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Boxing
Jack Catterall refuses to be denied this time in being crowned world champion
Usyk vs. Verhoeven: Only on DAZN PPV - TONIGHT
Jack Catterall threw his hands in the air above his head in total jubilation. This time around, he found his most comfortable weight class and refused to be denied.
Catterall uncorked a first-round knockdown to power his way to a unanimous decision victory over Shakhram Giyasov in a brilliantly sound performance Saturday night. Judges at the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, live and exclusive on DAZN PPV, scored it 118-109, 119-108, and 116-111, all in favor of the Chorley warrior who earned the WBA ‘regular’ welterweight title after falling short in two previous title shots. He now forces a fight with WBA ‘super’ welterweight titleholder Rolando Romero.
From the opening round Saturday night, Catterall shrewdly sat on his back foot, splitting Giyasov’s guard with the left hand. The knockdown came roughly 90 seconds into the fight when he feinted, threw a right and left hand straight down the middle, dropping Giyasov.
The knockdown would pave the way for Catterall to consistently find a home with the left hand, whether landing it flush to the face or stabbing it as a hard deposit to the body. ‘El Gato’ effectively used his spacing as well, countering with the left toward more crisp output.
He split Giyasov’s guard in the seventh, putting the previously unbeaten fighter on shaky legs.
A usually high-volume fighter in Giyasov was perplexed by Catterall’s southpaw style, having trouble letting his hands go until late in the 11th round when he had success with a flurry. Giyasov fought well in the 12th, too, though Catterall got back to burying that pounding left hand upstairs and to the body.
The victory marked sweet redemption for Catterall, who controversially fell to Josh Taylor via split decision in a February 2022 bout that would have crowned him the undisputed super lightweight champion.
Though he would avenge that loss with a unanimous decision over Taylor, Catterall would be unsuccessful in his next attempt to claim a title — dropping a split decision to Arnold Barboza Jr. for the interim WBO super lightweight championship in February 2025.
Catterall, in his third welterweight fight Saturday night, looks to be his most comfortable at 147 pounds — already bracing for the shot at Romero.
