Notebook: Grudge rematch finally at hand for bitter rivals Taylor, Catterall
Title Sports Network content; Okolie crushes Rozanski for bridgerweight belt; Matchroom signs top prospect; Cacace mandatory ordered; Quick hits; Show and tell
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After 27 months, various delays, postponements, injuries and plenty of acrimony and bad feelings, now-bitter rivals Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall will finally settle a score so severe that little was left to the imagination in the promotion when the fight was titled simply “Hate Runs Deep.”
Former undisputed junior welterweight champion Taylor and Catterall, his once-mandatory challenger, will meet in a long-awaited rematch on Saturday (ESPN+ in U.S., 3:15 p.m. ET, DAZN rest of the world) in a 12-rounder that headlines a Matchroom Boxing card at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, which was an acceptable location as neither man would fight in the other guy’s home region.
“Two years on from their undisputed clash in Glasgow, the controversy, the build-up, the animosity, the hatred; whatever you want to call it, it will be settled in the ring on Saturday night,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.
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The rancor dates to their first meeting on Feb. 26, 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland, and it has been on full display throughout the promotion, including when they nearly came to blows and had to be separated at the kickoff press conference in Taylor’s hometown of Edinburgh, Scotland, in February.
“We're finally here. It's been a long time coming,” Taylor said this week.
When they first met, Taylor was making his WBO mandatory defense against Catterall in his first fight after narrowly outpointing Jose Ramirez to unify the four major titles and become the undisputed 140-pound champion.
Taylor was a heavy favorite but when the ragged, sloppy fight was over — during which Taylor got cut by his left eye and knocked down in the eighth round and each man had one point deducted for fouls — Taylor was declared a split decision winner, 114-111 and 113-112 with Catterall winning 113-112 on the third scorecard.
Many viewed it as an outright robbery — some even called the decision scandalous — and strongly believed Catterall should have won.
“I’ve had a lot of stick but I’ve never taken it personal, but I will be taking it out on Jack on Saturday night,” said Taylor, who took huge criticism for the result even though he was fighting and not a judge. “Forget the last fight; forget everything else that has gone on. This is a completely new fight. New fight, new circumstances. No belt on the line. Yes, there’s some beef there but listen, I’m a consummate professional.
“We’re taking him more seriously for a start. That was the biggest mistake I ever made. The first lesson in the art of warfare is never underestimate your opponent and that’s what I done last time, massively. I almost paid the price for it. I’m not doing that this time. He gave me a tough fight last time and I had to dig deep. I know what I’ve got in front of me now and I know the threat that is there now so I’m taking it seriously.”
The rematch was the obvious move as it was a fight fans wanted and the biggest payday for both. It was made but there were all sorts of delays and eventually Taylor, who had vacated or allowed himself to be stripped of three belts in order to pursue the rematch instead of making mandatory defenses, was ordered to make a mandatory defense of the WBO title, his only remaining title, against Teofimo Lopez.
At that point, Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs), 33, and fellow southpaw Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs), 30, of England, went their separate ways and Taylor was handily outpointed by Lopez last June, and has not fought since.
While waiting for the rematch and changing promoters, Catterall was idle for 15 months. When he returned, he won a pair of lackluster decisions in 2023 over Darragh Foley and the long-faded former titlist Jorge Linares.
With both fighters having no serious options for a major fight, and the boxing public in the United Kingdom still demanding the rematch, Taylor-Catterall II was made for Saturday but not before it was delayed yet again for a month (from April 27) because Taylor needed more time to recover from what was termed “a minor eye procedure at the beginning of February.”
“Ultimately, the public have been banging on about the rematch,” Catterall said. “Everyone was asking me about it every day of the week. In the back of my mind I knew this fight was eventually going to happen, but we're here now.”
There is no title at stake but plenty in terms of their egos, bragging rights and advancing their careers back to another title opportunity. Taylor wants to show he deserved the win the first time and Catterall seeks to right the perceived wrong.
“I am looking forward to putting all this to bed and moving on with my career and proving that the last time was just an off night,” Taylor said. “It’s been a long two years since the first fight. We’ve been talking about it; there’s been the delays and injuries, but my health comes first.”
Catterall is also anxious to fight and even predicted a knockout despite not being a big puncher.
“We’ve had the delays and the setbacks, but it’s fight week, we’re in Leeds, it’s exciting,” Catterall said. “I’ve done all the hard work so it’s very real and I’m very much looking forward to it.
“We both know what stands in front of us now. All the talking is done. We’ve had the build up and the fight is sold out. Obviously, we don’t see eye to eye.”
Neither was pleased with their performance in the first fight and they hope to make it a more pleasing scrap this time.
“The last fight was a stinker for both of us,” Taylor said. “Jack did a lot of holding and spoiling and slowing the pace down. I was very poor as well. So, I believe the two of us can be a lot better. It will be a better fight for the fans. Expect that. I feel it's going to be a great fight and a barnburner.”
It was one of the few things he and Catterall have agreed on.
