Catterall And Barboza Jr. Trade Verbals During Roundtable Face-Off – ‘He’s A B-Class Fighter’
Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. box each other this weekend in a WBO Junior Welterweight Title Eliminator, as they had their first roundtable face-off.
The winner will put themselves in a position to box the full champion, Teofimo Lopez, knowing that everything is on the line. Catterall has a 30-1 record, with 13 KOs to his name. His only loss came against Josh Taylor in a decision that outraged the boxing community, with many feeling Jack had been robbed of undisputed at 140. He managed to avenge the loss in the rematch, but no belts were on the line. He enters the fight with a unanimous decision win against Regis Prograis.
Jack dropped Prograis twice in a comprehensive performance. Barboza Jr. defeated Jose Carlos Ramirez in his previous fight on the Zurdo Ramirez vs. Chris Billam-Smith card. He is undefeated with a 31-0 record, with 11 knockouts to his name. He has plenty of experience, having beaten former world champion Jose Pedraza. Catterall and Barboza Jr. had their first face-off at a roundtable, as they exchanged plenty of words.
Face Off
“Of course I respect his ability. Again, he’s said it before, he’s been working hard to get to this position. I’ll stand on what I said – I don’t think he’s a great fighter. I think he’s average, a B class fighter. I can only think of two opponents that he’s boxed. We’ve watched tape of him and we’ve been studying. We’ve been working hard in the gym and every fight now I feel like we’ve been getting better, with the activity of these big headline fights.
“I’ll see what happens on fight night. Until the first bell goes, and I see his response, this is a big opportunity, not just for me but for both of us. I’m not leaving it to the judges next Saturday. I believe I stop him, 100%. You’ve never seen 12 rounds and you’re not going to see the 12 round distance next Saturday. I think he knows what he’s up against,” Catterall
Barboza Responds
“He can say Ramirez is past his best and I can say the same thing about the last three victories he just had. Linares retired after their fight, Regis was going to retire after their fight. Josh Taylor had a messed up knee. He can say all he wants, I don’t think he’s ever faced anyone like me. He’s going to find out February 15th. “He doesn’t win this fight inside the distance. He doesn’t win this fight; it’s that simple. If there’s going to be a stoppage it’s going to be me stopping him.
“We’re going to see. I’m overall better than him at everything. The only thing that makes you different is you’re a lefty, that’s it, you’re average bro. My condition is top notch. You’ll see. “People don’t know what they’re going to get when it comes to me because I can do it all. He’s going to find out. I can stay, I can brawl and I can box. You’re going to see what a hype job you are, you’re average bro. I’m going to make you look average,” Barboza Jr.
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