November 22, 2024

Report: Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall Rematch Fight Date Set for April 27 in Leeds

Josh #Josh

Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images

Former undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor reportedly has a fight date set for his return bout against a longtime rival.

According to John Evans of Boxing Scene, Taylor will meet Jack Catterall in a rematch of their 2022 title fight on April 27 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.

Evans noted that sources indicated “Catterall has signed his end of the deal and that Taylor’s signature is the only thing holding up an official announcement.”

Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) and Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) have been engaged in a bitter rivalry since their first meeting in February 2022. Many believed that Catterall outboxed Taylor and should have won after scoring a knockdown in the eighth round, but Taylor was handed a controversial split-decision victory. Phil Jay of World Boxing News called the decision “the biggest robbery in British boxing history.”

Since then, the two of them have gone back and forth, as Taylor said in the immediate aftermath that he felt there was no need for a rematch. Catterall understandably felt like he was robbed.

“Today I should have been waking up with all of the belts,” Catterall said on Instagram the day after the fight against Taylor. “Boxing, shame on you. … Dreams stolen.”

Taylor subsequently was forced to relinquish his WBC, IBF and WBA super lightweight belts due to pending mandatory orders. He then lost his WBO and The Ring titles to Teofimo Lopez in a one-sided decision last June.

Catterall has fought twice since losing to Taylor, earning back-to-back unanimous-decision wins over Darragh Foley last May and Jorge Linares in October.

Leave a Reply