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Jack Catterall has been waiting for a fair fight for quite some time now. The talented fighter from Chorley, England, has been in the shadow of Josh Taylor, who defeated him in a highly controversial decision win in February 2022. Ever since then, Catterall has been on the sidelines, waiting for a rematch that has yet to come. Meanwhile, Taylor has been making headlines for his recent fight plans, which have once again left Catterall in the dust.
Top Rank, the premier boxing promoter in the world, has announced plans to have Taylor and former lightweight titleholder Teofimo Lopez face off this summer in the United Kingdom. Taylor will defend his lone 140 lb belt, the WBO title, in this highly anticipated matchup. The news has been met with mixed reactions, with many fans and experts feeling that Taylor is ducking Catterall once again.
The Scottish fighter originally intended to move up to welterweight after beating Catterall but instead, he dragged out the process of vacating his WBC, WBA, and IBF titles for months. One of those titles, the IBF, remains vacant, as the organization has yet to get Subriel Matias and Jeremias Ponce into the ring, but that is expected to change on February 25.
However, with Boxxer planning Catterall's return for March 25, it's clear that the fighter is eager to get back in the ring and prove his worth. The question on everyone's mind is whether or not Top Rank will finally give Catterall the chance he deserves, or if he'll be forced to sit on the sidelines once again.
The Taylor-Lopez matchup is an intriguing one, as both fighters are incredibly talented and have fired some shots at each other in the media in the past. While the build-up could be contentious and nasty, the fight has the potential to be a great one. Both fighters are not riding a wave of momentum at the moment, with Lopez having suffered a shock loss to George Kambosos in November 2021 and struggling against Sandor Martin in December. Taylor, on the other hand, hasn't fought in a year and didn't look very good in his last fight.
Despite the current state of both fighters, it's hard not to imagine that they'll show up in good form and put on a great fight. The Taylor-Lopez matchup may not be the undisputed championship fight that was expected, but it still promises to be an exciting and highly anticipated bout.
Meanwhile, Catterall continues to wait for his chance to prove himself in the ring. The talented fighter has faced setbacks and delays, but his determination and drive to succeed have never wavered. It's time for Top Rank to give Catterall the chance he deserves and let him step into the ring for a fair fight. The boxing world is eagerly waiting to see what Jack Catterall can do, and it's about time that he gets the opportunity to show it.