jr. will fight Jin Sasaki in his next fight, meaning all the belts are tied up. 

Taylor Reacts

Taylor will likely have a better time having a domestic match-up. There is a chance to face off against Conor Benn. The latter suffered his first loss to Chris Eubank Jr. at 160. Although there is talk over a rematch, Benn will likely move down to 147 if that fails. A fight against Taylor allows Benn to secure a big win against a former world champion. Taylor still has ambitions of a world title, but can he do it? 

“The desire and the hunger is still there. I want to achieve more in the game. I’ve got plenty of naysayers that say ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that’. So I like to prove them wrong as well. “When I become a two-weight world champion then it’s a good middle finger up to a lot of people,” Taylor said