Jack Catterall gained revenge against Josh Taylor, taking a points win in their rematch at the First Direct Arena, Leeds on Saturday.
The pair infamously met in February 2022, where Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) took a hotly-disputed split decision win in defence of his undisputed world title, and the Scot then subsequently lost to Teofimo Lopez. Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) went on to rebound with two straight wins, the last a points success against Jorge Linares last October.
Catterall established his jab in the first round, and although his Scottish rival rocked him with a left in round three, the 30-year-old replied with a series of combination shots, and same salvos saw him into a big lead at the halfway mark.
‘The Tartan Tornado’ started to eat away at the Catterall’s lead, gaining momentum going into the championship rounds, but ‘El Gato’ held firm, managing to stagger Taylor, 33, in the penultimate frame, and getting the better of the final session as the contest went to the scorecards.
Two scores of 117-111, and a third at 116-113 ensured Catterall gained revenge.
Clarke becomes British champion
Cheavon Clarke became the new British cruiserweight champion, after taking the vacant title with an eighth round knockout of Ellis Zorro.
It was a scrappy affair, and Clarke (9-0, 7 KOs) then exploded into life, landing a heavy right hand and following up with a measured attack to force Zorro (17-2, 7 KOs) to the canvas, where he was unable to beat the count.
Donovan halts Ritson
Paddy Donovan (14-0, 11 KOs) took a notable scalp, wearing Lewis Ritson (23-4, 13 KOs) down for a ninth round stoppage win in their welterweight meeting.
𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖑 🔥@PaddyDonovan23 breaks down and stops Lewis Ritson in round nine 😮💨#DonovanRitson #TaylorCatterall2 pic.twitter.com/F5kuDwMRcH
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 25, 2024
Remaining Undercard
Gary Cully (18-1, 10 KOs) banked a solid win on the cards, coming through against former European champion Francesco Patera (29-5, 11 KOs). The Irishman won the lightweight contest by scores of 98-92 and 96-94 x2.
Giorgio Visoli (3-0, 3 KOs) maintained his perfect start, halting Sergio Obadai (6-4-1, 3 KOs) in the fourth of their clash at super featherweight, and George Liddard (7-0, 4 KOs) knocked out Graham McCormack (9-4-1, 1 KO) in the opening round at middleweight.
Emmanuel Buttigieg (4-0, 1 KO) won all six rounds in his super welterweight contest against Anas Isarti (4-3).
𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖎𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖞 𝕭𝖔𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 💣@GeorgeLiddard moves to 7-0 with a first round KO over Graham McCormack in Leeds! 💥#TaylorCatterall2 pic.twitter.com/bwABFspkZ9
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 25, 2024
