Bobby Arum called Josh Taylor’s rematch with Jack Catterall’s scorecards a “disgrace.”
Catterall, 30, emerged as a well-deserved victor after a heart-pounding 12 rounds at Leeds’ First Direct Arena. However, as his promoter Eddie Hearn noted, the wide scores of 117-111 and 116-113 detracted from the match’s intensity.
Scottish fighter Taylor, 33, was granted a split decision against his long-term opponent in February 2022. Still, his promoter, Top Rank’s Arum, was ringside in England and claimed Taylor had won the rematch.
“I witnessed the bout just like everyone else,” he shared. “The scorecards were a disgrace. It’s a total disgrace. My heart goes out to Josh—I firmly believe he was the winner. These scorecards were nothing short of scandalous.
Lesson: Never will an American fighter come here with the British Boxing Board of Control scoring the fight. They scored ridiculously.”
Promoting Taylor-Catterall II, Hearn’s Matchroom said: “Scottish fans won’t like it. I found the judges’ scorecards too wide. The winner nailed it. Fighter Jack Catterall won. The show ended brilliantly. He ruled the first six.
Scotland is great, but justice was done tonight. He won tonight but should have been the unquestioned world champion two years ago. It was a great fight. I didn’t like the first bout, but it was a great battle.
“I love this man’s win tonight. He merits it.
His upcoming third battle will be tough, but he has proven himself worthy of a world title. This is the key. In the future, we will have Subriel Matias fighting Liam Paro and Devin Haney taking on Sandor Martin. The question remains: Can he rise to the challenge and secure a world title?
