Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr Ends in Razor Close Split Decision

On February 15 at the Co-op Live in Manchester, Arnold Barboza Jr (32-0, 11 KOs) edged a razor close but deserved split decision success against Jack Catterall (30-2, 13 KOs) to win the WBO interim super lightweight title. This was the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card in association with Golden Boy Promotions live on DAZN.

Arnold Barboza Jr Defeats Jack Catterall

Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr Full Fight Recap

The opening round featured plenty of posturing from both, but Catterall caught Barboza falling short on a couple of occasions, which edged the opener for him.

The third round was much better for the American fighter, as he found success to the body of his opponent. He showed variety in this round. Catterall appeared to be falling short with some of his work, which was a testament to the footwork of his opponent, who looked to be gaining a foothold in this tactical battle.

As we reach the middle of the fight, the American looks in a good groove. He’s having success leading with the right hand and following through with the left. The American looks settled at this range, and the Brit needs to change it up.

The Californian fighter appeared to be getting into a groove, and the Brit needed a good number nine, which he got. He controlled the distance much more effectively, making his opponent miss, while find a home for his left hand more often.

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A controversial moment at the end of round ten saw Barboza fall to the canvas, but replays revealed it was due to a tangle of feet. This has been an extremely difficult fight to score, with both fighters having their moments. Catterall finished strongly, closing the fight with a dominant final round, but Barboza proved to be elusive, showcasing his impressive hand speed throughout most of the fight. A tough fight to score, but as the final bell sounds, I have it scored 7-5 in favour of Barboza.

As both fighters gathered, the scorecards were read with the first reading 115-113 for Catterall, while the other two scorecards read 115-113 for the American, who was victorious by split decision, crowning Barboza the new WBO interim super lightweight title.

Post Fight Quotes

Reflecting on the close scorecards, the victorious Barboza said: “I honestly didn’t have it that close, I thought I won more rounds, but it’s his backyard.”

The defeated Catterall took the defeat gracefully: “Tricky fight, close fight, no arguments. Congratulations to Barboza. I thought I’d just done enough in there tonight, but that wasn’t good enough,” Catterall said.

He added: “I just want to see him go on now and fight for the world title, hopefully he beats Teo. Straight back to the gym for me, we’ll be back.”

Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr Undercard

Reece Bellotti (20-5, 15 KOs) produced a dominant display as he beat Michael Gomez Jr (21-2, 6 KOs) to retain his British and Commonwealth super featherweight titles. Bellotti got into his groove quickly and impressed throughout, varying his attacks, showcasing accuracy and power as Gomez had nothing more than limited success with single shots. The body work from “Bomber” ensured he got two knockdowns. It was a dominating showing, with the Watford native showing he was a level above his opponent. The official stoppage was at one second of round number 10.

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Pat McCormack (7-0, 5 KOs) produced a statement performance and showed why he is so highly regarded, dismantling the experienced Robbie Davies Jr (24-6, 15 KOs) scoring three impressive knockdowns. The corner of Davies Jr decided to withdraw their man at the end of round six. With this dominating win, McCormack retained the WBA intercontinental welterweight title and won the British title eliminator.

James Dickens (35-5, 14 KOs) secured a vital win, as he boxed well throughtout and deserved his unanimous decision win over Zelfa Barrett (31-3, 17 KOs) to win the WBA international super featherweight title. The judges scorecards read 97-93 x2 and 96-94.

Before the Bell

The highly regarded amateur Conner Tudsbury (1-0, 1 KO) shined on his light heavyweight professional debut, knocking out Sadaam Caetano (7-6, 5 KOs) in the second round of their fight.

William Crolla (7-0, 6 KOs) showed his clear promise again, blowing away Ayoub Zakari (5-8-1, 0 KOs) in the first round of their super welterweight bout.

Aqib Fiaz (13-1, 2 KOs) dominated after 15 months of inactivity, stopping Lydon Chircop (7-3, 4 KOs) in the third round of their super featherweight clash.

Alfie Middlemiss (2-0, 0 KOs) impressed with a performance full of composure defeating Caine Singh (1-6-2, 0 KOs) in their featherweight bout 40-37.