Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Fight updates and undercard results as ‘justice’ is served
Re-live one of the most-anticipated rematches in recent memory, as Catterall overcame his rival in Leeds
Jack Catterall banished the shadow of his controversial loss to Josh Taylor by defeating the Scot in a thriller on Saturday.
Over two years after Taylor won a hotly-contested decision against the Englishman in Glasgow, Catterall outboxed a determined Taylor to gain “justice” – as promoter Eddie Hearn described the result.
Catterall avenged the sole loss of his professional career by winning 117-111, 117-111, 116-113 in Leeds. Hearn did suggest that the scorecards were “too wide”, while fellow promoter Bob Arum grabbed a microphone to declare the scores a “disgrace”, but most observers agreed that Catterall was the right winner.
While the rivals’ first clash was a scrappy affair, their rematch produced numerous moments of great quality. Taylor pressed forward throughout, while Catterall fought well behind his jab and put together a number of impressive flurries. Catterall started to pull away as the fight entered its second half, and although a resilient Taylor arrested some momentum, his fellow southpaw produced more crucial moments of quality late on.
Re-live Taylor vs Catterall 2 and see all the fallout, below:
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main event
Round seven
So, as we enter the second half of the fight, we have Catterall 5-1 up. You could have it 4-2 in his favour, reasonably.
Catterall jabs well to the body. Short right hook lands for Taylor, then a straight. Catterall misses with a long cross.
Taylor’s mouth looks swollen as well as his right eye. And yet? You guessed it, he presses forward. Catterall leans into a right uppercut.
Harsh right hook to the body by Taylor, and another. Left hook to the midriff now, as Taylor builds with those body attacks.
Oh! Nice cross to the jaw by Catterall. Another dig to the body from Taylor. He really stepped into that one.
Grazing cross now by the Scot, and a clean jab. Left hook up top by Taylor! This is so much better from the former undisputed champion!
Indy Sport score: Taylor 10-9 Catterall
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main event
Round six
Lovely uppercut and hook by Catterall. Taylor’s defence is not up to scratch so far, but he continues to fight on the front foot.
Snapping jab by Catterall, whose head movement allows him to evade Taylor’s own jabs. More “Chorley” chants.
A right hand just about lands for Taylor, but Catterall comes back with a piercing jab. Taylor’s face looks a bit swollen; his right eye doesn’t look great.
Left hook on point for Catterall. Taylor hops in with a lead right hook but misses. CLEAN one-two by Catterall!
He follows up with more shots including a slew of jabs, and Taylor just can’t keep them out.
Indy Sport score: Taylor 9-10 Catterall
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main event
Round five
Catterall with solid jabs early in this round, and great head movement. Still, Taylor marches forward.
Two jabs to the body by Catterall, now four upstairs! Clinical. A one-two has Taylor retreating!
Catterall is stalking him... Hard jab by Taylor, though, as the Scot comes forward and arrests a bit of momentum.
Right hook lands for Taylor, then a jab. Hard right hook to the body.
It’s a good response by Taylor, but another very good round for Catterall, who out-jabs the Scot and pours on CLEAN straights to the head in the final seconds!!
Taylor was almost falling over the ropes there!
Indy Sport score: Taylor 9-10 Catterall
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main event
Round four
Catterall leans back then lands a lovely counter flurry, capped off with a left hook around Taylor’s guard.
Catterall leans into a hard right from Taylor, but the Englishman comes back with spearing jabs.
Taylor jabs to the body now, and again. Catterall with a jab upstairs. Short right uppercut lands for Taylor.
Taylor walks onto an overhand by Catterall, who soon adds a left hook!
Catterall with another promising flurry to end the round. Taylor nods at him as the bell sounds.
Indy Sport score: Taylor 9-10 Catterall
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main event
Round three
Another clash of heads. Taylor has a welt over his right eye. Stiff jab by Catterall.
Catterall blocks an uppercut and fires back with an overhand, which just about lands. Long left hook to the body by Taylor.
OH! Taylor appears to land well, but Catterall fires back with power, and both men seem to be on unsteady feet! What a moment! Taylor lands again, with volume!
The pace slows briefly, and Taylor lands a couple of brutal left hands to the body. He has Catterall backing up. Taylor is warned for a clear punch to the back of the head.
Catterall jabs to the body. Hard left cross by the home fighter.
Indy Sport score: Taylor 10-9 Catterall
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main event
Round two
Taylor takes the centre of the ring. He throws a series of feints then a left hook to the body. His head is snapped back by a jab.
Catterall then flicks out a variety of shots, and Taylor felt a couple of those... More “Chorley” chants. The jab isn’t quite accurate enough for Taylor yet.
Catterall leans into a right hook, though. Some grappling follows. The super-lightweights separate, and Taylor does find the jab now. Catterall with tidy jabs of his own, though.
Another left hook to the body by Taylor. There’s a clash of heads, and the action is paused.
Back under way, and Catterall is jabbing well again. Immense pressure from Taylor, and Catterall is almost leaning through the ropes to evade the offence.
But Catterall lands a hook and uppercut after moving into space! Uppercut to the body by Catterall.
Better work from Taylor in that round, but Catterall stings him in the final seconds.
Indy Sport score: Taylor 9-10 Catterall
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main event
Round one
Both men stand southpaw. Catterall presses forward, landing a few jabs and a one-two. That was clean.
Taylor with his own jab, but it’s just wide of the mark. Louuuuuuuud “Chorley” chants, it sounds like, in support of Catterall.
Now Taylor comes forward. Lots of feints from the Scot. He hooks to the body. Catterall jabs his way off the ropes.
Catterall almost trips while coming forward, then wobbles Taylor a little bit with a left hook...
More jabs from both men. Clean cross from Catterall! Snapping jab now by the Englishman.
A clinch ensues. Taylor with a body uppercut. They separate, and both men land jabs. Another one-two by Catterall now.
That’s a good first round by Catterall. Let’s score this one, shall we?
Indy Sport score: Taylor 9-10 Catterall.
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main-event ring walks
Catterall emerges to a couple of classics: “Stand By Me” and “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher”.
Taylor is out next, to the sounds “Cigarettes And Alcohol” then “Born Slippy”.
Both men are in the ring. It’s hard to believe it’s been over TWO years since they last fought, and that it’s taken THIS long for them to share a ring again...
AND THERE’S THE FIRST BELL! HERE, WE, GO!
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Main-event ring walks
One fight left tonight, and it’s the big one: Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall 2, in front of a sold-out, 11,000-strong crowd in Leeds.
The ring walks are under way! While they play out, some light reading for you...
I was ringside at the first fight in Glasgow in February 2022, and ahead of tonight’s main event, I rewatched that bout (twice!) and scored it round by round.
I watched it with the sound off to avoid being swayed by crowd reactions and commentary. Here’s how I had it:
Rescoring a ‘robbery’: Taylor vs Catterall 1, round by round
In February 2022, Alex Pattle was ringside in Glasgow for one of the most controversial fights in recent years. Ahead of Josh Taylor’s rematch with Jack Catterall, Alex rewatches and rescores the pair’s first clash
Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall LIVE: Cheavon Clarke vs Ellis Zorro
Round eight
Zorro with a short, stabbing right cross. A fair bit of grappling ensues.
Clarke shoots a jab. Both men land good uppercuts at close range. More clinching.
They separate, and Clarke FLOORS Zorro with the final punch of the round!! A right cross puts him down against the ropes!
Zorro is given a count as the bell sounds... but he can’t beat it! Clarke gets the stoppage and the vacant British cruiserweight belt!
Cheavon Clarke def. Ellis Zorro via eighth-round KO (2:59)
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