Josh Taylor was dominated by Jack Catterall for substantial portions of their undisputed super-lightweight title clash. But that didn’t prevent the champion from retaining his belts, thanks to some baffling scoring, winning by split decision (112-113, 114-111, 113-112) from the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, which is Taylor's home country. However, the verdict brought widespread disgust from the boxing community as the attention switched from what should've been Catterall’s crowning moment to yet another scorecard controversy.
Catterall’s night began brilliantly. He used his southpaw jab to score regularly against the home favourite. After coasting to a big lead at halfway, Catterall confirmed his dominance when dropping Taylor with a big left hand in round eight. The champion needed some sort of response, and he got a brief one in the tenth session when Catterall was deducted a point for holding.
That slight advantage for Taylor was rendered useless at the end of the fight’s penultimate round when the Scot lost a point for punching at the end of the bell. That appeared to seal the deal for Catterall, but the miracle that Taylor needed was waiting for him outside the ring when the final scores were totaled.
An inexplicable 114-111 from Ian John Lewis requires an investigation of the highest order, and combined with Victor Loughin’s equally laughable 113-112 in Taylor’s favour, Catterall’s nightmare was confirmed. A furious Jamie Moore made his disgust known in the fight’s post-fight interview, but it will be another trainer expressing his anguish on another show sometime soon.
For Taylor, the welterweight division is waiting, and it’s possible that a move there might do him a world of good. One hundred forty pounds has been kind to him, especially kind on this night, but the magic from wins over Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez appears to have gone. A fresh start at 147 will ensure that he leaves his four world titles behind, and after tonight, it’s only fair that Catterall is first in line to fight for one.
Far too often, British boxing has pointed the finger at other parts of the world about incompetent officiating, but the time has surely come for the BBBC to take a hard look at who they are picking as judges for high-stakes fights like this one. Catterall was sensational, but all he has to take from his efforts is the fact that he’s the latest victim of shoddy judges.
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