Jack Catterall Should Prioritize Alberto Puello Over Devin Haney
Top junior welterweight contender Jack “El Gato” Catterall (30-1, 13KO) is a fighter who has his share of options at 140. Some in the boxing community are pushing him to fight WBC champion-in-recess Devin “The Dream” Haney. Catterall should forgo that option and instead face WBC champion Alberto “La Avispa” Puello (23-0, 10KO).
After likely sending two-time champion Regis “Rougarou” Prograis into retirement, boxing fans want to know what’s next for El Gato. As it turns out, he could be on a collision course with The Dream as the two publicly endorsed the idea of a showdown. Even more intriguing is that they requested the assistance of Saudi Arabia’s power player, Turki Alalshikh, in funding the event.
HE SHOULD GO FOR THE TITLE
El Gato should use this momentum to land a fight for the title. When looking at the rankings, he has some options. IBF champion Liam Paro is locked in a battle against Richardson Hitchins on December 7. WBO champion Teofimo Lopez is busy chasing a fight with WBA junior middleweight champion Terence Crawford.
Then there is WBA champion Jose Valenzuela, who is rumored to be preparing for a rematch against Isaac Cruz. That leaves El Avispa as the next possible option. The Dominican was elevated to champion after Haney decided to take a small hiatus from the sport.
Sure, Haney has a much higher profile than Puello. That also means that The Dream will demand a lot of money for a fight with Catterall. Haney would surely want that fight to happen in the United States. Why would Catterall go through all that hassle at the negotiating table?
Following his win over Prograis, Team Catterall was adamant that they wanted their next fight for a world title. He would get that in a battle against Puello. There would also be a good chance that a fight between Paro and Catterall would land in El Gato’s home country of England.
A fight with Haney is a potential short-term gain. A win over Puello means that Catterall would achieve his dream of winning a world title. It also would make Catterall a shot-caller in the division. From a long-term business perspective, the choice is simple: it’s Puello and not Haney.
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