Taylor did not impress with a 140-pound swan tune, so what subsequent?

After a transparent choice win over Jose Ramirez in Might, by which he gained the undisputed junior welterweight championship, Josh Taylor felt as if he was on prime of the world.

Taylor was anticipated to take over obligatory challenger Jack Caterall on Saturday (as a 1300 favourite, in response to Caesars Sportsbook), after which proceed a 147-pound struggle towards Terence Crawford, ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer.

Properly, Taylor made it previous Caterall on Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland, however hardly and by break up choice. The final feeling on social media was that Taylor obtained a choice in his hometown. One decide scored it for Catterall 113-112 however was outdone by 114-111 and 113-112 in Taylor’s favour.

Taylor struggled via the primary half of the match and misplaced within the eighth spherical earlier than ending the struggle laborious. The 31-year-old mentioned afterwards that this “in all probability shall be my final struggle at 140”.

After a lackluster efficiency, Taylor may positively neglect heading straight right into a title struggle with Crawford.

Caterall was in a position to time Taylor with arms raised precisely, and used that shot to fulfill the champ within the eighth spherical. The challenger confirmed wonderful wits within the ring; He was in a position to stand out of vary and stand as much as a hardened Taylor with counter punches.

The 28-year-old Englishman was fired as a routine homecoming title protection for Taylor, and with good motive. With simply 18 fights, Taylor has had among the best boxing resumes, defeating Ramirez, Regis Progress, Ivan Baranchik and Victor Postol.

Then again, Catterall was as soon as praised as a prime potential buyer, however he did not compete on the elite degree as an expert. In opposition to Taylor, he proved to be a critical participant within the 140lb class, a weight class that might quickly have 4 titles accessible as soon as Taylor was gone.

No, Caterall is not a hero but, however he could be shortly. A division that was as soon as huge is now taking form as a division marked by quite a lot of parity. In addition to Cateral’s arrival, there’s additionally Ramirez, who’s again in motion in six days in a tricky match towards Jose Pedraza. The unbeaten Gary Antoine Russell (brother of Gary Russell Jr.) was scheduled to struggle Postol in an escalation match in a while Saturday.

There’s the heavyweight quantity participant Subriel Mathias, and Progress stays one of many elite at age 140. The welterweight division will quickly welcome former undisputed light-weight champion Teofemo Lopez Jr. as nicely, coming off his first defeat of his profession. With all of the titles accessible quickly, different light-weight fighters like Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia, who hinted at a five-pound soar sooner or later, might be persuaded to make the transfer a bit of sooner than anticipated.

In the meantime, Taylor did not impress within the wake of his spectacular efficiency. He’ll see his inventory drop, and that can definitely be mirrored within the subsequent ESPN pound-to-pound rankings, the place it at the moment sits at quantity seven. He’ll have an opportunity to ditch in a brand new weight class, however that likelihood will now doubtless come up towards a confidence-building opponent quite than the world’s greatest welterweight. – Mike Coppinger

What comes subsequent for Josh Taylor after successful this disputed decision?

Taylor’s lackluster efficiency towards Caterall left doubts concerning the speedy influence he may have on the welterweight. This was hardly an announcement efficiency to extend demand for Taylor to match the world’s elite welterweight, and it wasn’t even the least of the division leaders’ worries.

Taylor has spoken of ramping up the load division for greater fights towards present champion Crawford and Errol Spence Jr., however dealing with a former champion could also be the best choice later this 12 months.

Kiel Brook, whose spectacular victory over Amir Khan opened up the opportunity of a profession extension, is maybe the obvious alternative for Taylor subsequent – if Brooke could be persuaded to maneuver on.

Brock, 35, the previous FA welterweight champion, appeared unconvinced he wanted to place his physique beneath torture by gaining 147 kilos once more after he suspended England’s Khan final weekend. Younger promoter Ben Shalom, of BOXXER, put Brook vs. Khan final weekend, whereas Taylor’s controversial win over Catterall was a joint promotion between BOXXER and High Rank, Taylor’s American promoter. Brock has a powerful middleweight and regardless of defeats to Spence and Crawford, he is proven just lately that when he is excited he can nonetheless be harmful. Having Brock ring entrance in Glasgow on the final Taylor struggle will solely improve hypothesis of a British conflict later this 12 months.

“Let me simply take a bit of trip,” Brock mentioned Saturday from ringside in Taylor’s match towards Caterall.

England’s Connor Bean is another choice that can promote nicely within the UK, and Taylor could also be drawn into that struggle due to the bay within the greater degree expertise.

Ought to these two choices fail at house, Taylor will put his religion in himself to get again in form from final 12 months if he takes house a few of the greatest welterweight names within the US.

Crawford’s newest lawsuit towards High Rank raises doubts about the opportunity of Taylor dealing with Crawford. If that occurs, Crawford, the WBO champ, begins out as an enormous favorite. Spence, the WBC and IBF champ, faces the reigning WBA champion Yordenis Ugas in a unification bout on April 16 and like Crawford, Spence is a longtime middleweight and an elite fighter.

Virgil Ortiz Jr is scheduled to face England’s knockout machine Michael McKinson on March 19 on the Galen Heart in Los Angeles. Ortiz, 23, shall be a critical first struggle for Taylor at welterweight. Primary contender Yaron Ennis is one other fast-rising younger welterweight who’s exploding.

If this struggle results in a deeper reassessment of the transfer to 147, Lopez could also be on the desk as one other fighter promoted by High Rank. However simply as Lopez has misplaced his need to maintain getting 135, Taylor appears unlikely to remain on the junior middleweight to make that struggle occur. Lopez misplaced his 4 light-weight titles to Jorge Camposos Jr. in November.

Alongside the identical strains, you may positively rule out a rematch with Catterall.

“I’ve constructed up very well but it surely has grow to be troublesome to achieve weight and most probably that is my final struggle at 140,” Taylor mentioned. “I don’t suppose there was any have to rematch, I feel I gained the struggle by two rounds. I gained the struggle within the second half of the struggle, I took over, he was doing a hell of quite a lot of holding and spoiling.”

That is no comfort, however after fluent boxing, Caterall will doubtless take the world title once more when Taylor drops the belts. Catterall has been the obligatory WBO contender since 2019, and Liam Paro and Lopez might be choices. Caterral might be topped champion if he met Barrow, however he would discover it harder to tackle former champions like Ramirez and Progress.

Caterall is now not beneath the radar after a intelligent efficiency towards Taylor, and in defeat he’ll discover extra alternatives coming his method. However that will not take the sting out of the best way the undisputed junior welterweight championship slipped via his palms.

“You are speaking a couple of child who labored laborious all his life, beat a champion in his yard and obtained robbed,” Caterall coach Jimmy Moore mentioned after the Taylor struggle. “It sucks. Unhappy Jack.” – Nick Parkinson