Taylor should blow him away tbh. Lot of people over here (UK) seem to be big on Catterall but i just don't really see it. Get this over with and then onto better things hopefully
Hope he fights in front of his home fans in Scotland. Get Catterall out of the way then prepare for some big paydays vs Lopez or Crawford.
He's slick, hits hard enough, has nice handspeed and combinations to complement that. He's quite versatile at which range he can fight too so he'd present a test for Taylor and would be considered quite a good win by all standards. I'll credit Catterall for really pushing to get his undisputed title fight instead of waiting for an easier vacant title shot like a lesser ambitioned fighter would.
Don't think he does hit hard tbh. He seems slick, but i've just been left underwhelmed whenever i've seen him, especially considering the opposition
Agree with this. I don't think the talk of a soft mandatory is fair on Jack, he's a good boxer and he's capable of giving Josh Taylor a good fight. I think Taylor is a firm favourite but it's a decent fight against a promising opponent.
Catterall is a good fighter but fully expect Taylor to get the job done and hopefully in style. That said, the fight between Catterall and O'hara was a stinker with very little happening.... Either way if Taylor gets the win, it's another undefeated fighter to add to the record. Seen the interview on IFL the other day where Catterall had Taylor on FaceTime. Catterall stepped aside to allow for the undisputed fight to happen so is good to see that Taylor + MTK are keeping to there word.
Hope this is at Edinburgh Castle, Taylor deserves a big homecoming show, i'll deffo try and nab a couple of tickets for that. I think Easter Road was mentioned as well, either would do! Hard to see anything other than a Taylor win, Catterall would have to show a big step up, unless Taylor has a real off night / gets complacent, but he really doesn't seem the type to me.
Never been overly impressed with Catterall, don't see anything in his game that Taylor can't deal with
I agree with your second statement that Taylor has his way, but why is it a waste and dumb? We need more fighters staying at their weights and defending multiple times and establishing a long reigning string of defenses. Taking on the next and next top guys and defending the crown. That's rarely done these days.
Josh Taylor is an elite level talent and in the prime of his career right now. Unified & undisputed champion. He should only be taking on top level fighters and continuing what he has already been doing; building a legacy and proving he is an elite fighter. He has shown an obvious determination to do the above. Consistently stepped up levels. With that said. His fight with Ryan Martin was also a waste of time, but also unavoidable for Taylor. Martin had absolutely no business being in a tournament at 140lbs and if I'm correct had only 2 fight's at 140 before joining the tournament. Only God knows how Martin got into that tournament because he sure didn't deserve to be in it. Taylor beat's the breaks off Martin and wins the tournament. That's a couple of tough fight's in unifying a couple of belts so Taylor's next fight against unheralded Apinun Khongsong is very understandable, and with a very predictable outcome. Then comes the undisputed fight for every single belt. Clear, dominant win. At this level and in the prime of your career, it is unbefitting of a talent like Josh Taylor to step down all the way to Brit level. Jack Catterall has never been above that level. His best "win" is O'Hara freaking Davies. And that "fight" was a stinker. I'm not hating on Josh Taylor. I was one of the first to hype him on here year's ago declaring that he would easily become the ATG Scottish boxer. He is on his way there but this is just a waste of time, it does nothing for him whatsoever. His resume will not be bettered by this KO victory that is ticked off already. At 140 here are the fight's that are worthy of Josh Taylor: Regis Progais - The first fight was too close to give to either fighter. Not a robbery, but 100% warrants a rematch. Subriel Matias - is a monster in the ring and crushes everybody. 1 loss after becoming very unfocused & disillusioned after his opponent died in his previous fight. Thee most exciting warrior at 140 without any arguments. In the UK this would be a Fight Of The Year candidate. Batyrzhan Jukembayev - sole loss to Subriel Matias. Very exciting and would be a great fight in front of any crowd. Always fights away from home so like Matias, this could be done in the UK. Jose Zepeda Shohjahon Ergashev Shakhram Giyasov Gary Antuanne Russell - he needs some more experience and time to step up but after 2 or 3 fight's he could be ready. There are too many incredibly talented fighter's who are wasting so much potential and I really hope Josh Taylor does not go down this path by taking his foot of the gas. Look at Terrence Crawford and his "run" at 147... What a waste. The dude is already 33 year's and 10 month's old. His prime is over and by the time he fights a TOP fighter at 147, if he does, he is going to lose. Whether it's Spence Jr. or Taylor, he's going to lose because he is older and past his physical prime. He should have pushed for bigger fight's already.
Taylor deserves some paydays. Nine of the matches you mentioned, except for Prograis, will make anyone any money. Catterall, then any of these three: Prograis, Lopez, Crawford.
Please stay at 140! I am so sick and tired of everyone jumping weight classes all of the time. It would be great to see someone dominate a division again. 147 already struggles to put together meaningful fights, despite the immense talent. Taylor would make it even worse.
