The victory that Jack Catterall achieved on Saturday, October 21st, against Jorge Linares has led to murmurs of a second fight between him and Josh Taylor. Following his fight with Linares, Catterall seemed to be seriously considering a potential fight with the former undisputed super lightweight champion, despite Taylor having only recently lost to Teofimo Lopez in June of this year.
The rematch between Jack Catterall (28-1, 13 KO’s) and Josh Taylor (19-1, 13 KO’s) was expected to be announced earlier this year, before the surprise announcement of Taylor defending his WBO super lightweight title―after relinquishing the rest of his three titles―against Teofimo Lopez (19-1, 13 KO’s).
Against Lopez, Taylor suffered a tough and punishing unanimous decision loss to the American after previously having remained out of the ring for well over a year since his controversial split-decision loss to Catterall in February of 2022. Additionally, Taylor now also appears to have moved to welterweight following his most recent loss.
Mired by previous inactivity and a loss, Taylor might not be in the best state to provide Catterall with the needed competition, but it seems as if Jack Catterall is not too bothered by the rather vulnerable position of Josh Taylor as there is genuine animosity between them, and public interest for a rematch.
“I think it’s only natural for me and Taylor to get it on. It’s personal now, and hopefully we can get that fight over the line,” Catterall told Matchroom Boxing during a post-match interview.
Catterall also spoke about his narrow, controversial split-decision loss to Taylor which would have made him the undisputed champion of the 140 lbs division had he won.
“You know what? It doesn’t get to me anymore,” Catterall said assertively when asked about his feelings regarding his first match with Taylor.
“I’m quite resilient, I have a good team, good family around me, and we don’t let things like that get us down.
“We know what we’ve got to do, but I think in the aftermath, the way Taylor’s conducted himself―and the public really wants the fight, it’s only natural that the fight gets made.“
Catterall is currently still enjoying his October 21st victory over Jorge Linares (47-9, 29 KO’s)―who confirmed his retirement after his match against the British super lightweight contender. Though his win over Linares had not been intended to force the Venezuelan fighter into retirement, Catterall does seem to have intentions to deliberately force Josh Taylor into retirement from the sport.
“I honestly believe I can send him into retirement,” Catterall asserted after being posed a question about what he would do differently in a potential rematch.
“I think I beat him, Lopez beat him, and I can finish him off for good.“
Despite Josh Taylor’s recent loss, a potential fight between the two fighters would still generate plenty of interest, especially considering the controversial nature of their first fight. Though it would be sensible for Taylor to take a fight in the interim following his defeat to Lopez, the rematch appears to have the makings of a highly entertaining match, given their first bout; a sentiment echoed by Catterall’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who also acknowledged Taylor’s recent move up to welterweight might complicate matters.
“The bad blood is there. The first fight was extremely controversial. We can do that fight in Manchester or in Glasgow, and we’ll be speaking to Top Rank to try and make it happen,” Hearn confirmed during his own interview with Matchroom Boxing.
“I think Josh Taylor’s looking to move up to 147 pounds, but I think we can make a catchweight fight, whether it’s 143 or maybe even 144. It’s up to the teams to negotiate, but it’s not a championship fight, and it’s not Josh Taylor, the undisputed champion, against Jack Catterall. It’s two guys without a title at the moment. Hopefully, we can agree on terms.“
While Taylor’s move up to welterweight has not been specifically confirmed, he had already expressed a desire to move up following his split-decision win over Jack Catterall in 2022, and his appearance in the welterweight rankings of various sanctioning bodies now suggests he has plans to continue his career at 147 lbs.
