Josh Taylor retains world titles with controversial split decision win over Jack Catterall - BBC Sport
Scotland's Josh Taylor clings on to his status as undisputed light-welterweight world champion with a controversial split decision victory against Jack Catterall in Glasgow.
Scotland's Josh Taylor clung on to his status as undisputed light-welterweight world champion with a controversial split-decision victory against Jack Catterall in Glasgow.

The English challenger looked to have claimed a stunning upset in Taylor's first defence of his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts.

But two judges scored in favour of the Scot, who was floored in the eighth round, as they delivered a verdict met with widespread disbelief and described as "disgusting" by the Catterall camp.

The judges' scorecards seemed almost certain to confirm that Catterall was the new undisputed super-lightweight champion. Taylor had been outboxed and dethroned in his own backyard, surely?

The questions were already forming as to why Taylor fell so far short of the lofty standards he's set in his career. Was he drained at the weight? Did he have half-an-eye on future lucrative fights?

Or maybe Catterall is far better than many realised. El Gato put in the performance of a lifetime, and will wonder how he is not now the man standing atop the light-welterweight division with all the options in the world.

But instead, Taylor survived, extending his perfect record to 19 wins as Catterall suffered a first loss in 27 bouts. The home favourite acknowledged the performance "wasn't my best" but insisted: "I know I won the fight".

Taylor added to Sky Sports: "I think I put a little bit too much pressure [on myself] with being the heavy favourite and to put on a good show in front of my home fans.

"I believe I got the win 100% but Jack did very well. It was close, I let him have a little too much success, but overall I scored the bigger and better shots, the more meaningful shots."

Catterall's trainer Jamie Moore said his fighter was "heartbroken", adding: "It's difficult to put into words. You're talking about a kid that's worked all his life to wait for that moment.

"He performs like that, beats the champion in his own back yard and gets robbed. It's disgusting."

This was 31-year-old Taylor's first fight on home soil since capturing his maiden world title against Ivan Baranchyk at the same venue in 2019. Since then, the Tartan Tornado has come through stern tests against Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez to clean up the division.

Catterall, 28, played the long game to get his shot at the big time, stepping aside from his mandatory position to allow Taylor and Ramirez to have their shootout to become undisputed champion. Now in his first foray at world level, the Chorley man had a chance to claim all four light-welterweight belts.

The atmosphere inside the Hydro was electric as Taylor made his ring entrance, but any notion Catterall may have been overwhelmed by the occasion was dispelled within 20 seconds as the Englishman rocked Taylor back on his heels with a big overhand left.

Catterall had settled quicker, getting off a succession of stiff jabs, and Taylor's frustration was clear as he received two warnings for shots to the back of the head. Taylor responded with a solid hook that connected in round three, but Catterall's sharp combinations kept the champion at bay.

The Scot looked to impose himself in the fourth but Catterall landed cleanly towards the end of the round and was now involved in a serious examination.

The home crowd drew breath sharply in the fifth when Taylor was caught flush with a beautiful left-right-left combination, and the distress signals were becoming obvious in the sixth as a nasty cut opened up below Taylor's right eye.

This was not in the script. Catterall was boxing beautifully, his shots getting through almost at will and a shake of the head from Taylor after another crunching left connected with his face spoke volumes.

The challenger was surely leading at the halfway stage and while Taylor managed to draw Catterall into close-quarter exchanges, the Englishman's left cross was still finding joy.

Trouble developed into a full-blown crisis as another stinging combination sent Taylor to the canvas for the first time in his professional career. As he trudged back to his corner at the end of the eighth, the swelling under Taylor's eye looked worrying.

The champion landed his most meaningful shot of the fight early in the ninth with a big left hand and Catterall seemed to be taking a round off after banking a 10-8 in the previous.

Taylor was stalking his opponent looking to close the distance as he searched desperately for a way back into the fight, but the ramrod right jab of Catterall was knocking him back on his heels in nearly every exchange. Catterall was deducted a point for excessive holding, though another sharp one-two snapped Taylor's head back.

The crowd roared to try and rouse their out-of-sorts hero as it became clear Taylor needed a big final two rounds to hold onto his titles, but a crunching uppercut from Catterall again caught the eye.

A point deduction for Taylor for an exchange after the bell meant he surely needed a stoppage in the final round, but Catterall, so slick, so assured all evening, was never likely to allow himself to walk onto a shot.

He didn't, and yet… the judges' scorecards were split and Taylor somehow survived with his status intact.
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