WBO President Gustavo Oliveiri confirmed that the fight between #1 Arnold Barboza Jr. and #2 Jack Catterall for the WBO Interim Light Heavyweight Title when they meet on February 15th at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Olivieri says the move was made because of “uncertainty about Teofimo Lopez’s career.” Theo has been all over the place about wanting to move up to 147 to challenge IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for his belt, calling out Terence Crawford and turning down fights left and right.
Fight for the WBO interim title
Teofimo wants to buy out his contract with Top Rank promoters, which further causes uncertainty in his career. Some believe his actions are sabotaging him and will destroy what remains.
The winner of the Caterall vs. Barboza Jr. fight. will face Teofimo if he chooses to take the match. That’s a big if.
Barboza Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) has a good chance of beating Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) if he fights the way he did in his recent 10-round unanimous decision victory over the former unified light heavyweight champion category with Jose Ramirez on November 16.
Arnold looked impressive in that fight, using a powerful jab, nice one-two combos, and at times the ability to square off with the former champion.
1/ In light of the uncertainty surrounding Teofimo Lopez’s career, it is in the best interest of boxing and the 140 lbs division, we recommend that #VBO Championship Cmte. that Barboza/Catteral be sanctioned for the interim title and necessarily under certain conditions and time frame
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq (@OlivieriLav) January 10, 2025
The Matchroom-promoted Catterall turned his career around, winning four straight since losing to Jack Catterall in 2022. In May 2024, he avenged his loss to Taylor, winning by unanimous decision over 12 rounds. Last October, he defeated former two-time 140-pound champion Regis Prograis by a 12-round decision.
Some fans see Caterall as a poor man’s Shakur Stevenson, as he has the same hit-and-miss style of approach. Caterall pulls back after throwing punches and does plenty of holding to nullify his opponents attack. He’s not fun to watch, but his style suits him. It might not be against Barboza Jr., but he has the home country advantage.
So there’s a chance he’ll win if it’s close. In terms of talent, Barboza Jr. is above par and should win easily. Struggling on Catterall’s home turf makes him challenging to predict.