Can Josh Taylor Rejuvenate His Career By Beating Jack Catterall?
On May 25, the long-awaited grudge match will occur between former undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh “The Tartan Tornado” Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) and Jack “El Gato” Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs). Taylor’s days as a top-flight fighter could be on the line.
They previously fought in February 2022 in Taylor’s backyard in Scotland. It was supposed to be a glorious homecoming for Taylor, who was defending the undisputed titles. But that evening, it was Catterall who gave the then-champion fits. Taylor ended up winning by a controversial split decision.
READY TO PUT HIS BEST FOOT FORWARD
Time has passed, but the anger remains between the two rivals. During an interview with Matchroom Boxing, the Scottish fighter said that performance resulted from taking El Gato lightly. He promises to have a different mindset this time around.
“I wasn’t mentally right. I had just been to (Las) Vegas and become an undisputed champion, and I was still sort of in that celebration mode, kind of living on cloud nine . . . I won’t be doing that mistake again.”
SOMETHING TO PROVE
The Tartan Tornado vows to the boxing public that he will be at his best. In his mind, Catterall is not on his level. He plans to prove his point when they meet again at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.
“The way I’m performing, the way I feel, I feel ready to do the damage. I can’t see a way he can beat me.”
Taylor’s confident words could be a case of wishful thinking. Truthfully, he was fortunate to have his hand raised in victory in the first fight against Catterall. It’s not like Taylor has set the boxing world on fire since. In his last fight, he was outboxed, outfought, and lost the WBO title to Teofimo Lopez in June 2023.
The performance of the Scot was disappointing and disheartening. It has led some in the boxing community to feel that the 33-year-old has slipped and is no longer the fighter that many pundits regarded as one of the elite boxers in the world.
He can change that perception on May 25. A win in emphatic fashion places him back in world title contention at either 140 or 147. A loss would put him at a career crossroads. It’s put up or shut up time for The Tartan Tornado.
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