THE RESULT: Jack Catterall defeated Josh Taylor by a unanimous 12-round decision in the First Direct Arena, Leeds. Judges Kieran McCann and Mark Bates scored it 117-111 in favour of the Chorley man, while Lee Every had it slightly closer at 116-113. Kevin Parker refereed.
KEY MOMENTS: A second-round head clash could’ve been pivotal, but both men escaped without damage. The end of round four and the beginning of round five were strong moments for Catterall, who planted his feet and landed heavy shots.
Looking weary in round six, Taylor returned with a galvanising seventh.
Round 11 was a huge turning point as Taylor scratched away diligently before eating a huge left hand when squared up. Another left late in the round had Taylor wobbling. Massive swing. It turned out that Catterall had already got the rounds in the bag.
RECORDS: Catterall improves his record to 29-1 (13 KOs). Taylor suffers defeat number two, falling to 19-2 (13 KOs).
TALKING POINT: Early on, the rounds were difficult to score as momentum swayed. Taylor won a round, then Catterall responded by taking the next one.
Everything Catterall did well came off his lovely southpaw jab. Often on the verge of tiring, Jack’s sharp backfoot combinations landed in the right places at the right times.
Taylor was hurt several times, but fatigue aside, Catterall never seemed visibly rocked at any point. Catterall claimed the big moments in the contest.
Taylor’s promoter Bob Arum went on an impromptu rant during the interviews, saying he would never let an American cross the pond to fight under BBBofC-judged contests.
QUOTABLE: “It’s bittersweet tonight. No world titles on the line, I’ve closed that chapter,” said Catterall.
“We wanted Josh at his best and that’s what we got.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn added: “Jack Catterall won that fight, he closed the show beautifully. I love Scotland but justice was served tonight. He should have the belts around his waist.”
“If he wants to go on and challenge for world titles [that’s his choice], he won the fight,” said Josh Taylor. “Let’s do a trilogy. There was always respect.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Hate might not run quite as deep but the relations didn’t appear to have thawed much as they waited for the verdict.
Eddie Hearn was correct when he stated that while revenge had been achieved, the fact that no world titles (let alone all four) were on the line made it a bittersweet moment for the winner.
Despite all of the trilogy talk, becoming a world champion remains the Catterall aim. Hearn namechecked Subriel Matias, who defends his IBF title on June 15 and the winner of the Devin Haney vs. Sandor Martin clash as potential future options.
