Jack Catterall rips Josh Taylor for avoiding rematch, sets sights on Regis Prograis

Jack Catterall says he’s done with trying to get a rematch against Josh Taylor, who pulled out of a planned March 4 bout with a torn plantar fascia, but is now negotiating for an expected WBO 140 lb title defense against Teofimo Lopez in the spring, which was ordered by the sanctioning body.

Catterall, of course, lost an enormously controversial decision to Taylor a year ago, and numerous attempts to get the rematch in the ring have been postponed, canceled, or stalled.

Catterall is currently tentatively slated to return on a Boxxer card in Manchester on March 25, but that could also change, as the 29-year-old contender tells Sky Sports he is negotiating for a fight with WBC titleholder Regis Prograis, saying “the talks are ongoing now” and that he believes they’re “not too far off” from a deal.

He also took some parting (?) shots at Taylor:

“I can’t put any more energy into Josh Taylor. I’ve lost all confidence in him now. Numerous times he’s pulled out the fight and this time was the cherry on top, pulling out the fight and then a week later announcing negotiations with another fighter at 140 lbs. I don’t like the sound of it so it’s time to focus on me. I’ve got a family to feed and I want to go and win world titles. ... It’s time to move on from Josh. I can’t keep stalling my career and waiting on him.”

We talked a bit about this situation on this week’s podcast, and I’ll say again that I think it’s good for Catterall to simply move on. He says he’d have been happy to rematch Taylor without a belt on the line or anything else, but it’s clear that the fight is never going to happen.

As for Prograis (28-1, 24 KO) vs Catterall (26-1, 13 KO), I say bring it on. It’s a good fight between quite arguably the division’s real top two fighters at the moment, and if it adds up to something Boxxer would pay for in the UK especially, it seems basically like a no-brainer, it’s not like Prograis is tied up with any monster promoter or anything.

Hopefully, we get it, whether it’s this spring — both look to have open dance cards — or Catterall takes a tune-up (he says he’s not looking for one, really) first in March.

Prograis last fought in November, beating Jose Zepeda to win the then-vacant WBC belt, which is one of three Taylor eventually vacated last year. The final empty slot will be filled Saturday on Showtime, when Subriel Matias vs Jeremias Ponce.