Written by: Sean Crose
The two men had met before. Back in 2022, Jack Catterall and Josh Taylor met in Scotland and fought a twelve-round fight for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO junior welterweight titles. Taylor ended up walking out of the ring that night with four belts and a unanimous decision win to add to his resume. Although the decision was controversial in Taylor’s favor, Catterall was able to avenge his only loss on Saturday in Leeds, England as he rejoined Taylor in the ring for a scheduled twelve round affair.
The southpaw Catterall used his jab well in the opening round. Both men went to work after the second and a clash of heads stopped the action. Although much ink has been spilled about the bad taste the first game left in the mouths of many (who felt that Catteral was robbed), each man was carefully fought on Saturday morning, so as not to make a big mistake. Taylor worked hard to get it to his man in the third, a strategy that met with some success. The fourth saw Catterall use some defensive skills as he tackled Taylor.
Towards the middle of the fight, Catterall managed to get aggressive with Taylor and get the better of the tall man. While Taylor pressed hard on the action in sixth, Catterall was able to maintain range. However, in the seventh, Taylor was able to get to the body and put his weight on Catterall in the clinic. Indeed, Catterall looked like he was about to take his breath away for the eighth time. Taylor continued to look strong in the ninth, as he went at Catteral with repeated southpaw hooks.
That said, Catterall managed to impress with his jab again for the tenth time. Catterll caught Taylor hard in the eleventh. The two men then landed on the mat and wrestled each other. The twelfth and final round was close – as every fight has been. In the end, however, the jury ruled in Catterall’s favor with a unanimous verdict. As the broadcast team indicated, a third game will be in order. However, Catterall may be moving on at this point in his career. The second battle proved more focused than the first, after all. More importantly, there was a jury verdict that did not lead many to complain of robbery.
Except, maybe, promoting Bob Arum.
Photos: DAZN
Source link
