Josh Taylor lived one of the toughest fights of his career but fought for 12 rounds to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Lightweight Super Championship and the WBC, WBO and IBF crowns against Jack Catterall this Saturday at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland.
The undisputed 140-pound champion defeated the Englishman by split decision in a tough bout in which the judges gave scorecards of 113-112, 112-113 and 114-111 after recovering from a knockdown in the eighth round.
Taylor faced a very challenging opponent but was able to handle the pressure exerted by the visitor, especially in the early rounds. The champion worked well with distance and knew how to hit the leather and work his combinations and to take advantage in the early rounds.
However, Catterall grew as the rounds went by and began to make Taylor much more uncomfortable in the middle of the fight. The eighth round was key for the Englishman, who sent the champion to the canvas with a straight left and although Taylor recovered he continued to have a hard time for several rounds.
The closing of the fight was with Catterall attacking and Taylor coming back little by little to add a couple of rounds and pull out an important victory despite having received a points deduction for hitting his opponent in the abdomen after a bell.
The Scottish remains undefeated with 19 wins, 13 of them by knockout, while Catterall was left with a record of 27 wins, 1 loss and 13 wins before the limit.