“I watched the first fight and I didn’t rate it that much,” Catterall said. “I thought I beat him and I thought I did it comfortably. I think I underperformed, maybe Josh did as well, but we’ve prepared for the best version of Josh and I think over the last two years I’ve improved as a fighter. I expect a better fight on Saturday. Emotions aside, I think I am the better fighter, and I am going to show that.
“It’s must-win and that’s what all my energy is focused on. I don’t want to talk about what is after this. I know you have a great division at 140 pounds. There’s a lot of big fights to make and that’s an exciting prospect, but right now all I am thinking about is beating Josh.”
Taylor, of course, is thinking about beating Catterall and Joe McNally, Taylor’s trainer, had another thought likely echoed by everybody interested in the fight: “I just hope and pray that there is no controversy.”
Title Sports Network appearance
I joined my colleagues at Title Sports Network to discuss the story I broke on Thursday that Ryan Garcia’s B samples were also positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Ostarine and what happens next in his doping case. Check out the video here and subscribe to the channel for my content and more:
Okolie wins WBC bridgerweight belt
Lawrence Okolie made short work of Lukasz Rozanski, dropping him three times en route to an overwhelming first-round knockout to win the WBC bridgerweight title on Friday in Rozanski’s hometown of Rzeszow, Poland.
Okolie (20-1, 15 KOs), 31, of England, had not fought since last May when good friend Chris Billam-Smith knocked him down three times in a majority decision win to take his WBO cruiserweight title.
Okolie moved up to the WBC’s newish 224-pound weight class between cruiserweight and heavyweight and challenged Rozanski (15-1, 14 KOs), 38, who was making his first defense after winning the vacant title via first-round KO of Alen Babic 13 months ago, also in Rzeszow.
Okolie was bigger, stronger and faster than the overmatched Rozanski, who could not take his power and went down when Okolie touched him with a solid right hand.
Moments later, Okolie landed another right that dropped him again, although Rozanski complained that he had been hit behind the head. Okolie then finished him with a right to the head and a right uppercut that floored him for the third time. He beat the count but was in no shape to continue and referee Daniel Van de Wiele waved it off at 2 minutes, 55 seconds.
"I think this was the best moment in boxing for me,” said Okolie, who was in his first fight with trainer Joe Gallagher. “I’m super happy. New weight, I put the ‘KO’ back in Okolie. I said I was going to go in there from round one and try to get the knockout and I went in there and done that.”
Matchroom signs Hackett
Welterweight Jalil “Major” Hackett (8-0, 7 KOs), 21, of Washington, D.C., a former amateur standout and blue chip prospect, has signed a multi-fight promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, it was announced Friday.
Hackett will make his Matchroom debut on the undercard of IBF welterweight titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis’ mandatory defense versus Cody Crowley on July 13 (DAZN) in Philadelphia, a source with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite.
Hackett, who split from Mayweather Promotions, was a free agent when he last boxed on a Red Own card in Houston and knocked out Adrian Gutierrez in the third round in December.
“I’m so happy to have signed with the biggest promoters in the game,” Hackett said. “Eddie and Matchroom have a plan for my development that I’m really excited by, and I cannot wait to get back in the ring. My next fight will be announced next week and it’s a really good step up, the type of tests that I want at this stage of my career, where I am looking to develop but also prove that I am the real deal.”
Hearn believes he has signed one of the best prospects in the United States.
“Jalil is a fantastic young talent,” Hearn said. “Building the stars of the future is something that we love to do at Matchroom, and in Jalil, we have a real gem.
“So many of America’s best fighters speak very highly of their work with him in the gym, and he’s got an old head on young shoulders, which bodes well for his short and long-term development in the sport. We’re really excited to get the next phase of his journey moving.”
BetUS Boxing Show
If you missed the BetUS Boxing Show live at 1 p.m. ET on Friday on YouTube, please check out the replay (and also subscribe to the YouTube channel). We previewed and picked three fights that take place on Saturday: the grudge rematch between junior welterweights Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall; welterweight up-and-comer Paddy Donovan against Lewis Ritson on the undercard; and super middleweight contender Christian Mbilli against Mark Heffron. We also took viewer questions and comments and discussed the latest boxing news! Please check out the show here:
Quick hits
Weights from Leeds, England, for the Matchroom Boxing card Saturday (ESPN+ in U.S., 3:15 p.m. ET, DAZN rest of world): Josh Taylor 129.6 pounds, Jack Catterall 139.8 (rematch); Cheavon Clarke 199.3, Ellis Zorro 198.6 (for vacant British cruiserweight title); Paddy Donovan 145.4, Lewis Ritson 146.8; Gary Cully 134.1, Francesco Patera 134.1; Giorgio Visioli 134.1, Sergio Odabai 136.5; George Liddard 162.3, Graham McCormack 162.3; Leli Buttigieg 157.6, Anas Isarti 156.8.
