A clash with possible world title implications takes place at the Manchester Arena this Saturday as Jack Catterall makes a welterweight debut against the unbeaten Harlem Eubank.
Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom promote Catterall vs Eubank and DAZN show all of the action live.
Catterall (30-2, KO13) saw his stock rise in defeat in 2022, as he was controversially beaten by split decision by Josh Taylor for the unified world super lightweight title, and the Chorley man would have to wait over two years for a rematch.
There, he clearly outscored the Scot in Leeds, and backed that up with an impressive points win against former world champion Regis Prograis, where he got off the deck before flooring the American on the way to triumphing on the cards.
That moved Catterall closer to a world title shot, but his bid for the WBO interim title would end in a split decision loss to Arnold Barboza Jr in February.
‘El Gato’ has responded by moving to 147 pounds, and Eubank (21-0, KO9) lies in wait for him.
The Brighton stylist took the WBO Global super lightweight belt in November 2023 with penultimate-round stoppage of Tomo Schwarzkopf, but a move to welterweight saw a scrappy and dour points win over eight against Nurali Erdogan.
Eubank was back to form last time out, as he broke down Tyrone McKenna, dropping the Irishman three times before scoring a tenth-round stoppage to take the vacant IBF Intercontinental bauble.
Prediction: Catterall may just have a bit more seasoning than his opponent, with his level of opposition faced far greater than Eubank. I think Catterall can control the action to take a clear points win.
Joe Cordina vs Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz
On the undercard, Joe Cordina (17-1, KO9) returns to action after losing his world title last year, and the Welshman moves up to lightweight to take on Jaret Gonzalez Quiroz (17-1, KO13) for the vacant WBO Global title over ten rounds.
Cordina won the IBF super featherweight title in 2022, sparking Kenichi Ogawa in two rounds, and he made two defences before coming unstuck in Riyadh last May against Anthony Cacace in a bid for the IBO crown.
Cordina was dropped in the third round before being halted in eight. Quiroz has never been past eight rounds, or fought outside of Mexico, with his sole loss a knockout one in 2021.
He has won five times since, four early, with the last a fourth-round knockout of Oscar Lozoya Gutierrez last September.
Prediction: Cordina will want to get back to winning ways by any means possible, and he might have to settle for a routine points win in this one.
Remaining Undercard
The other ten-rounder on the card is a solid-looking domestic one, and I lean towards Aqib Fiaz (13-1, KO2) taking a points win against Alex Murphy (13-1, KO0) in their lightweight meeting.
Pat Brown (2-0, KO2) is out again for the second time in two weeks, and the former Team GB member steps up to eight-round level, where the cruiserweight should stop Lewis Oakford (6-2, KO0) early on.
In other eight-rounders, Skye Nicholson (12-1, KO1) returns to action after losing her WBC featherweight title to Tiara Brown last time out, and she drops to super bantamweight, where she can record a points win against Carla Camila Campos Gonzalez (9-3, KO8) of Bolivia.
William Crolla (8-0, KO6) has shown heavy hands of late, and the super welterweight can take another early win, this time against Fraser Wilkinson (11-2, KO2).
The sole six-rounder is at super middleweight, where Niall Brown (15-0, KO5) should grind down Victor Ionascu (14-6, KO10) for a stoppage win.
In four rounders, Leo Atang makes an eagerly-anticipated debut, and the heavyweight can win early on against Jiri Surmaj (6-6, KO5), and featherweight hope Alfie Middlemiss (3-0, KO0) can outscore Mohammed Wako (1-5, KO0).
