Jack Catterall and Peter McGrail Score Impressive Wins
With the precision of a surgeon, Jack Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) diced and sliced up three-division world champion Jorge Linares (47-9, 29 KOs) en route to a comfortable unanimous decision victory (117-111, 116-112, 16-112) at Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
Catterall used his jab and follow-up left hands and right hooks to score and set the tone in the early rounds. Linares is known for his hand speed but was slow and hesitant to let the shots go. At the end of round five, Catterall wobbled Linares with a straight left hand to the chin.
If there was one flaw in Catterall’s performance, you would have liked to have seen him push the pace during the second half of the contest. Otherwise, he was in control from the opening bell. Following the win, Catterall called for a rematch with arch-nemesis and former undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor.
PETER MCGRAIL SHINES AGAINST FRAN MENDOZA
At the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, Peter McGrail (8-0, 5 KOs) didn’t have everything his way. But in the end, he did enough to win by unanimous decision (99-91, 99-91, 97-93) over Fran Mendoza (17-1, 7 KOs) in a ten-round junior featherweight contest.
With his hand speed, footwork, and upper body movement, some in the boxing community compare McGrail to three-division world champion Vasyl Lomachenko. McGrail used his athleticism and quickness to get a lead in the early rounds.
But to his credit, Mendoza started to adjust. He landed with some solid jabs and right hands to the face of his opponent during rounds four, five, and six.
It was at this point that McGrail raised his game. He fought with more intensity and landed the more telling blows. Mendoza was feeling the shots and fighting on the back foot in the final round.
With the win, McGrail won the vacant WBA Continental junior featherweight title. Look for McGrail to appear in the world rankings soon. After the fight, McGrail’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he feels that McGrail can fight for a world title within the next twelve months.