Weights from Shawinigan, Canada, for the Eye of the Tiger card Saturday (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET): Christian Mbilli 167.7 pounds, Mark Heffron 167.3; Arslanbek Makhmudov 263.8, Miljan Rovcanin 236.2; Mehmet Unal 177.5, Rodolfo Gomez Jr. 175.8; Wilkens Mathieu 171, Przemyslaw Gorgon 170.8; Christopher Guerrero 147.5, Kenny Larson 148.6; Moreno Fendero 163.8, Rolando Mansilla 163.4; Alexandre Gaumont 159.5, Santiago Fernandez 159.6; Jhon Orobio 134.5, Alexis Gabriel Camejo 134.6.
The IBF has ordered newly crowned junior lightweight titlist Anthony Cacace (22-1, 8 KOs), 35, a southpaw from Northern Ireland, to make a mandatory defense against Eduardo Nunez (26-1, 26 KOs), 26, of Mexico. The IBF gave them 30 days to make a deal or a purse bid will be scheduled. Cacace won the title last Saturday in a major upset when he stopped Joe Cordina in the eighth round on the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nunez, who has fought all of his fights in Mexico, has heard the final bell only once, in his lone defeat, which was a six-round decision loss in 2018.
There are ongoing discussions for a super middleweight fight between former middleweight titlist Daniel Jacobs and Shane Mosley Jr. If a deal is finalized they would clash on the undercard of the Fanmio PPV card topped by a boxing match between former UFC rivals Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal on July 6 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, sources involved told Fight Freaks Unite. Jacobs (37-4, 30 KOs), 37, a Brooklyn, New York, native living in Atlanta, who is a promotional free agent, has not fought since a disputed split decision loss to John Ryder on Ryder’s turf in England in February 2022. Mosley Jr. (21-4, 12 KOs), 33, of Las Vegas, who is with Golden Boy, has won four fights in a row, most recently via sixth-round knockout of Joshua Conley in December on the Ryan Garcia-Oscar Duarte undercard.
Featherweight Arnold Khegai (21-1-1, 13 KOs), 32, a Los Angeles-based Ukraine native, who signed last month with Top Rank, will have his first fight of the deal Aug. 10 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the ESPN+ portion of the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card, a source with knowledge of the plans told FFU. He will face a foe to be determined on the undercard of IBF featherweight titlist Luis Alberto Lopez against former WBO titlist Angelo Leo, which has not been officially announced. Khegai, the WBO No.1 contender, was due to face Lerato Dlamini in an IBF final eliminator but when TGB Promotions won a purse bid and Khegai’s cut was only $17,750 and the fight was being planned for Dlamini’s home country of South Africa, he passed. The winner would have become Lopez’s mandatory challenger but Khegai has a good chance to get the shot without an eliminator since they are both with Top Rank.
Welterweight contender Roiman Villa (26-2, 24 KOs), 31, of Venezuela, will take on Ricardo Salas Rodriguez (17-2-2, 12 KOs), 25, of Mexico, in a 10-round bout on the Gervonta Davis-Frank Martin undercard on June 15 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, a source with knowledge of the deal told FFU. Villa will look to bounce back from a loss in his last fight, a 10th-round knockout challenging then-IBF interim titlist Jaron “Boots” Ennis last July.
Top Rank announced it has added top junior welterweight prospect Emiliano Vargas (10-0, 8 KOs), 20, of Las Vegas, the son of former two-time junior middleweight titlist Fernando Vargas, to its June 21 ESPN+ card at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Vargas will face Mexico native Jose Zaragoza (9-8-2, 3 KOs),36, in an eight-rounder on the show headlined by WBO featherweight titlist Rafael Espinoza’s first defense against Sergio Chirino. “I am inching closer to my destiny of becoming a world champion,” Vargas said. “It’s not just a dream; it’s my destiny, and I’ll continue to show it fight by fight.”
Heavyweight Jermaine Franklin (23-2, 15 KOs), 30, of Saginaw, Michigan, knocked out Devin Vargas (22-11, 9 KOs), 42, of Sylvania, Ohio, who did not come out for the seventh round, in the main event of the Salita Promotions “Big Time Boxing USA” card on DAZN on Thursday night at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit. Franklin, who made a name for himself in back-to-back decision losses in England to Dillian Whyte (2022) and Anthony Joshua (2023) handed Vargas his fifth loss in a row and his sixth loss in his last seven fights, knocking him down in the fourth and sixth rounds.
Show and tell
In 2010, Carl Froch traveled to Mikkel Kessler’s home country of Denmark and lost a competitive decision and his super middleweight world title in an outstanding fight in Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament. Three years later they met again, this time on Froch’s turf in London, in an IBF/WBA super middleweight title unification fight and they waged another tremendous battle filled with action, drama and a wild crowd at The O2 in London. But this time it was the Froch who pounded his way to a well-earned unanimous decision to avenge the loss. The fight, which turned out to be the final bout in Kessler’s fine career, took place on May 25, 2013 — 11 years ago on Saturday. Here is a site poster in my collection.
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Photos: Taylor-Catterall: Mikey Williams/Top Rank; Okolie: Boxxer; Hackett: Ryan Hafey/PBC; Mbilli-Heffron: Vincent Ethier/Eye of the Tiger
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I wonder if the IBF has pre-made cards ready to send out congratulating a fighter for winning their belt followed with an order to fight the mandatory in 90 days or be stripped.