JOSH: I’LL PUT CAT OUT!
JOSHTAYLOR put pride before pound notes when he agreed to a rematch with Jack Catterall. So after suffering a horror injury that has at the very least postponed the fight but perhaps even put it in peril, the Scotsman is desperately hoping the pair will still get it on so he can “obliterate” his rival for the sake of his legacy.
Last February’s fight with Catterall was
Taylor’s first defence after unifying the light-welterweight division with victory over
Jose Carlos Ramirez in 2021.
And it ended controversially, with the champion taking a splitdecision win, though many observers believed Catterall had done enough.
Taylor’s decision to take a rematch was therefore understandable but a significant injury has put any chance of the fight back.
“Obviously I’m gutted I’ve suffered the injury,” said Taylor, 32, who tore a tendon in a foot last week.
“I had six weeks to go in camp. I was flying, way ahead of schedule. My weight was good, sparring was good, everything was good. I was really firing on all cylinders.
“I really felt I was getting back to my best form and I’d have absolutely obliterated Jack Catterall.
“I’d have been disappointed if it had gone the 12 rounds so I’m pretty gutted.”
The decision to take a rematch cost Taylor three of his four belts, with the WBO version the only one left.
“It has been a year out of the ring since the last fight. I’m
in my prime and it’s the least active I’ve been,” he added.
“What’s frustrating is that I’m still the king of the division, still the man to beat, but I’ve had to vacate my belts just to take this fight.
“I could be looking at much more lucrative fights. I could have gone for a much bigger fight with Teofimo Lopez or taken a rematch with Regis Prograis.
“I could have moved up to welterweight for a good fight and then moved to a title there.
“I wasn’t short of options but I actually took a bit of a wage cut to fight Jack, just to put a bad performance to bed.
“It was a pride thing, more for my legacy.
“I could be ready for May or June but I don’t want to rush the recovery, get back into training and have something like this happen again.”