Boxing legend Tony Bellew blasts judges' scoring in "really close" Josh Taylor–Jack Catterall fight, calls 117-111 scorecards "a disgrace"

Tony Bellew recently voiced his strong disapproval of the judges' scoring in the Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall rematch. The two former rivals faced each other in the headline bout of an event held on Saturday night at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.

'El Gato' successfully redeemed himself from his controversial defeat to the former undisputed super lightweight champion in February 2022, securing a decisive victory via unanimous decision on May 25.

The duo delivered an intense performance, with Catterall ultimately sealing the deal as the officials scored the contest 117-111, 117-111, and 116-113 in his favor.

However, much like their first encounter, the judges' scorecard for the rematch also ignited debate, leading Top Rank CEO Bob Arum to seize the microphone on stage and express his vehement displeasure about the scores.

Former WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew also voiced his dissatisfaction with the scorecards, expressing his frustration during the DAZN broadcast (via Michael Benson). 'Bomber' lashed out at the judges, asserting that he saw the fight as a close competition and firmly maintained that Taylor deserved to win based on his evaluation:

"The judges are gonna cloud Catterall's moment. I had it a really close fight. That 117-111 twice is a disgrace. Two wrongs don't make a right. Just because wrong was done to Catterall two years ago doesn't make it right to do that to Taylor tonight."

'El Gato' swiftly found his groove in the opening rounds, landing precise southpaw jabs, while Taylor encountered familiar difficulties—struggling to connect with his jab and exercising caution against Catterall's sharp counterattacks. Catterall's precise right jab dominated the early exchanges, keeping Taylor at a distance and dictating the pace.

Despite interruptions from head clashes, 'The Tartan Tornado' mounted a comeback in the third round and eventually found success with body shots in the eighth. Catterall regained momentum with a pivotal counterpunch in the 11th round and concluded the 12th round strongly to secure the victory.