TAYLOR CLEARS WAY FOR REMATCH

JOSH TAYLOR has performed a U-turn and claimed he is now ready to accept a rematch with Jack Catterall after vacating his WBA and WBC light-welterweight titles. The Prestonpans fighter was handed a controversial points win over Englishman Catterall in February which saw him retain his undisputed status. The result led to outrage across the boxing world, with many pundits and fans believing Catterall was a clear winner and an investigation from the British Boxing Board of Control being launched into the scorecards. Ringside judge Ian John-Lewis was downgraded as a result. Despite initially talking down the chances of a rematch with Catterall, Taylor has now softened his stance and is prepared to put his WBO and IBF titles on the line if agreement can be reached. Speaking to the BBC’s 5 Live Boxing about his plans, Taylor said: ‘I’m trying to manoeuvre so I can get the rematch with Jack Catterall. I’ve vacated two belts to make sure that happens. It’s on his side now. ‘I’ve cleared the path to stop all the mandatories getting in the way. I’ve done everything in my power that I can. ‘We’re just waiting around for the next couple of weeks. But I’m not waiting around. I’m not stalling my career for Jack Catterall.’ In his recent documentary, ‘Portrait of a Fighter’, the 31-year-old offered an insight into a difficult camp for the Catterall fight that was marred by weight issues — but he has insisted he will be a much improved fighter in any rematch. Taylor added: ‘I had one bad night, but I’m still the best in the world. I still believe I am the best on the planet at 140lbs, but I want to revisit that bad night because that is my career-worst performance. ‘You’ll never see me boxing like that again.’