WBO president Gustavo Oliveiri has confirmed that the fight between #1 Arnold Barboza Jr. and #2 Jack Catterall will be for the WBO’s interim light welterweight title when they meet on February 15th at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Olivieri says this move is being made due to the “uncertainty regarding Teofimo Lopez’s career.” Teo has been all over the place, talking about wanting to move up to 147 to challenge IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for his belt, calling out Terence Crawford, and rejecting fights left and right.
WBO Interim Title Fight
Teofimo wants to buy out his contract with Top Rank’s promoters, further causing uncertainty about his career. Some believe his actions sabotage it and will ruin what’s left.
The Catterall vs. Barboza Jr. fight winner will face Teofimo if he chooses to take the match. That’s a big if.
Barboza Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) has a good chance of defeating Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) if he fights the way he did in his recent 10-round unanimous decision victory over former unified light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez on November 16th.
Arnold looked impressive in that fight, using a powerful jab, nice one-two combinations, and, at times, the ability to slug with the former champion.
1/ In light of the uncertainty regarding Teofimo Lopez’s career, it is in the best interest of boxing & the 140 lbs division, recommending to #WBO Championship Cmte. that Barboza/Catterall be sanctioned for the Interim title & mandatory subject to specific conditions & time frame
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) January 10, 2025
The Matchroom-promoted Catterall has turned his career around, winning four straight since losing to Jack Catterall in 2022. In May 2024, he avenged his loss to Taylor, winning a close 12-round unanimous decision. Last October, he defeated former two-time 140-lb champion Regis Prograis by a 12-round decision.
Some fans view Catterall as a poor man’s Shakur Stevenson, as he has the same style of hit-and-not-get-hit approach. Catterall retreats after throwing punches and does a lot of holding to nullify his opponents’ offense. He’s not entertaining to watch, but his style works for him. It might not be against Barboza Jr, but he’s got the home-country advantage.
So, there’s a chance he’ll win if it’s close. Talent-wise, Barboza Jr. is levels above and should win easily. Fighting on Catterall’s home turf makes it challenging to predict.
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