Jack Catterall avenges robbery by edging Josh Taylor as promoter Bob Arum steals the show with epic post-fight rant

Nearly 44 years ago, promoter Bob Arum brought a boxer to England to fight a hometown favorite. And while Marvelous Marvin Hagler stopped Alan Minter in less than three rounds that night, Hagler faced a perilous journey from the ring to the locker room. Fans showered him with bottles, cans, glasses and anything they could find to throw, the ugly ending to a despicable event that had significant racial overtones.

None of that was at play on Saturday when Jack Catterall avenged a stunning 2022 loss to Josh Taylor by winning a unanimous decision in Leeds, England, in the rematch of their bitter rivalry. Judges Kieran McCann and Mark Bates both had it 117-111. while Lee Every had it 116-113, all for Catterall. KevinIole.com had it 116-112 for Catterall.

“If he wants to go and challenge for bigger fights, he deserves it," Taylor said of Catterall. "But it’s one apiece, so let’s do it. Let’s do a trilogy.”

Arum, though, wasn't thinking about a rubber match. He was irate and didn't try to hide his feelings. But he was also lucky he didn't get objects thrown at him like happened to Hagler in 1980. The 92-year-old Arum, whose Top Rank promoted Hagler and now promotes Taylor, thought Taylor won and he wasn't going to be quiet about it, even if most in the sell-out crowd at First Direct Arena were Catterall supporters and were overjoyed with the result.

In another of those only in boxing moments, Arum grabbed the microphone and let loose a memorable tirade that left Catterall promoter Eddie Hearn and others in the ring laughing out loud as he spoke. Catterall was still being interviewed when Arum took over the show.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I saw the fight like everybody else. Those scorecards were a disgrace! An absolute disgrace! I really feel sorry for Josh. I thought he won the fight, but those scorecards were ridiculous. And that's a lesson. I will never, ever allow an American fighter to come here with this British board scoring the fights. Those scores were ridiculous."

The second half of the fight was far more competitive than the first. Taylor was doing little in the first six rounds and it seemed pretty obvious that Catterall won five of the first six. McCann gave Catterall a sweep of the first six. Every had the fifth round even, putting Catterall up 5-0-1 at the halfway mark, while Bates gave Taylor just the third round. Catterall wasn't doing anything brilliant, but he was keeping his jab in Taylor's face and Taylor just trudging forward without moving his head and was getting clipped by clean shots.

But Taylor began to land a right hook in the seventh round and it made the final six much harder to score. The judges' scores were all over the place, particularly in the final four. McCann gave Catterall the ninth and 11th and Taylor the 10th and 12th. Every gave Taylor 9, 10 and 12 while Bates gave Catterall each of the final four.

Catterall got the win and he was grateful for that, though it was hard for him not to think back to 2022, when Taylor was undisputed super lightweight champion and Catterall seemed to have beaten him in their first fight in Glasgow, Scotland, on Feb. 26, 2022.

He nearly finished the fight with a big right hook in the 11th, but Taylor off it off and came back hard to set up an entertaining 12th.

“It’s bittersweet tonight: No world titles," Catterall said. "I won the fight. We can close that chapter with Josh Taylor. Listen, I believe I won the fight. I took more risks this time. Josh is an elite operator, [a former] undisputed world champion. We knew we were up against it, but I went through the gears, boxed with my smarts, and even in the second half of the fight, the rounds that I was more reserved, I was controlling the pace and wasn’t getting hit with big punches. And I was landing clean.”

He nearly finished the fight with a big left hook in the 11th, but Taylor shook it off and came back hard.

Taylor certainly looked like cutting to 140 pounds again depleted him. Catterall's pace slowed in the second half as Taylor came on, but Taylor didn't have the energy he's known for and it appeared he was drained again by it.

But he fought hard to claw his way back into the fight and bring some drama to what had for a long time appeared was going to be a Catterall cakewalk.

Taylor wasn't unloading on the judges' like Arum because he knew he could have done more. 

“I thought it was a great fight," Taylor said. "Fair play to Jack. He was a better fighter than the first fight. But listen, I thought I just nicked the fight, to be fair. I thought I just nicked it. It was a close fight, but the controversy in the first fight played into the judges’ hands. But I think I just nicked the fight there, to be honest. Listen, fair play to Jack. He won the fight. Let’s do a third one!”