The highly anticipated Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall rematch is now history. The event, held on May 25 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, may have lacked star power, but it delivered several remarkable performances. Let's dive into a recap of the fight and review the full event results.
In the main event, Taylor and Catterall clashed to settle their scores. Their first encounter took place back in February 2022, in Glasgow, where Taylor defended his undisputed super lightweight title.
The match ended in controversy, with 'The Tartan Tornado' clinching victory through a split decision despite enduring a knockdown in the eighth round. Many fans were left questioning the outcome, believing that Catterall had been the better man that night.
In the opening round of their rematch, 'El Gato' quickly found his rhythm, landing precise southpaw jabs, while Taylor struggled as he did in their first encounter—unable to land his jab and wary of over-committing against Catterall's sharp counter-punching.
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Catterall's precise right jab dominated the early rounds, keeping Taylor at a distance and dictating the pace. Despite head clashes halting the action twice, 'The Tartan Tornado' rallied in the third and finally found success with body shots in the eighth.
'El Gato' regained momentum with a crucial counter in the 11th and finished strong in the 12th round, ultimately securing the victory with a unanimous decision, with judges' scorecards reading 117-111, 117-111, and 116-113.
In the co-main event, Cheavon Clarke and Ellis Zorro squared off for the vacant British cruiserweight title. Initially, Clarke was scheduled to face former British cruiserweight champion Isaac Chamberlain. However, Chamberlain surprisingly pulled out and decided to vacate his title just hours before the purse bid.
Heading into the fight, 'C4' secured a TKO victory over Tommy McCarthy, earning the WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title. Meanwhile, Zorro came off a first-round knockout defeat against the reigning IBF cruiserweight world champion, Jai Opetaia.
Clarke started strong with a flurry of combinations, but the next seven rounds saw little action as Zorro frequently clinched. In the final 20 seconds of the eighth, 'C4' rocked Zorro with a powerful right hand, sending him to the canvas just before the bell.
Referee Mark Bates counted to 10, sealing Clarke's emphatic victory at 2:59 of the eighth round.
Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall results: Paddy Donovan, Gary Cully and others emerge victorious
Check out the full card results below:
Main Card
Jack Catterall def. Josh Taylor by unanimous decision (117-111, 117-111, 116-113)
Cheavon Clarke def. Ellis Zorro by KO at 2:59 in round nine
Paddy Donovan def. Lewis Ritson by KO at 0:32 in round nine to win the WBA continental welterweight title bout
Gary Cully def. Francesco Patera by unanimous decision (98-92, 96-94, 96-94) to win the WBA Continental lightweight title
Preliminary Card
Giorgio Visioli def. Sergio Odabai by KO at 1:47 in round four
George Liddard def. Graham McCormack by KO at 1:28 in round one
Emmanuel Buttigieg def. Anas Isarti by unanimous decision (60-54, 60-54, 60-54)