Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall | Sky Sports - 26 February 2022

[Ruthless-RKO]

Josh Taylor: Staying Undisputed Champ Not Easy; It’s A Big Percentage Of Your Paycheck

Josh Taylor’s first fight as boxing’s undisputed 140-pound champion might be his last.

The Scottish star appreciates what becoming just the fifth fully unified champ in any weight class during the four-belt era has done for his legacy. He respects the responsibility that comes with that distinction as well, yet Taylor also is a practical person.

The bottom line for Taylor is that retaining the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles simply might become more expensive than it is worth. Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) is set to pay 11 percent of his purse in sanctioning fees – 2 percent to the WBO and 3 percent apiece to the IBF, WBA and WBC – for his 12-round fight against England’s Jack Catterall (26-0, 13 KOs), the mandatory challenger for his WBO belt, on Saturday night at OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.

“It’s not easy because, you know, you’ve then got all the sanctioning fees,” Taylor told Boxing Scene.. “Each one takes a percentage, so there’s four sanctioning fees that you have to pay straight away off your paycheck. And then after this fight, which mandatory becomes another mandatory becomes another mandatory and rolls into another mandatory defense, from all the different organizations?

“So, it becomes quite hard to then keep hold of all the belts or chase the fights that you want because then you’ve got to deal with mandatories all the time. And that’s a whole lot of money you’re giving away out of your paycheck. It’s a big percentage of your paycheck you’re giving away to the sanctioning bodies. So, you understand why people move on from it or relinquish some of the belts.”

Taylor, of Prestonpans, Scotland, added the WBC and WBO belts to his IBF and WBA championships May 22. He defeated Jose Ramirez (26-1, 17 KOs) by majority decision that night in their 12-round, 140-pound title unification fight at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

The 31-year-old Taylor thinks there are “big fights” left for him within the 140-pound division. He mentioned Jose Zepeda (35-2, 27 KOs, 2 NC) and former unified lightweight champ Teofimo Lopez (16-1, 12 KOs) as potential opponents later this year, but a 147-pound showdown with WBO welterweight champ Terence Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs) probably appeals more to Taylor at this point because he wants to become a champion in a second division.

“All this goes back to the conversation we just had, and it becomes mandatory defense after mandatory defense,” Taylor said. “So, I’ve got nothing left to do at the weight category. I’ve achieved everything. The only thing left to do is defend the belts. If all goes my way [against Catterall], we’ll see what happens. I’m not making any decisions [before facing Catterall], because I still think there’s big fights at 140 to be had if I stay at the weight. You know, so yeah, I think the next natural thing would be to go up to welterweight. But if a big fight lures me in, keeps me there, I’ll probably stay [at 140].”

Sky Sports will air Taylor-Catterall as the main event of its telecast Saturday in the United Kingdom and Ireland (7 p.m. GMT). ESPN+ will stream this bout between unbeaten southpaws as the main event of a card scheduled to start in the United States at 2 p.m. ET and 11 a.m. PT.

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

I think Catterall is a good boxer, don't know whether he's underrated or not, but his resume doesn't help..

He is a level or two below Taylor.. But he might just fight his ass off.. Which I hope he does..

If he pulls off an upset, what will people say?

If he loses, will people just say well he wasn't all that anyway...

[THEBUTCH]

Catterall has it all to prove.

I wonder if a lot of holding is going to be employed by Catterall.

The jump up in levels is ridiculous to be honest, but as we all know...we've seen it happen before.

I just cannot see what he can do to withstand a Taylor onslaught or diffuse him for 12 rounds, while landing more scoring punches.

Can anybody make a realistic case for Catterall

[Wee Tommy]

Catterall has it all to prove.

I wonder if a lot of holding is going to be employed by Catterall.

The jump up in levels is ridiculous to be honest, but as we all know...we've seen it happen before.

I just cannot see what he can do to withstand a Taylor onslaught or diffuse him for 12 rounds, while landing more scoring punches.

Can anybody make a realistic case for Catterall

He gets Javier Capetillo to wrap his hands

[DrDuke]

Catterall has it all to prove.

I wonder if a lot of holding is going to be employed by Catterall.

The jump up in levels is ridiculous to be honest, but as we all know...we've seen it happen before.

I just cannot see what he can do to withstand a Taylor onslaught or diffuse him for 12 rounds, while landing more scoring punches.

Can anybody make a realistic case for Catterall

The guy has never had a real challenge and never looked special in handling his actual opposition. I expect Taylor to break him down confidently.

