The Josh and Jack Show
By James Blears
Rivalries do not get much more traditional or keener-edged than a Scotland against England battle, and so Josh “Tartan Tornado” Taylor (18-0, 13KOs) vs Jack “El Gato” Catterall (26-0, 13KOs) is a rip-roaring Anglo-Scottish classic, especially as it's for the undisputed super-lightweight title.
It was to have landed on December 18th, but defending champion Taylor suffered a knee injury in training, so was postponed and rescheduled for February 26th for the bonnie boxers.
It serves as a long-awaited homecoming for Prestonpans puncher Josh, set for the SSE Hydro in Glasgow, north of Hadrian's Wall. You can almost already hear the chanting of fight fans: “I belong to Glasgow, Dear Old Glasgow Town.”
Chorley combatant Catterall, ranked No. 1 with the WBO, has the chance of a lifetime, fighting for all the marbles at 140lbs in his first ever world title fight. Unbeaten in 26 bouts with half coming by knockout, the 28-year-old former British champion is confident, poised and ready to rumble.
31-year-old Josh is also unbeaten and has rapidly established his superstar credentials in just 18 fights. Jack temporarily stepped aside for Josh to fight Jose Carlos Ramirez, who held the WBC and WBO titles. It was a smart move to be able to fight for all the belts in one fell swoop.
Taylor won the unification clash in style, knocking down Ramirez in the sixth with a blistering left hook counter, and again in the seventh with a left uppercut in close quarters. Ramirez fought back with grit, guts and grim determination, but those two knockdowns proved decisive with Josh winning 114-112 on all three Judges' scorecards, to make history as Scotland's only undisputed World Champion, since Ken Buchanan, his friend and idol.
But, we have to look back a couple of fights previous, to truly access and assess Josh's mettle. It was against the tough, resolute, skilfull, hard-hitting Regis Prograis, with the IBF, WBA, WBC Diamond and Muhammad Ali Trophy at stake, in the final of the World Boxing Super Series, that Taylor became a superstar overnight.
At the final presser, Josh tersely urged Regis to remove his sunglasses and Regis demurred. Determined to put Regis in the shade, Josh started brightly and effectively, but Regis menacingly came back with some crunching, clobbering body blows. It was a give and take, a see-saw war, with both marked up and cut after 12 exciting rounds, also sporting nose bleeds apiece. Regis came on strong, especially in the 12th round, but Taylor's punches throughout the bout had been crisper and more accurate. He won by unanimous decision, but it was enticingly close and a Fight of the Year contender.
For a super-lightweight, Josh is tall and rangy at 5ft 10in with a reach of almost 70in. While Jack is 5ft 7in with a reach of 67in. The challenger will need to cut the distance and use his blazing hand speed and searing body attacks when in close, but the inside game is Taylor's greatest strength.
Josh has accomplished a high proportion of his KO victories with his very own devastating body attacks from close range. He himself has lightning fast hands and an unbending iron will to win. His ring IQ is high as it could possibly ever be.
During one their several press conferences leading up to this point, Josh tartly told Jack that he has worked way too hard to lose his titles. Unabashed, Jack said that's precisely what will happen, to which Josh asked him exactly how? It's a good question; just how can Jack wrestle these titles off Josh?
Josh's trainer is Ben Davison, who steered Tyson Fury back from the brink to a world championship clash with Deontay Wilder. Jack's trainers are the formidable double act of Jamie Moore and “Flat Cap” Nigel Travis. Both corners are brimming with knowledge and excellence.
For every fight, proud Scotsman Josh wears a variation of tartan shorts of different Clans, and his team unfurls a Scottish flag. By George, it'll be interesting to see if Jack wears Union Jack shorts. We're definitely going to be treated (is that the right word?) to the wailing caterwaul of the traditional bagpipes prior to the beginning of hostilities.
Both thrive as pressure fighters and so we're going to see one helluva bust up. A real fistfight in The Gorbals! Josh has fought the higher caliber of opponents, but Jack who's been a WBO Intercontinental Champion, has more than earned his mandatory challenge. He too is a quality fighter, who possesses real power in both fists and the courage of a lion.
These 140-pounders favour fighting at close quarters, so their encounter is going to be a war of attrition. Initially, neither will be willing to give up ground. But, as the fight progresses, and with it the wear and tear accumulates, one of them will gain the high ground and grind down the other. The vast majority of world title fights are thrillers, but this one will exceed even that! While it lasts, it'll be a barnburner at the croft.
A win for Josh would yet again confirm him as The Pride of Scotland. A win for Jack would be a huge upset and shock for the boxing world and naturally transform him into an overnight superstar… or in the words of Frank Randall: “The Emperor of Lancashire.”
