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nick parkinson
Jack Catterall was basking in the afterglow of victory after his undisputed junior welterweight title fight against Josh Taylor in February 2022.
Catterall was being paraded around the ring on the shoulders of one of his trainers, Nigel Travis, at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, after an incredible career-best performance.
Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs), a native of Lancashire, England, went into this fight quietly, unknown to many martial arts fans outside of the UK. But he put on a surprising performance after knocking down Taylor in the eighth round and dominating the champion for much of the fight.
Most people assumed the 30-year-old Catterall would win a decision in his first world title fight, but during the long wait to find out how the judges had scored it, Catterall sensed something was wrong.
In a controversial move, the judges scored the bout by split decision (114-111, 113-112, 112-113) in favor of the champion, and Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs), a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, retained his belt. The scoring sparked protests and a British Boxing Association investigation, and the British rivals will have to wait until Saturday to meet again, this time without a title on the line, at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.
Catterall spoke to ESPN in his own words about how the first bout with the 33-year-old Taylor unfolded, his emotions that night and how he's prepared for the rematch.
Editor's note: Catterall's comments have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Building up to the battle
I remember it clearly like it was yesterday. I had gone to Las Vegas to watch the undefeated title match between Josh and Jose Ramirez with the promise of guessing the winner.
It was frustrating because I had been waiting for more than three years to win a world title as a mandatory challenger for the WBO. After he beat Ramirez, I thought we had a good chance of winning the fight because we were both British. When he received a phone call from his team telling him the match was scheduled, he was excited to be able to challenge for all four of his world title belts. First world title match. Very few fighters get the chance to fight for all four world titles. That was a huge deal for me at a time in my career when I hadn't won any big matches.
Although I hadn't fought in over a year, I trained hard and believed in my abilities. I was in the gym and well prepared for the fight. I tried to block out all the outside noise from a lot of people, some of whom had never even heard of me. During fight week, people were talking about him moving up in weight to fight someone like Terence Crawford. It was like I didn't exist.
Match day strategy
1:02
Josh Taylor managed to successfully defend his title despite being knocked down by Jack Catterall
Josh Taylor was knocked down, but still managed to pick up the win and defend his title against Jack Catterall.
The crowd was hostile. He was fighting on home soil so I had to deal with that and it was my first time fighting for a world title. But I felt like I handled the situation and the opportunity well and did well in the ring. I won nine of the 12 rounds and I think I beat him. I did everything I said I would do.
Going into the match, I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform. Looking back, the match against my opponent, who was a young boy in that weight class at the time, was a big learning experience for me. I showed accuracy, speed and power, but I also made mistakes. And I've been working to overcome that mistake.
It was a strategy to nullify their tactics and close the distance. I strongly believe that timing trumps speed. It was about closing the distance between us, choosing my shots correctly, and making sure I didn't put myself in his line of fire.
I've been watching Taylor for years. I knew what he was good at and how he liked boxing. He slowed down his opponent early with a left hook to the body and a left uppercut. I remember in round 8 he came forward and I caught him clean. He went for a count, but in hindsight he should have stepped on the gas to end the match.
During the match, he and his corners appeared to be quite frustrated, and they could be heard shouting instructions to him between rounds. I did not allow him to carry out that instruction. Taylor fights with a lot of emotion, which can be both good and bad. That night, it worked against him.
In the later rounds, he didn't give me much trouble. Maybe I was overconfident and on autopilot. I should have focused more on finishing the fight instead of letting him win a few rounds.
I believe I was the better all-around fighter and that was the difference between us that night. Yes, he was the undisputed champion, but I believed in my own abilities. I never had the chance he did and I never fought for the title.
“I've sparred with many great fighters, including Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, Amir Khan and Kell Brook, and it was an honor to share the ring with them. It was a great learning experience for me. Those sparring experiences added a lot to my arsenal and it showed that night against Taylor.
Get on the scorecard
I remember my trainer Nigel Travis putting his arm around me when the bell rang to end the 12th round. It was euphoric. I won all the belts in boxing. People said I wouldn't last more than two or three rounds with him.
Scorecards took a long time to come out and there was a strange atmosphere in the place. A lot of Scottish fans left while my fans were making a fuss. When the scorecard was read out, it felt like I was six feet below the top of a mountain. It was a complete emotional breakdown.
When the decision was announced, I looked at him and saw a look of shock and relief on his face. He came and said, “I won the battle.” I couldn't believe it. In subsequent interviews, he tried to convince himself and others that he had won the fight. He handled it badly.
I like things to be fair, so if it's a fair loss, I congratulate the winner. He said a lot of stuff after the match and had to stick to it, but I'm not sure he really believes he won the match.
Loss of momentum
There was a lot of anger afterwards. I think there was a photo of me walking out of the arena with my middle finger up and going back to the dressing room. I couldn't sleep that night, so the next day I drove home with my daughter and young child. There was a huge uproar online, but it didn't change the outcome of the fight. And then after a few days I just said, 'Let's keep going.'
If I had won the title, I would have had a big fight, but because of that decision, I had to start all over again. My career lost momentum. It was a bad show. The public has put a lot of pressure on the rematch. I was asked about it every day. Josh would have been the same.
He talked about moving up a weight class, then he started to give up the belts and went in another direction. There was a lot of inconsistency from his side — he was struggling at that weight, he was going to move up, and now he's not. He ended up fighting Teofimo Lopez and losing, and I thought the rematch was not going to happen. During that time, I was also doing promotional contracts, so it was a tough situation for a while. I signed with Matchroom, but I was still in demand, so they asked me about the rematch.
Finally a rematch
The rematch will go just like the first one, only better for me. I've improved since the first fight, but he lost and didn't look good. If you've fought someone before, you know each other. It's going to be a tough fight, but I believe I'll win this time.
