Saying goodbye can be the most difficult thing for any athlete who has reached the top of their sport. When you are able to make that choice on your own, it becomes even more difficult.
Two weeks after receiving the devastating diagnosis that abruptly ended his boxing career, Josh Taylor says, “My world has just caved in.”
After Ekow Essuman lost in May, a routine eye examination revealed significant damage.
A closer examination revealed there were actually six tears in the retinal tissue behind Taylor’s left eye at first glance. Continue boxing and you run the risk of blindness, the expert declared in plain English.
The Tartan Tornado won four belts in a single division as the undisputed light-welterweight world champion in 2021, making him the only male fighter from the UK to do so so far. In a career that few fighters could hope to achieve.
It was difficult to process the sudden switch from an active boxer to a former fighter.
The 34-year-old admitted to feeling “quite down in the dumps” when asked how she felt. I only have two weeks to absorb it, but I become more and more irrational.
I’m aware that I’ve sort of gotten there, but not going out on my own terms, so it was kind of like a kick in the teeth.
The blow was softened by the heartfelt response.
Elite athletes frequently discuss the challenges of letting go of a sport that has dominated their lives for the most part. Everything that drives them on a daily basis disappears overnight, including the training schedule, the lofty objectives to achieve, and everything else.
Taylor speaks incredibly openly and clearly about “the slump” he has been through since being told his boxing career is over.
The mountain of messages honoring the Scot for his incredible accomplishments since he publicly announced his retirement on Monday has provided solace in this trying time from both fans and fellow fighters.
He claims that the messages of support have helped me and lifted me because they have made me feel a little better, appreciated, and proud of my performance in the sport.
“I’ve received a lot of wonderful messages from some well-known people, mostly my friends and acquaintances.”
Every single post I’ve written has always contained nothing but hate, and there’s always a section containing hate and other things like that. For the past few years, I’ve had nothing but hate with every single one of it. This is, in my opinion, the first one I’ve had in the past two or three years.
Someone who didn’t fear being great.
A fighter will always want to fight, Taylor acknowledges that his diagnosis may have “saved me from myself.”
The boy from Prestonpans who ruled the world has no idea what the future holds.
He would seem made for that with his direct, unvarnished honesty and openness to some punditry work.
He will join his friend and mentor Terry McCormack in reviving the spirit of the previous generation by returning to Lochend Boxing Club, where it all began. He claims that “someday we’ll find the next Josh Taylor.”
In East Lothian, he might even start his own gym one day. Even though his time spent under the lights is now over, he still has a lot to give the sport.
How would you like to remember Josh Taylor, then?
He claims, “I don’t know, I’ve never given it any thought.”
They can remember me any way they like, but I’d like to think they saw me as an all-action fighter and wasn’t afraid to fight.
Someone who “come up and faced any difficulties and made the effort to be great.”
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- Boxing
Source: BBC
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