Nick Peet: Taylor vs Catterall Preview

BRITAIN’s number one pound-for-pound boxer returns home this weekend for a truly unique domestic showdown that’s breaks more new ground in boxing’s modern-day resurgence.

Scotland’s Josh Taylor defends all four of his world light-welterweight titles against Chorley’s Jack Catterall at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro arena in the inaugural all-British showdown for undisputed boxing riches.

Taylor, 31, has Catterall to thank in some small part in becoming the UK’s first undisputed world champion of the four-belt era.

After all, the 28-year-old stepped aside last year to allow then two-title Taylor to press on with a unification against Jose Ramirez, despite the Lancastrian being next in line to challenge for the Californian’s WBO belt.

After picking up his 18th straight victory and all the silverware, Taylor has stuck to his promise to defend them all against Catterall first before likely moving up to welterweight to chase two-division world title success.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿#joshtaylor

A true Scot!

Tartan warrior Josh gets little media coverage and yet is the best pound-for-pound British boxer…

Josh Taylor v Jose Ramirez: Scot becomes first Brit to unify the division in the four-belt era pic.twitter.com/AiYXBBrNIq

— 'Seeing is believing' (@dave24144975) May 23, 2021

Make no mistake, Taylor’s professional record is nothing short of exceptional.

Whilst so many prizefighters duck, dive and handpick their opponents en-route to the top, he has been beating up past and present world champions ever since his 10th fight.

Taylor’s last seven opponents, if you include Catterall, have a combined record of 162-1. And that sole defeat was suffered by Viktor Postol, who lost on points to pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford two years before being outboxed by Taylor.

FULL CARD 

All top contenders. All mandatory challengers or champions. Taylor’s record already sees him contesting Britain’s All Time Greats list, and he’s far from finished yet.

A move to welterweight is next for the aggressive and hard-hitting ‘Tartan Tornado’, but first he’s got to take care of business against the Old Enemy as Catterall heads north for his delayed title opportunity.

The Chorley southpaw may have played his cards astutely here. Whilst Taylor has had to work his way through a tough division to mine all the gold, Catterall’s waiting game lands him with a chance at sweeping the board with just one career-defining performance.

Like Taylor, he’s a polished southpaw with a strong jab that’s comfortable both on the outside and up close in the clinch. But what he lacks is power and experience. Even though he’s 26-0, his biggest fights have come against domestic opposition.

" win by turning up as Jack Catterall"

A confident fighter is a dangerous fighter, and @jack_catt93 is just that.

Leaving no stone unturned for Feb 26, will we see an upset on the night?#TaylorCatterall | OVO Hydro, Glasgow | Feb 26 | @trboxing | @SkySportsBoxing pic.twitter.com/rI1iCKoJdA

— BOXXER (@boxxer) December 7, 2021

Catterall will need to find a level of performance he’s not shown before in order to be successful. He’s facing a monumental task. This is Taylor’s home ring, the place where he won Commonwealth Games gold as an amateur and his first world title as a pro.

The fight was originally scheduled for December, but was postponed after Taylor picked up a knee injury. At the time, he looked big at the weight too, meaning a crash diet. Sensibly, they pushed it back.

That decision is key. Taylor hasn’t rushed this defence in order to chase more marquee names and legacy nights. He’s given Catterall the respect his mandatory status demands, which should result in a vintage performance from Scot.

Catterall will definitely have his moments in the early going. But on UK shores currently being battered by storms, expect this Tornado to devour all before him come Saturday night.

 

TIP: Taylor on Points – 7/5