Josh Taylor & Jack Catterall Expected To Meet In Long-Awaited Rematch On April 27

A long-awaited grudge match will happen at long last.

FightsATW has learned that Josh Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) and Jack Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) are set to settle their blood feud. The bitter rivals are expected to meet at First Direct Arena in Leeds on April 27. However, there is a slight holdup that is not expected to derail the fight. Catterall has signed his end of the deal, while Taylor, a former undisputed junior welterweight world champion, has yet to sign his name on the dotted line. That’s the only detail getting in the way of an official announcement.

Fans have desperately called for a rematch since their February 2022 bout in Glasgow ended in a heavily-controversial decision that saw Taylor defend his then-undisputed crown for the first time. England’s Catterall appeared to have won clearly. He dropped his Scottish counterpart in the eighth round and outboxed him for long stretches. But when the judges’ scores were read, it was Taylor who emerged victorious via split decision, which caused mass outrage throughout the sport. Catterall and Taylor have been at odds ever since.

Rematch Was Postponed

A second date has been derailed multiple times. The rematch was eyed for November 2022, but talks failed. After their teams struck a deal to fight in February, the fight fell through yet again after a scheduling decision from Sky Sports not to broadcast the fight on pay-per-view. Despite the additional delays, Catterall again agreed to fight in enemy territory.

And yet again, the fight was put on the back burner, this time due to injury. A deal was finalized for both men to fight last March in Glasgow until Taylor was forced to withdraw after he suffered a torn plantar fascia, which connects the heel bone to the toes to create the arch of the foot. Ultimately, the rematch was not revisited, and Taylor was forced to vacate three of his four titles due to pending mandatory orders.

The WBO, on the other hand, permitted Taylor to maintain possession of their title. He then lost the 140-pound strap in one-sided fashion to former 135-pound titleholder Teofimo Lopez at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater last June.

Negotiations nearly went into a tailspin last month after Taylor claimed he was offered 80% less money compared to what he earned in their first fight. The southpaw explained on X (formerly Twitter) why he felt the deal made no sense to take.

“I don’t accept offers at an 80% pay cut! Especially for a fight that’s bigger than the 1st fight. I don’t know anyone on the planet that would fight for that kind of pay cut! If Matchroom are serious about making the fight, they’ve gotta put a serious offer in. Simple as that.”

Taylor’s response was a reaction to Matchroom head Eddie Hearn stating that he felt his demands were too steep considering the 33-year-old doesn’t currently hold a belt. “Josh Taylor seems to want a hell of a lot of money, and I don’t know how that’s achievable without a belt. But we’ll (keep trying).”

It seems Taylor may get what he wants after all, as well as most fans who believe he was unfairly crowned the winner in the first bout.

Catterall, in the meanwhile, has been more active. The 30-year-old southpaw defeated Darragh Foley over ten rounds in May and followed up with a 12-round unanimous decision win against former three-division world champion Jorge Linares in October.

Ryan O'Hara

Ryan O’Hara is an award-winning sportswriter based in Denver, Colorado. The 30-year-old has been recognized by the Boxing Writers Association of America three times for his accomplishments, with a best finish of 2nd at the 2022 awards ceremony.

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