“It’s been quite a few years since Josh Taylor’s name has been mentioned. More than anything, I want to fight him, but I’m tired of talking about him. “Fuck you,” laughed Jack Catterall, then began his final series of media interviews.
Whisper it, but if everything goes his way on Saturday night, he may never have to talk about Taylor again.
Nothing more needs to be said. It has been more than two years of backbiting and bickering since Taylor defended his undisputed super lightweight title following a controversial split decision victory over Catterall.
Reluctance gave way to frigid professionalism. When Catterall and Taylor came face to face at Thursday’s tranquil press conference, it seemed as if the air had been sucked out of the Queen’s Ballroom in Leeds and the entire hall fell hushed. Matches used to be a elementary photo opportunity, but they have become increasingly long and increasingly absurd as promoters and media wait for one fighter to break through and deliver an all-important clip of content. It was an old-fashioned, sedate look down.
“I saw him today. I saw him at a public training session and he had nothing to say. I saw him in person on Tuesday night and not a word was said,” Catterall said. “I think this is the peak. So much has been said already that I think that we both agree that it’s time to settle the dispute in the ring on Saturday. I’m here for it.”
The first fight between Catterall and Taylor was a tumultuous but dramatic fight in which the immense majority of viewers felt that Catterall deserved to win. The pre-fight hype suggested that the bad blood and resentment generated by the judges’ scorecards would make the rematch a better fight. When people say better, they usually mean more stimulating and explosive.
That’s not Catterall’s style. The 30-year-old has spent his entire life crafting the style and mindset that has gotten him to this point. Anyone who doubts his level of patience should look at how he tolerated questions about Taylor without a blink for over two years. He’s not going to throw it all away on the most vital night of his life. Catterall’s dreams all hinge on him beating Taylor by any means necessary.
“I have to be [myself]. I don’t struggle with emotions. I box the way I box,” he said. “I box sharp and I box sharp. Look, if I hurt him and I see an opportunity, I’ll do it, but it’ll be a Jack Catterall win and I don’t mind if I beat him on Saturday, as long as I win.
While Catterall remained peaceful and composed from the opening bell until the first fight, Taylor pressed forward with an element of desperation after getting to his feet from the floor in the eighth round. His punching power did not boost, but if we look for reasons why the judges decided to favor Taylor in the second half of the fight, perhaps the change in body language gave them the impression that he changed the course of the fight.
Earlier this week, Taylor told BoxingScene that he believed Catterall blew his chance to become world champion by not taking advantage that night, but Catterall insists his tactics, thinking and reasoning were sound. The judges were simply wrong.
“I saw the finish line in the distance,” he recalled. “I had seen Josh fight before and I knew what he was capable of and how risky he could be. I think I was in good shape after half the stage. What mattered to me was to stay reasonable and not take my eyes off the ball. Don’t take unnecessary hits and fight with discipline. I believe I did it. When you look back, everything looks different in hindsight and could I have won even more? Probably. I still believe I won that fight.”
Catterall is consistent not only in the ring. He has been in the gym with Jamie Moore virtually every day since the first fight and, having continued to refine his style and pick up routine victories over Darragh Foley and Jorge Linares over the past two years, Taylor left Ben Davison and joined Joe McNally in Liverpool. He then lost his undefeated record to Teofimo Lopez and overcame a series of injuries. Catterall isn’t sure this consistency would have been a key factor in the fight, but the overarching impression was that he stopped caring. The fight continues and all remaining questions will be answered on Saturday.
“My attention is solely on me. Selfishly, I improved as a player and put a lot of time and effort into it. We understand that Taylor’s team has changed and that he has had a number of injuries, but I have kept my eye on the ball and am preparing for the best version of him. That’s what I expect, so when I beat him, I won’t ask any questions.
Ryan Garcia has blasted promoter Eddie Hearn, saying he’s a “counterfeit” because he “turned his back” on Devin Haney after losing to him on April 20. Garcia believes Matchroom promoter Hearn is “counterfeit” for abandoning Haney (31-0, 15 KO) after he was defeated. He thinks this is low.
Ryan didn’t like how Hearn said he was seeded and was looking for a fight with Haney in the ring. He doesn’t understand how he would have managed not to look like he was “crazy” if he had been able to dominate Haney the way he did at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Modern York.
“Eddie Hearn said, ‘Ryan Garcia looked crazy in the ring before the fight.’ You can watch the fight, stupid,” Ryan Garcia said social mediatalking about his fight with Devin Haney on April 20. “I was literally normal.”
To be sincere, Ryan looked a little nervous in the lead-up to the Haney fight, but in the ring during the fight. He was 100% committed during the fight itself, which we saw clearly from the way he rocked Haney with a left hook to the jaw in the first round. Haney never recovered from Ryan’s lightning-quick shot.
“If I had been spaced out like that in the ring, how would I have managed to land a perfect counter left hook in front of his jaw? You stupid Eddie Hearn. You stupid idiot. “Oh, Ryan was pissed in the ring.” I’m fed up with Eddie Hearn. This guy is a fraud,” Garcis said.
Ryan shouldn’t take Hearn seriously as he could just be flapping his gums to have something to talk about as his former player Haney was really overworked. All the demanding work Hearn put into him was wasted.
After this loss, you could understand why Hearn wanted to leave the sinking ship Haney before it sank. It is useless now. Haney’s career has hit rock bottom and won’t be resurfaced with Hearn’s facilitate.
