By: Sean Crose
The two have met before. Back in 2022, Jack Catterall and Josh Taylor met in Scotland and fought a close, if not thrilling, 12 round bout for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO welterweight titles. In the end, Taylor walked out of the ring that night with four belts and a unanimous decision victory to add to his resume. While the decision was controversial in Taylor’s favor, Catterall was able to avenge his lone loss on Saturday in Leeds, England when he met Taylor in the ring once again in a 12th round bout that was Schedule.
The southpaw Catterall used his jab well throughout the opening round. Both men landed their jabs in the second while a head-to-head clash caused a momentary pause in the action. Although much ink was spilled about the bad taste the first match left in the mouths of many (who felt Catterall had been robbed), each fought carefully early on Saturday morning to not make a mistake. big mistake. Taylor worked hard to wear down his man in the third, a strategy that had some success. The fourth saw Catterall use defensive skills while landing his shots on Taylor.
Going into the middle of the fight, Catterall was able to become aggressive towards Taylor and dominates the taller man. While Taylor largely stepped up the action in the sixth round, Catterall was able to maintain range. By the seventh, however, Taylor was on the ground and put his weight on Catterall. Sure enough, Catterall looked like he was about to run out of steam in the eighth. Taylor continued to look strong in the ninth round as he repeatedly knocked Catterall down with a southpaw right hook.
With that said, Catterall was able to impress with his jab again in round ten. Catterall caught Taylor hard in the eleventh round. The two men then caused themselves to fall to the mat by wrestling with each other. The twelfth and final round was over – as had the entire fight. However, the judges ultimately ruled in Catterall’s favor by unanimous decision. As the broadcast team pointed out, the third match will take place in the same order. However, Catterall will likely continue to develop at this point in his career. Ultimately, the second fight seemed more action-oriented than the first. What’s even more remarkable is that the jury’s decision didn’t make many people scream and rob.
Except perhaps promoter Bob Arum.
Image: DAZN
