Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall still want to fight each other again.
However, finalizing a date and venue for his second 140-pound title fight has become problematic, leaving the Scottish southpaw and his English nemesis in limbo. BoxingScene.com has learned that increasing availability in the UK, where their immediate rematch will take place, is the main issue that has prevented their promoters, Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. (Taylor) and BOXXER (Catterall) finalize an agreement. and making an official announcement.
As BoxingScene.com reported in late July, the scheduled date and venue for Taylor-Catterall II was November 26 at OVO Hydro in Glasgow, where their first fight took place. Promoters later began exploring venues in England, including the AO Arena in Manchester, and have since moved on from the November 26 date.
It is possible, if a suitable venue cannot be secured for a December date, likely December 17, that the Taylor-Catterall rematch may not happen until early 2023. In that scenario, almost a year, maybe even more than a year. year will pass. they have elapsed from the time Taylor won a controversial split decision to his second meeting.
Regardless, Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) has been looking for a second chance to prove his superiority over Catterall (26-1, 13 KOs). Taylor could have picked a different opponent for his next fight, but he wants to atone for his lackluster performance against Catterall, a fellow southpaw who was Taylor’s WBO mandatory title challenger.
Catterall, who is now fifth in the WBO rankings, dropped Taylor to the canvas in the eighth round and won on a card when they fought on February 26 at OVO Hydro in Glasgow.
Judges Ian-John Lewis (114-111) and Victor Loughlin (113-112) scored Taylor the winner of that fight, but judge Howard Foster scored it 113-112 for Catterall. Referee Marcus McDonnell also deducted a point from Catterall for holding, which made the difference on Loughlin’s scorecard.
Without that point deduction, Loughlin would have scored their fight tied, 113-113, resulting in a split draw.
Assuming their second fight happens, Prestonpans’ Taylor, 31, and Chorley’s Catterall, 29, will fight only for the WBO junior welterweight title. His first fight was contested for the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO belts, but Taylor, who became boxing’s unified 140-pound champion when he outpointed previously unbeaten Jose Ramirez in May 2021 on Virgin Hotels Las Vegas has since relinquished three of its four titles.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