He won’t want to sign a contract with Haney and then make a costly and time-consuming transaction rebuild work on him, which could take two years and involve four or five confidence builders. Haney isn’t a huge enough attraction.
“You have to question what Eddie Hearn said. He said: “I looked at Ryan and he was really in bad shape.” I had a six pack and was ready to go. I came demanding. I drank a lot of fluids and ate a lot. I don’t usually do this.
“I don’t know how he gains so much weight. His weight went from 140 to 158. I was 156. Eddie Hearn said: “He was shaking and looking everywhere.” No, I wasn’t. Watch the fight. I wasn’t broken. How can I fight so broken?” Garcia said.
Many fans wonder how Haney gains so much weight after rehydrating after fights, but weight manipulation in sports requires policies to prevent this from happening. On fight night, weights should be additionally checked to ensure that fighters do not hydrate more than 5 pounds, as it is risky to have someone hydrate more than 20 pounds and employ their size to win. This is not only unfair, but can endanger the lives of opponents.
“If you’re really drugged, how can you fight in front of millions of people and fight for 12 rounds? These people are stupid. I’d like to see Eddie Hearn and say, “Are you stupid?” Your fighter wasn’t fighting well and wasn’t even your fighter at the time. And when he was beaten, you turned your back on him. You are a counterfeit cheater. Fuck you, Eddie Hearn,” Garcia said.
All that acting that Ryan did to make Haney think he was crazy may have also fooled Hearn into thinking he was out of his mind. Many people believed that Garcia was either showing signs of early schizophrenia or was under the influence of drugs.
“Forget you, Eddie Hearn, for trying to create the narrative I had in mind before the fight. You’re just an idiot. It’s a curse for him because you tried to lie to me so many times. Now look at your promotion,” Ryan said.
Again, we don’t know what Hearn’s purpose in the conversation was, as he may have been trying to generate interest in the fight by telling some elevated tales.
Daniyar Yeleussinov celebrates his victory over Zoltan Szabo during their super welterweight fight at York Hall in London. (Image: Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)
by Francisco Salazar |
Daniyar Yeleussinov returned to fighting after a long break and hopes to be successful in a modern weight class.
Yeleussinov stopped Joe Noynay twice, winning by fifth-round knockout on Saturday night at the Almaty Arena in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Yeleussinov improved his record to 12-0, 7 by knockout.
Southern midfielder Yeleussinov was acute from the opening bell. About 30 seconds before the end of the first round, a left to the body sent Noynay to one knee. Noynay managed to defeat the enumerator and get out of the round.
Less than a minute into the fourth round, a series of punches, including left hands to the head and body, knocked Noynay to the canvas. Noynay got down on both knees but beat the count given by referee Martin Pawlak.
Noynay continued to play, but Yeleussinov’s accuracy and striking speed surpassed him. Yeleussinov was the aggressor and took Noynay down, beating him up for most of the fight. As round five ended, Noynay’s corner made a clever move to keep Noynay from taking more punishment and preventing him from answering the bell in round six.
Saturday’s victory over Noynay was Yeleussinov’s first fight since a one-sided win over Juan Hernan Leal in December 2021 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Yeleussinov won a minor welterweight world title belt.
The 33-year-old is from Kayinda, Kazakhstan and currently lives in Miami, Florida.
Chris Glover, who has worked with Jeleussinov and his team, stated that Jeleussinov will likely return to action and fight at 154 pounds.
Yeleussinov was an outstanding amateur, winning an Olympic gold medal in 2016. Yeleussinov signed with Matchroom Boxing and made his professional debut in April 2018, fighting a total of 10 times under the Matchroom banner. Yeleussinov defeated the likes of Reshard Hicks, Alan Sanchez and former lightweight titleholder Julius Indongo by knockout.
Noynay, who lives in Paranaque City, Philippines, has a record of 23-5-2, 11 KOs. Noynay previously fought on May 16, losing by knockout to once-defeated Jin Sasaki.
The 29-year-old split two fights with junior lightweight title challenger Liam Wilson and former junior lightweight world champion Kenichi Ogawa.
Promoter Paco Damian has signed junior lightweight Elvin Soto, the 18-year-old son of former two-division titleholder Humberto “Zorrit” Soto.
Elvin made his professional debut last weekend in Mexico, winning by knockout in the first round.
Starting boxing at the age of 11 and taking part in his first amateur fight at the age of 12, Soto’s journey seems destined for success. He spent four years with CONADE (National Commission for Physical Education and Sports), winning four consecutive years of municipal championships, three state titles and two regional championships.
“I also participated in a binational tournament where I became champion against the United States,” Soto said. “I also competed in the Guerra en la Frontera International Tournament, placing second the first year and winning the title the second.”
Fábrica de Campeones and 8Count Media will manage his career together with promoter Paco Damian. Coach and manager Bobby Quirarte, who guided him through his amateur years, now supervises his training at the renowned Crea Gym in Tijuana under the supervision of Don Romulo and Roberto Quirarte. The gym is known for producing champions such as Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.
Damian recalls his early introduction to Elvin’s talent, saying, “I remember having breakfast with his father, Humberto, a few years ago. He showed me a video of this youthful kid sparring and I asked who it was. He proudly said, “That’s my son, Elvin.”
“I was impressed by his skills at just 13 years ancient. Elvin has everything to become something special in this sport – focus, dedication and discipline. I’m excited to be a part of his journey.”
Elvin expressed his enthusiasm for his debut. “I am excited to start my professional career in Tijuana, where my father trained and fought,” he said.
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