UK Boxing
Josh Taylor promises a “painful night” for bitter rival Jack Catterall after a two-year dispute
Josh Taylor wants it to be a “painful” evening for Jack Catterall. (Photo: Getty)
It’s been a long two years of bad blood, harsh accusations, injury problems and media skepticism for Josh Taylor. Heading into his long-awaited rematch with Jack Catterall on May 25 in Leeds, the man nicknamed ‘Tartan Tornado’ is in a fiery mood. At 33 years elderly and a former undisputed super lightweight champion, he is used to proving people wrong, and yet never before has he been so determined to silence the doubters.
Of course, Taylor and Catterall’s track record thus far is tainted by a widely perceived anomaly. Their first fight in Glasgow in February 2022, with Taylor’s previously held titles at stake, resulted in a victory for the champion. It was a verdict that sparked widespread outrage, with Catterall seen as the better fighter within 12 rounds after he dropped his opponent and cut his left eye in the eighth round.
The planned rematch was foiled by the Scot’s injury and even this month’s clash was postponed so he could deal with an eye problem. Just two weeks before he gets the chance to prove his initial victory wasn’t a “robbery,” Taylor’s behavior reflects a man eager to set the record straight.
“I feel great and everything is 100 percent,” he exclusively said. “Last January I had an injury that took me a long time to recover from, and then of course I had eye surgery in February. But now I feel great, amazing, fantastic. Like I was on fire. I’m looking forward to this fight, everything is going nicely.”
Taylor will enter the field after suffering his first professional loss to Teofimo Lopez. (Photo: Getty)
You sense that for Taylor, the 21st fight of his professional career is about more than just performances. It’s personal. He doesn’t try to hide it when asked how he imagines an evening at Direct Arena. “It’s just a Josh Taylor win no matter what,” he replies.
“Whether it’s a points decision or a quick shot or a knockout. there is a lot of bad blood between us. And no matter what, I want this to be a very painful night for him.
What about criticism? Jokes on social media? The insinuation that he avoided his English rival for fear he wouldn’t be so lucky this time? All this seemingly agitates Taylor, but does not disturb his concentration.
“You know what it’s just more fuel for the fire, I just employ it for motivation,” he said. “It doesn’t excite me or depress me or anything like that. This motivated me to say, “I can’t wait to silence you all and prove many of you wrong.” Can’t wait.”
And yet he also tries to explain things with the expression of a man at the end of his strength, using hasty narratives. The rematch was supposed to take place in February 2023, but fate, not to mention the authorities, would intervene. “What many people forget, especially little trolls on the Internet, we immediately organized a fight (rematch),” he argues.
“People say I run away, I duck and so on. I find this absolutely hilarious. Don’t people employ their brains? They are forgotten really quickly. We actually already had the fight planned and were going to announce it during Liam Smith’s first fight against Chris Eubank (January 2023). But I had a earnest plant fascia tendon injury and I had to tell Ben Shalom, “Listen, I think I did something wrong here.”
Taylor and Jack Catterall have previously argued at press conferences. (Photo: Getty)
Another test confirmed Taylor’s fears. However, instead of waiting for him to recover and setting a recent date, Shalom and Catterall went in a different direction and arranged an alternative fight. This was the event that led to Taylor losing his belts after the first defeat of his professional career.
“Then the WBO comes and arranges me to fight Teofimo Lopez in my mandatory defense. Ben Shalom and Jack could have set a recent date for the rematch, but that was up to them, not me. Instead of waiting for me to get my foot right, they went and attacked. So I had to come out in my obligatory defense and it’s not my fault, right?”
The loss to Lopez still stings, as does Taylor’s admission that, regardless of the result, he underperformed in the first match against Catterall. And that’s why I don’t want to look too far into the future. A mistake that he says almost cost him dearly the first time.
He adds: “We have massive fights ahead of us, but I’m only focused on defeating Jacek on May 25. That’s all I focus on. However, if it turns out to be a great and thrilling fight and a win for me, I will be eager for the third fight.
Or maybe I will have the appetite to reach for Lopez again and fix my mistake? Will I have the appetite to fight Ryan Garcia or Devon Haney? So there are a lot of massive fights and it’s an thrilling horizon. But I don’t think about it, I made this mistake before the first fight with Jacek and I drew conclusions.
It’s secure to assume that when Taylor steps into the super lightweight competition arena this month, he won’t be plagued by complacency. Undoubtedly one of the greatest of his generation in his weight classes, Taylor has spent the better part of 27 months in previously familiar territory – dealing with doubters and skeptics. But the chance to redefine the last two-and-a-half years of his career is nigh and with no lack of focus or intensity, you get the feeling he knows it.
The fight, promoted by Matchroom and Top Rank Boxing, can be watched on ESPN+ in the US and DAZN worldwide.
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