Catterall, Barboza to fight in WBO junior welterweight final eliminator
140-pound contenders to meet Feb. 15 in Manchester, England
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The deal is done for junior welterweight contenders Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. to square off for the right to become the mandatory challenger for lineal/WBO champion Teofimo Lopez.
They will meet in a final elimination bout on Feb. 15 (DAZN) at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, Catterall’s home region, Catterall promoter Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy, which promotes Barboza, announced on Sunday.
The deal comes as little surprise because they were already close to a deal when they asked for and were granted an extension on Wednesday of the purse bid deadline to Dec. 27.
Then Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy dined together in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they attended the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury heavyweight championship rematch on Saturday, and said they had made a deal for a fight without any specifics. But it was obvious it was for Catterall-Barboza, which the WBO initially ordered in late November and Catterall had already agreed to.
The fight could end up being for the vacant WBO title if Lopez moves up to welterweight, which he has been considering. It could also wind up being an IBF final eliminator because Catterall and Barboza are the two highest-ranked contenders in the organization after previous No. 1-ranked Richardson Hitchins outpointed Liam Paro to win the 140-pound belt on Dec. 7.
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Former title challenger Catterall (30-1,13 KOs), 31, a southpaw, has scored two big wins in a row, decisions against former undisputed champion Josh Taylor in May to avenge a controversial loss for the undisputed title, and former two-time titlist Regis Prograis, who he knocked down twice in the ninth round, in October.
“I’m looking forward to fighting back in Manchester,” Catterall said. “It was an unbelievable experience opening big-time boxing at Co-op Live back in October. I’m looking to do it bigger and better on Feb. 15. I’ve got a great fight in Barboza Jr. I’m glad he finally found his pen. I’m not overlooking him, but I’m ready to smash him to pieces to cement my spot for the WBO world title. I’m geared up for this one.”
Said Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn: “Jack should already be an undisputed world champion and there is no better way than to prove that he has earned his place at the very top by beating Arnold Barboza Jr. in what is a fantastic fight in 140-pound division.”
Barboza (31-0, 11 KOs), 32, of Los Angeles, outpointed former unified titlist Jose Ramirez on Nov. 16 in Riyadh on the “Latino Card,” but refused to make it a 12-round eliminator because he said he had already paid fees for previous eliminators and not gotten a title shot.
After the win, he apologized and asked the WBO to give him a title shot, which it didn’t but did order the final eliminator.
“I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity to take my skills overseas and contribute to my team’s success,” Barboza said. “I’m truly excited to do what I do best and make it a meaningful win.”
De La Hoya was pleased to finalize the fight as well.
“Arnold Barboza Jr. has been the gatekeeper for so long and I feel so happy for him that he is finally getting a shot that he deserves — and, hopefully, for the world title if Teofimo Lopez moves up a weight,” De La Hoya said. “It will be a great fight. I think Jack Catterall is a terrific fighter. It’s a pick ‘em fight and let’s see who wins.”
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Stylistically, this is a terrible matchup. Both are natural counterpunchers. Neither boxer truly good at initiating offense. Barboza can be negative but it works for him. Catterall has pop but doesn't have killer instinct. Gonna be a long 12 rounds
Should be a good fight