Notebook: Catterall, Eubank, going in different directions, square off
Cordina returns on undercard; Bivol ordered to face Eifert but Beterbiev trilogy still on course; BetUS show; Quick hits; Show and tell
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Jack Catterall, who lost an extremely controversial decision to then-undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh Taylor in 2022, won his next four fights in a row, including a clear decision over Taylor in their 2024 rematch.
But by that time Taylor was coming off of having lost the lineal and WBO titles to Teofimo Lopez. So when Catterall beat him he got revenge but no title. Then Catterall scored a clear decision over Regis Prograis, but he too had lost his world title in his previous fight to Devin Haney so, once again, Catterall had beaten a major player in the division but did not get the benefit of winning a world title.
Catterall followed up that victory by fighting Arnold Barboza Jr. for the vacant WBO interim title in February but was upset via split decision in front of a home crowd.
Making his return from that defeat, Catterall decided to move up to welterweight and set about a new path he hopes will finally lead to a world title. It begins with a 12-rounder against the bigger but relatively untested Harlem Eubank, who is the nephew of Chris Eubank Sr. and first cousin of Chris Eubank Jr.
The 12-rounder headlines the Matchroom Boxing card on Saturday (DAZN, 2 p.m. ET) at AO Arena in Manchester, England, Catterall’s home region.
Catterall will look to gain a foothold in a new division and Eubank will seek to defeat by far the most notable opponent of his career.
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“Two guys in very different positions in their careers, and that’s why I love this fight,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said at this week’s news conference. “Jack Catterall, we know the story. He should have been the undisputed (junior welterweight) champion. We expected him to be fighting Teofimo Lopez just a few months ago until he lost to Barboza. Now, up steps Harlem Eubank and he rolls the dice at world level. It’s a must-win fight for Jack and a big opportunity for Harlem to gatecrash the world scene at 147 pounds.”
Catterall (30-2, 13 KOs), 32, a southpaw, certainly could have taken a lesser fight in his welterweight debut but he liked the idea of facing Eubank, a bigger man with a famous last name in boxing.
“We could have come back and chosen a different route, but these are the fights that excite me, the domestic clashes, and this is what I am here for,” Catterall said. “Harlem is undefeated, talented, and he’s going to come with everything. A few years ago, I was in his position, waiting for that opportunity and chomping at the bit, so this is his opportunity.
“But I am here to prove I’ve still got it. I’ve worked so hard up to this point. We had a stinker in the last fight, but I’ve doubled down, been training hard and I believe I am levels above him. If he thinks he can come and knock me out he’s got a big problem in front of him and it’s going to end badly for him.”
The Wasserman Boxing-promoted Eubank (21-0, 9 KOs), 31, of England, has gained wide exposure in the Untied Kingdom fighting on free-to-air television and is coming off his best win, a 10th-round knockout of Tyrone McKenna in March.
“I believe I’m ready to go in there and show the world what I am capable of up at world level,” Eubank said. “This is the level I’ve built myself to and the level I was destined for when I entered the sport.
“I laced up the gloves because I wanted to become a world champion. I’ve spent my time in the sport grafting away to get to this point and now is the chance to get in there and prove that a world championship is not too far away. I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes with. We’re going to get the best version of Jack Catterall and that’s exactly what I have been training for.”
In the co-feature, former two-time IBF junior lightweight titlist Joe Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs), 33, of Wales, who has been out of action since losing the belt by upset eighth-round knockout to Anthony Cacace in May 2024, will move up to lightweight and face untested Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz (17-1, 13 KOs), 24, of Mexico.
“I lost the world title but it was probably two fights too long at the weight,” Cordina said. “But I would go until the wheels fall off and unfortunately they fell off. We’re getting back on the horse and we keep riding.”
Bivol-Beterbiev III update
After Dmitry Bivol narrowly outpointed Artur Beterbiev to win the undisputed light heavyweight title in their February rematch, which avenged a close loss to him in their October showdown to unify titles for the undisputed crown, the mandatory orders were inevitable.
When the WBC ordered Bivol to next face interim titlist David Benavidez, Bivol vacated that belt because he had committed to Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh and Beterbiev that he would give him a rubber match.
And while that is the plan, the IBF on Wednesday ordered Bivol to make the organization’s mandatory defense next against Michael Eifert (13-1, 5 KOs), 27, of Germany, who already stepped aside to permit Bivol-Beterbiev II to be for all of the belts with the promise that the winner would face him next.
But with a third Bivol-Beterbiev fight still the plan it leaves Bivol in a position where he may have to also vacate the IBF title. His team is in conversations with Eifert’s camp to see if they can work something out. It remains to be seen if Eifert will step aside again or if Bivol will vacate the IBF title.
