Two years after a controversial decision ended the super lightweight title fight between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall, the two fighters met again on May 25. While Catterall avenged the loss many believed he was wrongfully given, Top Rank CEO Bob Arum believes the rematch was subject to another controversy.
After the official decision was read aloud announcing Catterall as the winner by unanimous decision, Eddie Hearn expressed his contentedness with the result despite much of the crowd continuously booing. Moments later, Arum grabbed ahold of the microphone and called the result a “disgrace.”
Arum said:
“I saw the fight like everybody else. Those scorecards were a disgrace. An absolute disgrace. I really feel sorry for Josh, I thought he won the fight, but those scorecards were ridiculous. I will never, ever allow an American fighter to come here with the British board scoring the fight.”
Check out Bob Arum’s comments below:
Taylor was then granted a post-fight interview, in which he honorably recognized Catterall as the rightful winner and proposed the idea of a trilogy.
Much like the first fight, the rematch was back-and-forth throughout, leading to a wide range of potential scoring options. Catterall established control early but began to fatigue in the second half of the 12-round bout as Taylor mounted a comeback.
However, the most damaging punch of the fight belonged to Catterall in the 11th round, as he caught Taylor with a perfectly timed overhand left against the ropes.
Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall official scorecards
While Eddie Hearn and the broadcast analyst booth both acknowledged that Bob Arum had a case with too many rounds being scored for Jack Catterall, they also felt that the right fighter was given the win on May 25.
The three judges scoring the contest ring-side were Kieran McCann, Lee Every, and Mark Bates. All scored a majority of the 12 rounds to Catterall, giving him a unanimous decision win over Josh Taylor two years after he suffered a controversial split decision loss.
Bates and McCann’s slips were the two most disputed scores, as each had Catterall winning the fight 117-111. The score indicates that they gave just three rounds to Taylor, a claim that many find puzzling considering how poorly ‘El Gato’ managed the middle rounds leading into the closing frames.
