This week former European super-lightweight champion and Boxing News weekly columnist Joe Hughes provides a first-hand perspective on two men who will meet on April 27 in one of the biggest British fights of 2024.
THE rematch between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall has been confirmed for April 27 in Leeds.
It’s one many British boxing fans have been waiting to see. The controversial decision in the first fight from two years ago has been a big talking point between the fighters and their fan bases since then and I’m sure both will be keen to put it behind them. It may have been better if it had happened sooner but at least it has now been made.
Taylor is probably sick of defending the decision going his way and Catterall is most likely just as bored of claiming he won the fight and chasing a rematch. I think the rematch is a real 50-50 contest. Both have a point to prove and seem to genuinely dislike each other with all the back and forth since their original encounter.
In the ring both are very good. I can personally attest to this having boxed Catterall back in 2016 and sparred Taylor in 2018. Jack is very good at controlling distance; he can make it difficult for you to get in range, lands his shots, and then ties you up quickly, pulling you in too close to get any meaningful shots off.
Josh is more aggressive, has a higher output and is a better combination puncher. Stylistically it’s a good matchup and the first fight was actually a pretty good one to watch. I think this time around, with the added drama of what happened before, we may be in store for an even better one.
This week we were subject to the news that, although not confirmed, Jermall Charlo could be the next opponent for super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
It’s disappointing for the majority of boxing fans who were hoping Canelo would be facing David Benavidez next. From the possible foes recently spoken about for the Mexican, Charlo is the one I’m least interested in seeing him fight. We’ve already seen Canelo handily defeat one Charlo brother, who in his opinion was the better of the two brothers, so what is the point of him boxing the other one? Benavidez is undeniably the match most want next. He’s the mandatory with the WBC (whatever that really means with their history), has been on a very impressive run of form, and looks to have the tools to pose the champion problems.
Benavidez and his fans have long been claiming Alvarez is ducking him and this will only add fuel to that fire. Another option could have been welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Although much smaller than Canelo, a fight between the two would have posed some very interesting questions and would have been very intriguing.
Could the skillset which Crawford possesses, possibly the best in the world at any weight, be enough to overcome the extra size, strength, and power of the also extremely skilled 12-stone champion? Even Jaime Mungia would have provided a much more interesting matchup stylistically. That would have the makings of an old fashioned all-Mexican tear-up.