WBC Stats
This will be the WBC's 2,130th championship title fight in their 59-year history
Tale of the Tape
Josh Taylor:
Undisputed Super-Lightweight Champion
DOB: January 2, 1991
Place of Birth: Edinburgh, Scotland
Residence: Prestonpans, Scotland
Age: 31
Alias: The Tartan Tornado
Record: 18-0, 13KOs
KOs: 72.3%
Stance: Southpaw
Bouts: 18
Rounds: 103
World Title Fights: 4-0, 1KO
Trainer: Ben Davison
Manager: MTK Global
Promoter: Top Rank
Jack Catterall:
WBO #1
DOB: July 1, 1993
Place of Birth: Chorley, Lancashire
Residence: Chorley, Lancashire
Age: 28
Alias: El Gato
Record: 26-0, 13KOs
KOs: 50%
Stance: Southpaw
Bouts: 26
Rounds: 160
Trainer: Jamie Moore
Manager: Frank Warren
Promoter: Queensberry Promotions
WBC Super-Lightweight Champions
1. ROBERTO CRUZ (PHIL) 1963
2. EDDIE PERKINS (US) 1963 – 1965
3. CARLOS HERNANDEZ (VEN) 1965 – 1966
4. SANDRO LOPOPOLO (ITA) 1966 – 1967
5. PAUL FUJI (US) 1967 – 1968
6. PEDRO ADIGUE (PHIL) 1968 – 1970
7. BRUNO ARCARI (ITALY) 1970 – 1974
8. PEDRO FERNÁNDEZ (SPAIN) 1974 – 1975
9. SAENSAK MUANGSURIN (THAIL) 1975 – 1976
10. MIGUEL VELAZQUEZ (SPAIN) 1976
11. SAENSAK MUANGSURIN (THAI) 1976 – 1978
12. SANG-HYUN KIM (KOREA) 1978 – 1980
13. SAOUL MAMBY (US) 1980 – 1982
14. LEROY HALEY (US) 1982 – 1983
15. BRUCE CURRY (US) 1983 – 1984
16. BILL COSTELLO (US) 1984 – 1985
17. LONNIE SMITH (US) 1985 – 1986
18. RENE ARREDONDO (MEXICO) 1986
19. TSUYOSHI HAMADA (JAPAN) 1986 – 1987
20. RENE ARREDONDO (MÉXICO) 1987
21. ROGER MAYWEATHER (US) 1987 – 1989
22. JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ (MEX) 1989 – 1994
23. FRANKIE RANDALL (US) 1994
24. JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ (MEX) 1994 – 1996
25. OSCAR DE LA HOYA (US-MEX) 1996 – 1997
26. KONSTANTIN TSZYU (AUSTRALIA) 1998 – 2003
27. ARTURO GATTI (CANADA) 2004 – 2005
28. FLOYD MAYWEATHER (US) 2005
29. JUNIOR WITTER (GB) 2006 – 2008
30. TIMOTHY BRADLEY (US) 2008 – 2009
31. DEVON ALEXANDER (US) 2009 – 2011
32. TIMOTHY BRADLEY (US) 2011
33. ERIK MORALES (MEXICO) 2011 – 2012
34. LUCAS MATTHYYSSE (ARGENTINA) Interim 2012 – 2013
35. DANNY GARCIA (US) 2012 – 2015
36. VIKTOR POSTOL (UKRAINE) 2015 – 2016
37. TERENCE CRAWFORD (US) 2016 – 2018
38. REGIS PROGRAIS (US) Interim 2018 – 2019
39. JOSE CARLOS RAMIREZ (US) 2018 – 2021
40. JOSH TAYLOR (GB) 2021 –
WBC's Top 10 Super-Lightweight Champions
1. JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ (MEX)
2. OSCAR DE LA HOYA (US/MEX)
3. KOSTYA TSZYU (RUS/AUST)
4. ROGER MAYWEATHER (US)
5. TIMOTHY BRADLEY (US)
6. BRUNO ARCARI (ITALY)
7. ARTURO GATTI (CANADA)
8. DANNY GARCIA (US)
9. DEVON ALEXANDER (US)
10. SAENSAK MUANGSURIN (THAI)
Facts on the Super-Lightweight Division
There have been 35 World Champions recognised by the WBC and just four have regained their title: Saensak Muangsurin; Rene Arredondo; Julio Cesar Chavez; Tim Bradley.
There have been 134 Super-Lightweight World Championship bouts in the history of the WBC
WBC Super-Lightweight Championship bouts by Country
USA: 78
ITALY: 12
JAPAN: 10
MEXICO: 6
THAILAND: 5
SPAIN: 4
ENGLAND: 4
KOREA: 3
VENEZUELA: 2
PHILIPPINES: 2
JAMAICA: 2
PUERTO RICO: 1
NIGERIA: 1
INDONESIA : 1
DENMARK: 1
CANADA: 1
AUSTRALIA: 1
WBC Championship Fights in Scotland
Seven WBC World Championship fights have been held in Scotland
This is the first ever WBC World Super-Lightweight Championship fight to have been held in Scotland
History:
17/04/1979 Glasgow:
Jim Watt vs Alfredo Pitalua (TKO 12)
03/11/1979 Glasgow:
Jim Watt vs Roberto Vazquez (TKO 9)
14/03/1980 Glasgow:
Jim Watt vs Charlie Nash (TKO 4)
07/06/1980 Glasgow:
Jim Watt vs Howard Davis (DEC 15)
31/10/1980 Glasgow:
Jim Watt vs Sean O'Grady (TKO 12)
06/03/1993 Glasgow:
Nigel Benn vs Mauro Galvano (DEC 12)
03/11/2018 Glasgow:
Nonito Donaire vs Ryan Burnett (TKO 4)
HÖRFA Menswear are proud sponsors of British Boxing News