Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall will meet again on 27th April at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. The pair squared off in an infamous 12-rounder two years ago, when Taylor retained the undisputed super lightweight title with a controversial split decision win in Glasgow. There is no title on the line this time, but the animosity between the two fighters has increased tenfold in the intervening years.
Betfred Insights caught up with the pair in Manchester ahead of this Battle of Britain. Here is what each man had to say about their opponent and this most magnetic of rivalries.
Jack Catterall on whether he believes his rematch against Josh Taylor is bigger than their first fight, despite no titles being on the line.
“It’s a funny one. It’s frustrating. That moment has been and gone now, so we can’t think about that. The title’s are tied up, they’ve got mandatories on them and it’s going to be six to twelve months before I can fight for a title again.
“This is a big fight without a world title and of course I want to be a world champion, but on the flipside I want to be involved in big fights. It’s not the next best thing because I’m probably better than some of the others fighting for world titles.
“I’d love it to be for a title or an eliminator for a world title but more than that, I’m excited to lock horns and put this rivalry to bed.”
Jack Catterall on whether he believes he fought a better Josh Taylor than Teofimo Lopez did and whether he believes his fight with Taylor in 2022 put ‘miles on the clock’ for his opponent.
“I think he touched the ceiling in the [José] Ramírez fight. I’d be the first to say that he’s had a great career and won all these titles because that’s amazing. I don’t think he overlooked me, but the fight put miles on the clock and I do think he’s over the hill now, slightly. Nevertheless, I will be preparing for the best version of him, but I do believe he’s touched the ceiling and he’s coming back down.”
Josh Taylor on whether he believes his rematch against Jack Catterall is bigger than their first fight.
“Yes I think it’s a bigger fight, absolutely. Regardless of titles, if it’s a big fight, it’s a big fight and at the end of the day, all the fans want to see is good, entertaining, competitive fights, knock outs and bad blood. This time around, I think the fight is definitely bigger.
“This is why they should pay big fight wages because it’s a prize fighting business and I’m not going to fight for less money when I know there’s more money on the table.”
Josh Taylor on whether he was impressed by Jack Catterall in his win over Jorge Linares.
"I don’t think he did anything different at all. I’ve been watching him, but I’m not overly interested at all. He doesn’t do anything different, so it doesn’t concern me. I know that his tactics last time were to slow the pace down and spoil me, but he can’t get away with that this time because it never worked last time and the judges didn’t like it, so it is what it is. The judges didn’t like his tactics, especially in the championship round and he didn’t do much, so he has to change it around this time.
“He said he’s going to come and fight more, which is great because you’re going to see a whole lot of holes in his game, especially in his offense game.”
Josh Taylor’s prediction for his rematch with Jack Catterall.
“Just a Josh Taylor win, as always. At my best, I can beat any fighter on the planet and I believe me at 80 percent smokes Jack. It’s down to me to prepare well and it’s all about the preparation and getting it right on the night. Just a Josh Taylor win, I have no doubts in my mind.”