Either way, Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs), 34, is headed for fight No. 3 with Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs), 40, although, according to one source involved in the fight, instead of taking place this fall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the site of the first two bouts, it is likely to be pushed into early 2026.
Ring magazine, which Alalshikh owns, reported on Friday that Alalshikh has given the fighters permission to move ahead with the third bout in Russia, which is where they are both from.
It would take place on a card put on by another promoter willing to financially back the fight rather than have Alalshikh do so and place the fight on a Riyadh Season event this fall as was the original plan.
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked the top two bouts from the one notable card on Saturday: Jack Catterall’s move up to welterweight to fight Harlem Eubank and former junior lightweight titlist Joe Cordina’s move up to lightweight to fight Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz on the Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN in Manchester, England. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Taylor-Serrano fight week bouts
The fight week for the trilogy bout on Friday (Netflix, prelims at 5 p.m. ET, main card at 8 p.m. ET) at New York’s Madison Square Garden between undisputed women’s junior welterweight champion Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano will kick off Tuesday with a pair of four-round women’s bouts during the open workout, Most Valuable Promotions announced.
Bantamweight Krystal Rosado (6-0, 2 KOs), 22, of Puerto Rico, who is managed by Serrano, will face Agustina Vazquez (4-3-2, 0 KOs), 22, of Argentina, and junior lightweight Elise Soto (7-0, 7 KOs), 20, of Puerto Rico, will fight Colleen Davis (4-2-1, 1 KO), 34, of Pittsburgh.
Both fights will be contested using three-minute rounds rather than the usual two minutes for female bouts. Serrano has long advocated that women box under the same rules as men.
Both fights, and the workout, which will take place at the Oculus at the World Trade Center, will stream live on the MVP and Netflix YouTube channels (5 p.m. ET).
Quick hits
Weights from Manchester, England, for the Matchroom Boxing card on Saturday (DAZN, 2 p.m. ET): Jack Catterall 146.5 pounds, Harlem Eubank 146.5; Joe Cordina 134.7, Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz 133.4; Leo Atang 226.3, Milen Paunov 218.7; Aqib Fiaz 133.9, Alex Murphy 135; Pat Brown 203.8, Lewis Oakford 204; William Crolla 155.7, Frazer Wilkinson 154.6; Alfie Middlemiss 127.5, Mohammed Wako 127.4; Skye Nicolson 123.9, Carla Gonzales 122.7; Niall Brown 171.4, Victor Ionascu 168.6.
The second season of Top Rank’s ESPN series “The Fight Life” debuts on Monday (ESPN+ with episodes also to air on ESPN’s linear channels). The five episodes will chronicle the past year through six of its fighters: Keyshawn Davis (July 7), Mikaela Mayer (July 8), Jared Anderson (July 9), Jaime Munguia (July 10) and an episode that features prospects Abdullah Mason and Emiliano Vargas (July 11). Season 1 focused on Tyson Fury, Naoya Inoue, Seniesa Estrada, Teofimo Lopez and Josh Taylor. Check out the season 2 trailer:
Yokasta Valle (33-3, 10 KOs), 32, will make her first defense of the WBC women’s strawweight title against Rocio Gaspar (12-2, 3 KOs), 32, of Peru, on July 18 at the Camara de Ganaderos de Liberia in Liberia Costa Rica, Valle’s home country. Gaspar has not fought since losing a decision to then-WBC titlist Tina Rupprecht in December 2022. Rupprecht would lose the belt to Seniesa Estrada, who went on to outpoint Valle in a unification fight for the undisputed title in March 2024. Estrada then retired and Valle won the vacant title by wide decision over Elizabeth Lopez Corzo in November followed by a split decision over Marlen Esparza in a nontitle bout at flyweight in March.
Show and tell
Other than Babe Ruth there was no bigger American sports star in the 1920s than heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey, who destroyed Jess Willard in three rounds in Toledo, Ohio, to claim the title, and lost it by decision in his first bout with Gene Tunney before a crowd of more than 120,000 in Philadelphia in September 1926. Dempsey won the title from Willard on July 4, 1919 — 106 years ago on Friday. Here is Dempsey’s rookie card from the 1922 Sporting Champions set in my collection.
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I had my kids, my 2 grandkids, and some other family over to watch Taylor/Serrano 1 & 2. Everyone is asking to watch the 3rd fight. I promised them before fights 1 & 2 that they wouldn’t want to miss those fights. However, I just don’t know what to expect in the 3rd fight. I feel like Taylor has taken a lot of damage in her career and it’s quite possible that father time might show up in Taylor’s shadow this fight. Would love hear to your opinion Dan on how you think the 3rd fight will match up to the 1st and 2nd.
The first two fights were great. But somehow I’m not at all excited for Taylor/Serrano 3. Feels like a glorified cash out. An afterthought, with little to no momentum or buzz.