Promoter Eddie Hearn is confident his fighter, #6 WBO-ranked Jack Catterall, will be put to the top of the line for a world title shot after defeating the old faded former undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor by a wide twelve-round unanimous decision last Saturday night in their rematch at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.
The boring clinch-and-jab style that Jack Catterall uses to win his fights puts him in the same realm as Shakur Stevenson. Catterall is a knock-off version of Shakur but without the speed, talent, or pedigree that he possesses.
None of the champions at 140 will want to fight Catterall because he’s dull and he’s not popular in the U.S. Why would any of the champions want to fight Catterall when they could fight the real thing, Shakur?
Catterall didn’t show the talent that suggests he could beat ANY of the current world champions or killers:
– Gary Antuanne Russell
– Jamaine Ortiz
– Elvis Rodriguez
– Shohjahon Ergashev
– Brian Norman Jr.
– Jaron Ennis
Those guys are too powerful and would chase Catterall down to stop him. If Hearn wants Catterall to earn his stripes, throw him in the front lines and let him see what his fighting style [hug, jab, and run] can do against these dangerous punchers.
A Modest Proposal: Catterall vs. Ennis
Since Hearn isn’t going to get a title shot for Catterall next, he should feed him to Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis. The fight will get tons of interest in the UK if not in the U.S, and Catterall will have a good excuse after he loses. He can just say he was fighting a welterweight that is considered the best on the planet.
Hearn seems convinced that he’s going to be able to get Catterall a title shot next against one of these champions:
- Teofimo Lopez [WBO]: Hearn is banking on the Saudis will want to make a fight between Teofimo and Catterall. I don’t see it. That is not happening. Why would the Sauds want to waste their money putting on a Teofimo-Catterall fight when they can get someone much, much more exciting to watch for Teofimo to fight like Matias. Catterall is too boring.
- Subriel Matias [IBF]: The hard-hitting Matias has a fight scheduled against Liam Paro on June 15th in Puerto Rico. If Hearn makes it financially worthwhile for Matias to fight Catterall, this can happen. Matias is a much higher level power-wise than Taylor, and it will end badly for Catterall, who can’t punch and just mostly clinches. That approach won’t work against Matias.
- Devin Haney [WBC]: Devin has his mandatory Sandor Martin he needs to take care of in the next. If Haney is victorious against him, he’s going to want a popular opponent that will sell PPVs. Sorry, Catterall, ain’t it? That’s a PPV disaster if Haney chooses him.
The fight showed that sometimes being an undisputed champion ain’t what it’s cracked up to be, as Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) looked marginal, and that’s not becasue the clinching, jabbing Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) looked great.
Catterall’s Performance: Not Championship Caliber
Catterall didn’t look impressive with all the holding, jabbing, and running he was doing. Catterall was fighting a guy that was never as good as some had thought he was when he became the undisputed champion three years ago in 2021 after beating Josh Ramirez and Regis Prograis.
“A fight that could land in Riyadh. You talk about USA vs. England,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Boxing News about a hypothetical title shot for Jack Catterall against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez needing to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for it to have ANY chance of happening.
“We also have Subriel Matias fighting Liam Paro for the IBF championship. [WBC 140-lb champion] Devin Haney is fighting Sandor Martin. Let’s see what’s happening with Teofimo. There’s lots of options, but after a performance like that in a fight of that magnitude, it’s a lot easier to land a world title shot,” said Hearn.
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