Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Catterall so glad Taylor ‘journey’ is nearing end
JACK Catterall will be glad that one part of his boxing “journey” will come to an end when he gets into the ring with Josh Taylor for their longawaited rematch.
The Scot’s split-decision win over Catterall in Glasgow in February 2022 – when his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO lightwelterweight belts were up for grabs – was hugely controversial.
A scheduled rematch in March last year was thwarted by a foot injury to Taylor and did little to end the bitter feud between the two boxers.
The 33-year-old then lost his WBO belt to Teofimo Lopez in New York last June – the first defeat of his pro career – after previously vacating the other three world titles.
Taylor then underwent a procedure on his eye last month, which scuppered the proposed clash with Catterall on April 27 at the Leeds Direct Arena, which has been rescheduled for May 25.
The 30-year-old Englishman, who recorded wins over Darragh Foley and Venezuelan veteran Jorge Linares since losing to Taylor, said: “I am sick of talking about him.
“It was for 18 months before the first fight then it got put to one side for over a year waiting for the fight and then we had the fight and it has been non-stop after the fight.
“I understand that it is part of my journey, part of Josh’s journey. We will be always linked but to be able to go to the park with my daughter and go shopping and not be asked ‘when is the fight happening, is it happening’ – it will be nice to put it to bed for a bit.
“There have been times when I thought the fight wasn’t going to happen.
“We were scheduled to fight, he pulled out, we had the delays and I am guessing Josh, will be the same. No matter where I go, which boxing gym I am in, travelling up and down the country, people are asking me, ‘when are you fighting’?
“It was whether we could get Josh to the ring. We saw the beating he took off Lopez, we didn’t know what the future was going to look like then, whether he was going to carry on fighting and if the fight still made sense, but lo and behold, everyone wants to see the fight.
“I am preparing for the Taylor that beat (Jose) Ramirez and that I boxed against. I am preparing for the best version.
“He’s had a lot of tough fights, a lot of miles on the clock, he is a couple of years older than me but I will be preparing for the best version of him.”