Jack Catterall defeats Josh Taylor by unanimous decision in an epic rematch in Leeds | Boxing news

Jack Catterall claimed what will be seen as a revenge victory over rival Josh Taylor, defeating the Scot via unanimous decision in Leeds two years after he was on the losing side of a controversial split decision when the pair first met given in the ring.

Jack Catterall defeated former undisputed world super-lightweight champion Josh Taylor by unanimous decision in a thrilling rematch in Leeds on Saturday night.

Catterall avenged his controversial split decision defeat to Taylor in Glasgow two years ago, landing the heavier punches to eventually settle the score in one of British boxing’s biggest grudges in recent memory .

All three judges gave the fight at a sold-out First Direct Arena to Catterall, two with scores of 117-111 and the other 116-113, although Taylor will be aggrieved that it was not scored closer.

Taylor was busy working behind his jab in the early rounds, while southpaw Catterall enjoyed particular success with his left hook.

After an accidental clash of heads in the second round, Taylor briefly had his opponent on the ropes, but Catterall responded with a swinging left before another head clash early in the third Taylor startled.

Catterall landed two back-to-back lefts late in the fourth and looked to take the lead in the fifth, finding his range with the jab before hurting Taylor with a series of lefts and rights that had him pressed on the Scotsman by the ropes.

Taylor regained his composure in the sixth despite a bruise under his right eye, but Catterall’s strikes continued to be more accurate and heavier.

Two short rights from Taylor gave him the momentum in the seventh as both fighters traded blows and the Scot proved more effective again in the eighth to level the fight.

Catterall breached his opponent’s defense early in the ninth and both boxers went to their feet.

Taylor went after his man in the 10th, now looking the more threatening fighter, and landed a right and then an uppercut.

But a blistering forehand from Catterall in the 11th had Taylor in trouble with little to separate the pair going into the final round as they battled to the stop.

The two fighters first clashed in February 2022 when Taylor controversially retained his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts in Glasgow via a controversial split decision.

Most observers felt Chorley’s Catterall had done enough to win and in the two years since, the fighters have traded insults in person and on social media.

That second meeting – there were no belts at stake – was postponed twice, first in January 2023 due to Taylor’s leg injury and again in March this year when the Scot had a minor eye problem.

Taylor, who became Britain’s first undisputed world champion in the four-belt era by defeating Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas in 2021, lost to American Teofimo Lopez last June in his only fight since facing off for first time with Catterall.

Edinburgh’s record is now 20-2 with Catterall’s at 29-1 and there will now be a clamor for a decisive third meeting.

Earlier, Jamaican-born Chev Clarke won the British Open cruiserweight title by knocking out Lewisham’s Ellis Zorro in the eighth round.