Rob Tebbutt maps out Josh Taylor's path to welterweight world title glory ahead of 147lbs debut

Former undisputed super-lightweight king Josh Taylor begins his quest to become a two weight world champion against Ekow Essuman this weekend, and our resident boxing expert Rob Tebbutt has mapped out the most logical path to welterweight glory for the 'Tartan Tornado'.

The 34-year-old Queensberry star makes his long-awaited return to the ring as he takes on former British welterweight champion Essuman in the Scotsman's first venture into the 147lbs division.

Taylor is, of course, a former undisputed super-lightweight champion and, at the peak of his powers, widely regarded as one of the finest fighters to have hailed from these shores over the past century.

Saturday night will represent his first pit-stop as a welterweight contender as he takes the first steps towards establishing himself as a two weight world champion.

It's an interesting fight for him to undertake against an experienced, rugged and fully fledged welterweight campaigner who should, stylistically, be a good fit for him, however, it's worth noting that the Edinburgh native hasn't won convincingly now for a good four years.

He had that controversial win over Jack Catterall before being comprehensively beaten by Teofimo Lopez, and then being well beaten by Catterall in their hugely-anticipated rematch last year.

So where is Josh Taylor at in his career?

Well that remains to be seen, but if he is not able to transfer that size and ability to fight in the pocket that he had at 140lbs then it's difficult to see how he is going to be able to win a world title at 147lbs.

- Rob Tebbutt

Jaron 'Boots' Ennis is the current unified champion, holding the WBA and IBF belts, and that would be an incredibly difficult fight for Taylor to take on at this stage of his career.

Elsewhere in the division, Brian Norman Jr currently holds the WBO title.

Taylor is, of course, a former WBO super-lightweight champion who managed to hold onto that strap longer than the rest, so I am sure he could find himself working towards that belt if he is victorious this weekend.

Let's not forget that his showdown with Essuman is for the WBO 'International' title meaning the winner will secure themselves an official ranking and therefore be eligible for an almost immediate crack at Norman Jr's belt.

Outside of that we fully expect Mario Barrios to fight Manny Pacquaio in July, so, for me, should Taylor come through Saturday's fight with Essuman, and look good in doing so - which is by no means a given - then fully expect him to go down the WBO route.

That said, if a world title opportunity isn't forthcoming, then how about an all-British blockbuster against Conor Benn!

Benn, as we know, came up just short in his recent middleweight clash with long-term rival Chris Eubank Jr and has already confirmed that his long-term plans are to drop back down to welterweight, and this would be a fight that makes a lot of sense.

The two fighters have history with Taylor having quite a lot to say regarding Benn's doping scandal, so I'm sure that could be built into a huge event in the UK!

Mark Mothershaw

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