By Charles Brun: Terence Crawford wasn’t impressed with undisputed light welterweight champion Josh Taylor 12 round split decision victory over Jack Catterall (26-1, 13 KOs) on Saturday night at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.
Crawford was watching the fight from home and he thought it would be a 12 round draw between Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) and Catterall. What Crawford may not have factored in is the crowd and home country advantage for Taylor in fighting in Glasgow.
The scores were 114-111, 113-112 for Taylor, and 113-112 for Catterall. It’s unclear what fight judge Ian John Lewis was watching because it appeared that the fight was a lot closer.
Going into the fight, Taylor, 31, had talked a lot about wanting to move up and challenge Crawford for his WBO 147lb title. Taylor said he thinks he could beat Crawford, but it’s hard to believe now after the performance he put in tonight.
“100 percent,” said Josh Taylor to Sky Sports when asked if he’d done enough to keep his belts with his 12 round split decision win over Catterall.
“I thought I started a little slow, but once I got in my rhythm and my timing, I started to catch him with bigger shots,” continued Taylor. “He was trying to spoil a lot, going down and clashing my head.
“He caught me with a couple of good shots. I’m not going to lie. It wasn’t my best performance. I had a lot of pressure on myself. In the last couple of weeks, it was my homecoming. The first time since the lockdown and all of that.
“I had a lot of pressure on myself being the heavy favorite, and it showed in the first half. Once I got in my rhythm, I started catching him with the bigger shots and catching him. It wasn’t my best performance, but I believe 100%, I got the win. Jack did very well.
“I felt I put too much pressure on myself to put on a good show for my fans, but it didn’t matter in the end. I got the good results. I know I won the fight. It was close.
“I let him have a little bit too much success loading up a little bit, but overall, I landed the bigger shots and the better shots and the more meaningful shots.
Josh Taylor: ‘No need for a rematch’
“I know I won the fight. It was a little bit close, but I know I won the fight. He put up a good fight, that’s for sure, but he never won the fight and he knows he never won the fight.
“I believe in the second half of the fight, I started taking over. Yeah, it wasn’t my best performance, but I’m moving forward. I got the win and that’s it.
“I made the weight pretty well and felt good, but it is getting harder to make that weight. This will most likely be my last fight at 140. I’ll sit down with my team.
“I left a little bit late as well to start preparations for making up at that weight with injuries and stuff. I couldn’t get the weight off because of my knee injury. I left a little bit late to get the weight off, but I still made the weight and performed.
“I showed a little bit with my performance. I’ll sit down with my team, but most likely that’ll probably be my last performance at 140,” said Taylor.
“I don’t see why there’s any reason for a rematch because I think I won the fight. I won the fight by a couple of rounds. I won the fight in the second half of the fight, I took over and he was doing a hell of a lot of holding & spoiling.
“I think the referee taking a point off from me hurt me a little bit, but I still won the fight,” said Taylor.
