Jack Catterall Believes Beating Josh Taylor Secures Him A Title Shot

Jack Catterall thinks he can secure a title shot with a win over Josh Taylor on Saturday.

Catterall and Taylor are set to fight in a highly-anticipated rematch. The two fought two years ago and it was Taylor winning a very controversial decision to retain the undisputed light welterweight titles.

Heading into the rematch, Catterall believes a win here should get him back to another title fight and the big fights he’s after.

“I want to be involved in big fights and this is a big fight. It would have been the cherry on top if we could have got it for a world title – I have ambitions to go on and win a world title – but this fight is worthy of a world title, and it gets me up for it,” Catterall said (via BoxingScene). I think we’ve had two years since the fight where I’ve matured in and out of the ring. I’ve been doing a lot of developing and I think it’s my time now to prove that I do belong in these big fights. Once I beat Josh I’ll go on and win a world title.

“Do I think Josh Taylor ever avoided me? Of course. Josh doesn’t want to fight me. Since the first fight we’ve had the fight rescheduled maybe four times now. He’s looking for any way out. He’s in a position where he has to fight me. I think he’s been forced into this position. When you look at the landscape, the fights that are there and the fights that aren’t there, this fight makes a lot of sense. Do I think he wants it? No. Does he have to take it? Yes,” Catterall added.

“He didn’t want this. He had great plans to go to 147 and challenge for world titles up there. He cemented 140 but unfortunately for him, his biggest fight is me. I know that he’s my biggest fight, I can accept that, but for him I think it’s frustrating that he can’t go up and fight [Terence] Crawford etc, so he’s got to fight me,” Catterall continued.

Jack Catterall is a slight -130 favorite to defeat Josh Taylor who’s a +105 underdog.

Catterall enters the bout with a 28-1 record and is coming off a win over Jorge Linares. Before that, he beat Darragh Foley by decision to return to the win column after the controversial loss to Taylor.

Josh Taylor, meanwhile, is 19-1 and coming off a decision loss to Teofimo Lopez to lose his titles.