Taylor vs Catterall round by round reports
Photo Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank via Getty Images
All the results reported live from Josh Taylor's Unified World Super-Lightweight Championship title defence to Jack Catterall at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, exclusively live on Sky Sports.
Three debutants, a double Olympic champion, and a historic Scottish Area title fight fill the undercard to this exciting Anglo-Scottish battle for all the marbles.
Keep up with all the action right here:
FIGHT 1: 17:00
6×3 Mins Super-Featherweight Contest
MARK McKEOWN vs. ENGEL GOMEZ
Scotland's 'Sparky' moved up to 6-0 with a 60-53 points win.
Nicaragua's Gomez was unbeaten in his first nine fights but he was down in the first round from a right to the head.
FIGHT 2
4×3 Mins Super-Welterweight Contest
KIERAN MOLLOY vs. DAMIAN ESQUISABEL
Fast start from the Galway southpaw landing a jab instantly, jumping in and opening up and pouring in combinations when Damian Esquisabel Castellanos was caught on the ropes.
Molloy was letting his shots go fluidly and frequently. The Spaniard could only tuck up and try to soak up the damage.
Referee Kevin McIntyre stepped in early in the second round to save 30-year-old Esquisabel from any further punishment. It was an anti-climatic finish, possibly a bit premature, but it was one-way traffic and was only going to end in a stoppage at some point. Molloy was relentless in his pro bow.
FIGHT 3
4×3 Mins Featherweight Contest
KURT WALKER vs. JAROSLAV HRIADEL
Featherweight Kurt Walker came into the fight only throwing weighty shots, which soon stopped the contest short, just 2:13 into the first round. It was a sickening left hook to the ribs that completely took the wind out of his Czech Republic opponent, who win his pro debut exactly the same the way – with a stoppage on the two-minute mark.
Lisburn's Walker said he had been working on body shots all camp and also alluded to possessing more power as a pro now that he is sitting down on his shots.
He also said, "I enjoyed it. It’s different whenever you’re fighting as an amateur. You’re in an airport for eight hours. I was able to chill out and feel the pressure of other fighters because they’re fighting big fights. I enjoyed it. It was like I was on holiday."
Perfect pro debut from the youngster who enjoyed a stellar amateur career.
FIGHT 4
6/4×3 Mins Cruiserweight Contest
SCOTT FORREST vs. ERIK NAZARYAN
The third debutant of the night was South African-born Scot, Scott Forrest. After a dominant first round, the fleshy Belgian, known as Boom-Boom, injured his right hand in the second round and instantly stopped boxing, gesturing to the referee that he couldn't continue. The replay was very evident that his fist was instantly painfull after the incident. It was another deflating ending, but Forrest was always going to win the one-sided contest anyway.
In the post-fight interview, Forrest questioned how Nazaryan could have hurt his fist when he didn't even land anything.
Fight 5
6×3 Mins Middleweight Contest
BILAL FAWAZ vs. MALAM VARELA
The second of the swing bouts was brough forward early due to the three early finishes preceding this.
33-year-old Fawaz only made his pro bow earlier in the month, winning via third-round TKO. His second bout now takes place just 15 days later.
In the first round, Fawaz was confident and comfortable enough to drop his hands low. His opponent was decent and managed to land a lovely left hand on the home fighter in the last minute, but Fawaz fired back with a left of his own and Varela was dropped to one knee.
Malam Varela managed to catch Fawaz in the third round but the Nigerian-born Londoner fired back stronger.
Right on the bell in the third round, the referee jumped in to end the bout. Fawaz had landed about 30 or 40 unanswered punches for a long time and didn't offer anything back at all. He may have been one second away from a break between rounds but it was definitely the right decision to end the bout.
FIGHT 6
6×3 Mins Welterweight Contest
PADDY DONOVAN vs. MIROSLAV SERBAN
Paddy "Real Deal" Donovan (8-0, 6 KOs), the Irish sensation trained and managed by former world champion Andy Lee, picked apart Miroslav Serdan (13-9, 7 KOs) en route to a sixth-round TKO. Serban's corner stopped the fight due to left ear injury 56 seconds into the round.
