Josh Taylor Has His Career On The Line In Rematch With Jack Catterall

Josh Taylor faces Jack Catterall in their highly anticipated and long-awaited rematch on Saturday, and it’s the Scot with much more to lose in Leeds, England.

Taylor (19-1-0 13 KO) can lay claim to being one of the greatest, most successful fighters from the United Kingdom, but he enters this fight with serious question marks over his future in the ring.

‘The Tartan Tornado’ scaled to the top of the boxing mountain by becoming the undisputed super-lightweight world champion with a polished win over Jose Carlos Ramirez in May 2021. That followed a career-defining victory over Regis Prograis in a unified bout in 2019.

Yet, what was expected to be a routine title defense against Catterall in February 2022 turned into one of the most controversial decisions in recent years. Taylor was awarded a split-decision victory, despite most viewers believing Catterall had won the fight comfortably.

Attempts to arrange an immediate rematch were scuppered by an injury to Taylor. By the time he was ready to return, he had been stripped of three of his four world titles due to inactivity.

Still with the WBO belt to defend, Taylor was determined to prove that he was still an elite-level operator when he took on former unified lightweight world champion Teofimo Lopez in June last year. Instead, the Scot looked a shadow of his best self. He lacked the energy and punch volume that propelled him to world champion status and was outclassed by Lopez.

Taylor ‘Going To Destroy Catterall’

Perhaps most alarmingly was Taylor’s admission that his “legs were gone” after only four rounds. For a fighter who relies on supreme athleticism and endurance, it sparked debate as to whether his best days were behind him.

Now he enters a rematch he can’t afford to lose. A defeat to Catterall will only reaffirm what many believed was an unjust decision in their first fight while providing more ammunition for the critics to claim Taylor needs to walk away.

“[The first fight] was a terrible performance, and that’s being generous. It was crap. I need to improve on everything from that fight,” Taylor told BoxingScene. “That Josh Taylor will never show up as long as I box.

“I am going to destroy Jack Caterall in absolutely every single department. If he comes to engage a little bit more, then I can’t see nothing else but a win for myself. I’m looking forward to it. I’m grinding my teeth to say that I am still here as one of the top dogs.”

Bold predictions are nothing new from boxers ahead of fights, but such is Taylor’s conviction he will win, a defeat would be a hammer blow to his hopes of becoming a world champion again, particularly in a stacked super-lightweight division.

To add to the high stakes is the mutual and genuine dislike between Taylor and Catterall. Can the supremely confident Scot be able to bounce back and rebuild his career from a defeat against a fighter he believes is levels below?

All Or Nothing For Taylor

However, if Taylor can wind back the clock and recapture the form he displayed to beat Ramirez and Prograis, then he should have too much for Catterall.

Should he be victorious then it could open another shot at world titles at 140, including a potential rematch with Lopez. WBC champion Devin Haney, IBF belt holder Subriel Matias, and WBA titlist Isaac Cruz are other options in the division.

Taylor could even opt to move up to welterweight, which was his initial plan after losing to Lopez, stating: “I’ll most likely move up to welterweight now. I’ve been saying it for ages, and the move up to welter is imminent, so I could do 140 again, but I’d be more comfortable at 147.”

There is a sense that if Taylor beats Catterall on Saturday then he would love the opportunity to correct the other (and officially only) blemish on his record with a rematch with Lopez.

If that fight is not forthcoming, then a move up to 147 is the most likely next step.

All these decisions and possible options make this a must-win fight for Taylor. Win and he can look ahead to building the second phase of his career. Lose and that second phase might not even materialize, and it might be time to hang up the gloves.

It really is all or nothing for the Scot on Saturday.