Dazn issues statement on vulgar Josh Taylor insult in Jack Catterall face-off

A nearby microphone picked up Taylor’s insult at the second press conference for the pair’s April rematch

Dazn has said it will “remind Josh Taylor of his responsibilities” after a mic picked up a vulgar insult that the Scot aimed at Jack Catterall on Tuesday.

Taylor and Catterall are set for a rematch in Leeds on 27 April, more than two years after their highly controversial first fight. Taylor beat Catterall on points in Glasgow to retain the undisputed super-lightweight titles, and furore around the result included Catterall’s MP in Chorley referring the scoring to police.

Ahead of their rematch, 33-year-old Taylor and Catterall, 30, almost came to blows at a press conference on Monday (19 February), before Tuesday saw their second face-off end with Taylor calling his opponent a “f***ing r*****”. The insult was picked up by a nearby microphone.

Streaming service Dazn, which will air the fight and which streamed Tuesday’s press conference, told The Independent: “Dazn does not condone the use of discriminatory language, and will remind Josh Taylor of his responsibilities.”

Monday’s press conference ended with a face-off in which Catterall put his hand on Taylor’s neck – just as he did at the weigh-in for their first fight.

Since that bout, Taylor has relinquished three of his four titles and lost one of them. In June, he was outpointed by Teofimo Lopez in New York City, where the American took the WBO strap from the “Tartan Tornado”.

That result marked the first loss of Taylor’s professional career, while his win over Catterall was the first defeat of the Englishman’s pro career.

Catterall has since beaten Darragh Foley and Jorge Linares on points, in May 2023 and October 2023 respectively.