Jack Catterall 29-1 (13) wants a crack at WBO junior welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez 20-1 (14) after defeating former undisputed 140-pound champion Josh Taylor 19-2 (13) at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England on Saturday night.
The 30-year-old Englishman swept the early rounds and managed to keep Scotland’s Taylor, 33, at bay for much of the fight, winning the all-southpaw battle by scores of 117-111, 117-111 and 116-113.
The fight was a rematch of their contentious bout in February 2022 that Catterall lost by split decision. Many fans and pundits felt he did enough to win that contest.
“You have to stay disciplined but I knew I couldn’t become too complacent,” Catterall said of his win on the weekend.
“I knew the threats that Josh brung but I also knew that I had to push and squeeze it out of him. I couldn’t just coast for this victory, I had to really go for it so it was a mix of keeping the emotions intact and being disciplined but also talking those opportunities when you see them.”
The longtime contender is now targeting 26-year-old American Lopez. The former WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine lightweight champion claimed the WBO and Ring Magazine 140-pound titles with a unanimous decision victory over Taylor last June.
“I was mandatory for the WBO title for what felt like a lifetime,” said Catterall. “He beat Taylor before I did. We’ve both got the win over him and I want to prove that I’m better than him. I believe that I’ve got the style to beat Lopez and that’s the fight I want.”
Catterall’s trainer Jamie Moore says he always knew his boxer had the ability to beat Taylor, he just needed to apply himself.
“I keep talking about Jack as a hybrid. He has to be adaptable and be able to do a little bit of everything,” Moore said.
“We anticipated Josh would come strong and try and put it on him. He created that gap in between them and the only thing I would say is that he got a little bit too greedy, too early and maybe gassed himself a little bit and that allowed Josh to come into the fight as the second half kicked in.
“He’s a phenomenal fighter and he’s a dream to train. He’s obsessed with boxing. He’s educated himself and it’s my job to use the fighter’s skillset.
“I can coach people and improve them. I’ve not had to do that with Jack. All I’ve had to do is take his skillset onboard and say, ‘in these moments, this is what you should do’.
“It’s like I’m guiding him through it rather than telling him what to do. He’s a phenomenal fighter, I promise you that. I’m not going to take the credit for it.”
