Boxing
'Doesn't have what he used to!' - Frampton raises questions over Taylor future after Essuman loss
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Josh Taylor "doesn't have what he used to have" after his defeat to Ekow Essuman , with Carl Frampton suggesting the former superstar is "no longer the fighter he once was."
The Tartan Tornado was outpointed in his welterweight debut on Saturday night at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, coming up short in front of a raucous crowd filled with supporters.
Defeat marks Taylor's third straight loss and despite starting strongly, his defeat to the nominally inferior Essuman will raise questions over his future status in the sport.
Hopes of a two-weight championship bid look to have been iced, and on DAZN's Beyond the Bell afterwards, Frampton acknowledged that the star will need to look at himself hard.
"I'm disappointed for Josh," he said. "It looks like he doesn't have what he used to have. That's what happens when you're in hard fights. This guy was the elite of the elite.
"He was a superstar and it is clear that he's not the fighter he once was. It depends what his dreams are, but on a performance like that, it doesn't look like it is possible [to become a two-weight world champion]."
Fellow pundit Barry Jones concurred, hailing the star's career, but admitting it might be time for Taylor to reconsider where he stands in his professional career.
"Josh Taylor's been fantastic," he added. "He's one of the best. His run to undisputed was as good and as tough as any I've seen. He deserves his accolades.
"But at one point in your career, you haven't got it. You can't click into gear, and I think it showed tonight against a guy who is fit and strong."
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