Last week the much anticipated rematch between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall was finally announced. It will take place at The First Direct Arena in Leeds on the 27th April. So I thought we could take a look back at the first fight and look at what has changed in the last two years.
On the 26th of February 2022, was when these two first met in a packed out arena in Glasgow it was billed as Josh Taylor’s, homecoming as he had been fighting around the world, becoming the undisputed, super lightweight, champion along the way. This fight was billed as Taylor’s homecoming, and Jack Catterall was the mandatory challenger right from the start of the buildup there was needle between both men I think a lot has to do with the rivalry between England and Scotland. What made this fight even more of a spectacle was the fact that both men came into the fight undefeated which could mean only one thing Someone’s 0 had to go!
As you can see the first fight was overshadowed by something of a controversial, split decision many people including myself believed that Jack Catterall had easily done enough to win the fight and to this day, it’s still baffles me, how Josh Taylor was able to come away with the victory.
After the controversy of the first fight people within the boxing public were calling for an immediate rematch but for whatever reason it didn’t happen hence why we’ve had to wait two years.
What has changed in the last two years?
Since the first fight, Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall have been relatively inactive with Josh, only having one fight losing to Teofimo Lopez by unanimous decision, not only losing his undefeated record, but also his WBO title. Jack Catterall has had two fights since the loss two Josh Taylor, both of them unanimous decision victories over Darragh Foley and Jorge Linares respectively. The question I have about this rematch is who needs to win more Josh Taylor is still the unified Super Lightweight champion. Where is Jack Catterall still the challenger, so in that respect. Not much is changed, since the first fight. Another thing that won’t have changed is there fighting styles, so it still makes for an entertaining fight to watch for both the casual boxing fan and the boxing purist alike.
Who Does a Loss Harm More?
Going into the fight, of course nether Catterall or Taylor are thinking about losing, but I think it’s a question that has to be asked who does the loss harm the most? This is a question that could be argued in several different ways if the fight is as high-quality as their first encounter, you could argue that a loss would do neither men’s career any lasting harm however, if either Josh Taylor or Jack Catterall manages to win by knockout then I think it will be a long road back for the loser. It could also be argued that a loss, would hurt Taylor’s Career, more because he’s already coming off a loss coming into this fight and two losses in a row, both at world level would make it virtually impossible for him to make any sort of comeback at that level.
Who goes into this fight with more confidence?
I think both men will be going into the fight with confidence, knowing that they can both hurt one another, and knowing that they can take each other’s best punches and continue fighting as in their first fight both men had to pick themselves up off the canvas I think if it comes down to pure confidence Catterall might have a slight advantage due to the fact that many people believed that he won the first fight and that he has one his last two fights coming into this one. On the other hand, Taylor has only fought once since the fight with Catterall all be it at a much higher level, and although he lost that fight, he may believe that he is still a level above Catterall.
Will We See a Trilogy?
This might be a strange question to ask, considering the rematch has only just been announced and that took two years, but I think there is a likelihood of us seeing a trilogy depending on who wins this fight, if Taylor wins, then no, I can’t see there being a third fight because Taylor would have nothing left to prove he’s beaten the man twice however, if Catterall wins depending on the style of victory, and how good the rematch is, I think a trilogy could be a distinct possibility.
As always I love to hear what you guys think. Is this a fight you’re looking forward to and who wins?
Hi Chris, I agree if Taylor wins that the end of it but if Catterall wins then thay would have to a decider, but that last fight was a bit scrappy. Only time will tell.
Cheers Chris.