Josh Taylor Opens Up About his Disputed Win Over Jack Catterall
On February 26, Josh “The Tartan Tornado” Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) stepped in the ring to defend the undisputed junior welterweight titles against WBO mandatory 140-pound challenger Jack Catterall (26-1, 13 KOs). While Taylor left the ring with his hand raised in victory, it was not without a fair share of controversy.
He suffered two cuts over his left eye, was knocked down in round eight, and deducted a point for holding in round ten. Yet, Taylor was given the verdict by a close split decision. However, more than a few pundits and fans felt he was fortunate to leave the ring with the titles around his waist.
Outrage was palpable, as many fans and pundits believed that Catterall did enough to win. The British Boxing Board of Boxing Control even launched an investigation, expressing concerns over the scorecards. Taylor didn’t help his cause by stating Catterall was undeserving of a rematch immediately after the fight.
Now with some time to reflect and process all that happened, the undisputed champ sat down for an exclusive interview with Sky Sports Boxing. When asked about his last outing, Taylor had this to say.
BELIEVES THE RIGHT MAN WON
“I still feel that I did just enough to win the fight. I’ve watched it back a couple of times now, and you know, my first impressions when I watched it back, you know it was a close fight, a really close fight that could have went either way.
I scored it personally 113-112 to myself. But I can see why folk thought Jack won because there was a lot of rounds in there that could have went either way, or you could have scored it Jack or myself. A lot of swing rounds.”
Taylor further claimed that if the match went Catterall’s way by a couple of points, or was scored a draw, he would not have complained. He felt difference was that he landed the heavier shots and had the challenger on the back foot, particularly over the second half of the bout.
WEIGHT DRAINED?
In truth, that observation can be challenged by the fact that he was knocked down. Also, Catterall never seemed to be hurt at any point during the fight. That aside, the champ called his overall performance terrible and below his standards. He puts the blame on feeling weak from getting down to the 140 pound division limit.
“I think the weight cut had a massive impact on my performance as well. My legs felt real slow in there. I felt off the pace a bit with my legs and reactions because I just felt I couldn’t get recovered after the weigh-in. But it’s no excuse. It was a bad performance.”
THE FUTURE
Where Taylor goes from here is still a question. He told Sky Sports he hasn’t made up his mind whether he will continue to campaign at 140 or move up to welterweight. Should he decide to stay at 140, his next fight would be against WBA mandatory challenger Alberto Puello.
For now, the “Tartan Tornado” said he’s going to have some downtime which includes marrying his long-time fiancée. After being on the end of such negativity and bad press, the 31-year-old said he will use this experience as a motivating factor. Whether he campaigns at 140 or 147, Taylor plans to use it as a motivating force for the rest of his career.
“This makes me hungry for the next time I go out to leave no questions and say I’m still one of the best fighters on the planet. Just because I had one bad night, or one off-night doesn’t mean I’m a bad fighter.
It can happen to the best of them, and it has through time and history of boxing as well. So, it’s giving me that drive, that fire back in my bell again to prove that I’m one of the best fighters in the world.”
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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