Josh Taylor keen on Jack Catterall rematch at ‘catchweight’

Taylor controversially retained his titles in a split-decision win over Catterall in Glasgow in February

Josh Taylor (arms raised) was controversially awarded a victory over Jack Catterall (Action Images via Reuters)

Josh Taylor has indicated that he would be willing to fight Jack Catterall again, but said that any rematch of their controversial February fight would have to be at a “catchweight”.

Taylor remained the undisputed super-lightweight champion with victory in a split decision despite Catterall appearing to have the better of the encounter in Glasgow on 26 February.

It ended Catterall’s undefeated record as a professional fighter, and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) has subsequently launched an investigation into the scoring.

Scottish boxer Taylor has now said he is prepared to take on the Englishman in a rematch, and that he believes that Catterall “deserves it”.

However, having struggled to make weight for the original encounter and targeting a move up to welterweight, Taylor says any potential second encounter would have to be at a catchweight.

“Of course, I think he deserves it,” Taylor told Sky Sports News of a potential rematch with Catterall.

“We’ll see what happens down the line – we can have a fight again with Jack, why not. I’m certainly open to it, so we’ll see what happens.

“Most likely at a catchweight. I can’t make the weight anymore safely, I don’t think. So we’ll see how it goes, but I’m keen for a rematch.”

If Taylor does step up a weight class, Catterall would be a likely contender for the super-lightweight titles that would be left vacant.

However, the 28-year-old was only the mandatory challenger for the WBO belt.

His trainer Jamie Moore hopes that, regardless of the outcome of the BBBofC investigation, Catterall’s performance in his bout with Taylor will allow the boxer a chance to fight for multiple titles.

“In an ideal world, if the right thing could be done and there was an independent inquiry into it, you’d like to think that the decision could be overturned, but that’s not going to happen,” Moore told Sky Sports News.

“So the best scenario we feel is that they could enforce the rematch, whether that would take place I don’t know.

“My gut feeling is that Josh would then move up to 147 – he did look tight at the weight – and then Jack gets his opportunity to fight for the vacant titles.

“But he’s only mandatory for the WBO, so in itself then lies a problem. You’d like to think that all the governing bodies would then decide that Jack was hard done by, it was a very controversial decision, and let him fight for all the belts.

“Politically, they’ve not always worked in sync with each other, the governing bodies, but you’d like to think that in a situation like this, where the vast majority of the boxing world are all reading off the same page, that would happen.”