by Keith Idec
Regis Prograis considers Jack Catterall’s resume skinny aside from his two fights with Josh Taylor.
These are very troublesome fights to omit from Catterall’s report, in fact, when assessing the British southpaw’s profession. The truth is, Prograis thinks his upcoming opponent deserved to beat Taylor twice, though Catterall settled for a split-decision defeat of their first 12-rounder 2½ years in the past at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
“I believe that the primary struggle he beat Taylor,” Prograis informed Boxing Information. “The second struggle was nearer. Now, I’m not gonna say he misplaced. However the second struggle was positively a better struggle, for positive. However the first struggle, he positively beat him.”
Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) misplaced their 12-round, 140-pound title unification struggle to Taylor by majority determination in October 2019 at O2 Area in London. The preliminary bout between Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) and Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) was even nearer than Taylor-Prograis.
Catterall despatched Taylor to the canvas early within the eighth spherical of their February 2022 bout and gained 113-112 on the cardboard of decide Howard Foster. Taylor nicked Catterall in accordance with judges Ian John Lewis (114-111) and Victor Loughlin (113-112), regardless of that he was knocked down and had some extent deducted by referee Marcus McDonnell for hitting Catterall after the bell sounded to finish the 11th spherical.
McDonnell beforehand took some extent from Catterall for holding throughout the 10th spherical.
The scores of their rematch Might 25 have been wider than the official results of Catterall-Taylor I. Judges Mark Bates (117-111) and Kieran McCann (117-111) scored 9 rounds apiece for Catterall, who gained seven rounds a drew with Taylor in a single spherical in accordance with decide Lee Each (116-113).
Scotland’s Taylor had been overwhelmed by Teofimo Lopez between the 2 Catterall clashes. He was boxing’s undisputed, undefeated 140-pound champion the primary time he encountered Catterall.
Leeds, UK: Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall, Tremendous Light-weight Contest.
25 Might 2024
Image By Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing.
Prograis, who will face Catterall on Saturday night time, likened the scoring of Catterall-Taylor II to how judges dealt with the Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield heavyweight championship rematch virtually 25 years in the past.
Lewis clearly gained their first bout, but it surely was infamously declared a break up attract March 1999 at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York. Judges Chuck Giampa (116-112), Invoice Graham (117-111) and Jerry Roth (115-113) scored Lewis the winner of their rematch in November 1999 at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Heart in Las Vegas, although Prograis thought of their second match extra aggressive than the primary struggle Eugenia Williams oddly credited Holyfield for profitable (115-113).
“The primary struggle, I felt like he positively gained that struggle,” Prograis stated in reference to Catterall. “And after they fought the second time, it was like, ‘All proper, you kinda gotta give it to him.’ As a result of I really feel just like the judges, they do take a look at a distinct factor. The judges don’t wanna have that stress and so they assume, ‘We already screwed this man the primary time. We not gonna screw him once more. We gonna take a look at various things.’ So, I really feel like they owed him that struggle. He couldn’t go 0-2. He couldn’t try this. He needed to a minimum of go 1-1 with him.”
Whereas Catterall clearly beat the primary fighter to defeat Prograis of their rematch, the previous WBA/WBC 140-pound champion isn’t overly impressed by Catterall.
The skillful southpaw from Chorley has solely misplaced the aforementioned break up determination to Taylor. The in any other case noteworthy identify on Catterall’s report is Jorge Linares, a four-division champion Catterall beat by unanimous determination of their 12-rounder final October 21 at Echo Area in Liverpool.
“I believe he’s OK,” Prograis stated of Catterall. “I believe he’s a OK fighter. He had success with the Josh Taylor factor, however that’s his greatest accomplishment in life, the Josh Taylor factor. I by no means wanna put no one down. I simply wanna say he’s a good fighter – that’s all. There’s nothing else I can say. He’s a good fighter, and that’s it.”
Handicappers have a better opinion of Catterall. The close to consensus amongst them is that Catterall is a 4-1 favourite to high Prograis of their 12-round, non-title struggle, the principle occasion of a card DAZN will stream worldwide from Manchester’s Co-op Reside Area.
DAZN’s undercard protection is ready to begin at 7 p.m. GMT within the UK and a pair of p.m. ET in the USA.