Donovan said, "I was comfortable in there, but he has a tight defense so I had to take my time and break him down. We knew he would be durable, and my jab made it easier to open up a bit. No complaints with this performance. We executed the game plan to perfection."
FIGHT 7
8×3 Mins Super-Middleweight Contest
JOHN DOCHERTY vs. JORDAN GRANT
In an all-Scottish battle, southpaw John Docherty (12-1, 9 KOs) picked up his third consecutive victory with a second-round stoppage over Jordan Grant (4-2). Docherty notched the KO with a left hand to Grant's body.
FIGHT 8
6×2 Mins Super-Bantamweight Contest
EBONIE JONES vs. EFFY KATHOPOULI
Ebonie Jones (1-0-1) was held to a six-round draw against Scottish veteran Effie Kathopouli (4-3-1).
FIGHT 9
10×3 Mins Vacant Scottish Heavyweight Championship
NICK CAMPBELL vs. JAY McFARLANE
Nick Campbell (5-0, 5 KOs) won the battle of Scotland with a seventh-round stoppage over the impossibly game Jay McFarlane (12-6, 5 KOs). Campbell knocked down McFarlane with a right hand in the seventh, and after repeated flush right hands to the chin, the referee halted the beating later in the round.
FIGHT 10
10×3 Mins Featherweight Contest
ROBEISY RAMIREZ vs. ERIC DONOVAN
The last time Robeisy Ramirez (9-1, 5 KOs) fought on British soil, at the 2012 London Olympics, he won the first of his two Olympic gold medals. His return was a triumphant one, as he knocked down Irish veteran Eric Donovan (14-2, 8 KOs) twice en route to a third-round stoppage. Ramirez scored a knockdown with a counter left in the opening round and closed the show with a pair of lefts.
Ramirez said, “It was an honor to fight in Scotland in front of the great fans. I wanted to put on a sensational performance, and I believe I did that. Eric Donovan came to fight, but I am motivated to become a world champion one day. I know I can contend for a featherweight world title very soon.”
FIGHT 11
12×3 Mins Undisputed World Super-Lightweight Championship
JOSH TAYLOR vs. JACK CATTERALL
Josh Taylor wins but it's a controversial decision. Many spectators were not happy with the decision.
Promoter Ben Shalom said "I love this sport and we try to keep our integrity, but tonight is really difficult. That's heartbreaking for Jack."
Josh Taylor is still the undisputed super lightweight champion, but Jack Catterall made his case. Taylor retained his crown by split decision (114-111, 113-112, 112-113) in front of a raucous, sold-out crowd of 12,101 partisan supporters Saturday evening at OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) had a challenging night in his first bout since unifying all four belts last May against Jose Ramirez. He was knocked to the deck in the eighth round, courtesy of a Catterall left hand. After Catterall (26-1, 13 KOs) had a point deducted for holding in the 10th, Taylor was penalized for a shot after the 11th round bell had sounded.
The 12th round was fought in close quarters, and when the final bell rang, the capacity crowd awaited the verdict. Taylor prevailed by the closest of margins, keeping his undisputed championship and the promise of bigger fights.
This is what Taylor had to say after fight: "I started a little slow, but once I grabbed the momentum, I started catching him with the bigger shots. He was trying to spoil a lot. Going down and up a lot and clashing my head. He caught me with a couple of good shots. I’m not gonna lie to you. It wasn’t my best performance. I put a lot of pressure on myself with it being my homecoming. Been three years, first time since lockdown and all that. I put a lot of pressure on myself being the heavy favorite and it showed in the first half of the fight.
"Once I got my rhythm I started catching him with the bigger shots and catching him and catching him. It wasn’t my best performance, but I believe I got the win 100 percent. But Jack did very well.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself to put on a good show for my home fans. But it didn’t matter in the end. I got the good result.
"I knew I won the fight. It was close. Overall I scored the bigger shots, the better shots, the more meaningful shots so I know I won the fight. It was a little bit close, but I know I won the fight."
'El Gato's' trainer, Jamie Moore, disagreed vehemently with the verdict, "It's difficult to put into words. You're talking about a kid that's worked all his life to wait for that moment. He stepped aside to allow Taylor to become unified champion. He performs like that beats the champion in his own back yard and gets robbed. It's disgusting. I don;t know what to say."
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