[Dioufy]

Catteral is fighting for all 4 bents here. I wanna hope that that can conjure something special up In him.
He needs a plan A, B and C here because to win he’s going to have to alter his style in the fight… probably multiple times.
Hoping Jamie has watched every single Josh Taylor fight.

[Ruthless-RKO]

12pm Live Presser

[Dioufy]

Taylor with his faux hard man approach at the weigh in with the face off.
Catteral handled it well.
Taylor looks gaunt.
Might be his last fight at 140lbs.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Taylor with his faux hard man approach at the weigh in with the face off.
Catteral handled it well.
Taylor looks gaunt.
Might be his last fight at 140lbs.

He’s been trying to get into his head all week. But Catt has handled it all Wel.

[Dioufy]

Taylor with his faux hard man approach at the weigh in with the face off.
Catteral handled it well.
Taylor looks gaunt.
Might be his last fight at 140lbs.

He’s been trying to get into his head all week. But Catt has handled it all Wel.

Taylor looks atrocious on the scales tbh.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Catt grabbing his throat too..

proper created fake beef..

[Ruthless-RKO]

Softest throat grab! EVER!

[DrDuke]

Catt grabbing his throat too..

proper created fake beef..

Yeah, it was too bad acting.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Weigh-in alert: Josh Taylor 140 Jack Catterall 139

[NoScoutingReports]

Taylor looked pretty drained there, surely his last fight at 140 regardless of the result tomorrow. Hope Jack produces a career-best performance to make it a great spectacle but can't see past JT here.

[DrDuke]

Taylor looked pretty drained there, surely his last fight at 140 regardless of the result tomorrow. Hope Jack produces a career-best performance to make it a great spectacle but can't see past JT here.

Same thoughts. Taylor must move up. It's harder to cut that much with years passing by, while the upper class doesn't only seem more natural, it has more interesting challenges for him.

[NoScoutingReports]

Taylor looked pretty drained there, surely his last fight at 140 regardless of the result tomorrow. Hope Jack produces a career-best performance to make it a great spectacle but can't see past JT here.

Same thoughts. Taylor must move up. It's harder to cut that much with years passing by, while the upper class doesn't only seem more natural, it has more interesting challenges for him.

Yeah, hopefully see him in some top fights at welterweight in the not too distant future.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Ohara Davies shares his thoughts on Taylor vs. Caterall

“I see Taylor winning the fight,” said Davies.“Catterall is a good opponent but he hasn’t fought at the level Taylor has been fighting at. If Taylor turns up, it should be easy work for him. I think Taylor stops him. If he is in shape and if he has been focused in camp then he can stop him.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Taylor looked pretty drained there, surely his last fight at 140 regardless of the result tomorrow. Hope Jack produces a career-best performance to make it a great spectacle but can't see past JT here.

Same thoughts. Taylor must move up. It's harder to cut that much with years passing by, while the upper class doesn't only seem more natural, it has more interesting challenges for him.

Yeah, hopefully see him in some top fights at welterweight in the not too distant future.

Not if he's with Top Rank

[DrDuke]

Same thoughts. Taylor must move up. It's harder to cut that much with years passing by, while the upper class doesn't only seem more natural, it has more interesting challenges for him.

Yeah, hopefully see him in some top fights at welterweight in the not too distant future.

Not if he's with Top Rank

In that case the Crawford bout is possible (or already not?).

[CaptainSpacerod]

Taylor with his faux hard man approach at the weigh in with the face off.
Catteral handled it well.
Taylor looks gaunt.
Might be his last fight at 140lbs.

Josh seems to genuinely dislike all his opponents and surely as the undefeated undisputed champion of the world there’s nothing faux about his hard man demeanour

[Ruthless-RKO]

Yeah, hopefully see him in some top fights at welterweight in the not too distant future.

Not if he's with Top Rank

In that case the Crawford bout is possible (or already not?).

Crawford is no longer with TR and he's suing them too.

[MightyWarrior]

Good interview with Jack in BN, what a nice lad. Too nice ? maybe not ….John Evans the writer is one of the best uk writers on the scene these days …

Sam Maxwell in same issue says Jack has the power to hurt anyone - that doesn’t sound very accurate ?!

Jamie Moore gets in a few nice digs on boxercise Ben ..

Josh looks starved on the scales

[KiwiRider]

I thought Taylor looked the same as normal on the scales
He made 140 right on the button first time.