Jack Catterall’s promoter Eddie Hearn hopes his WBO light heavyweight title eliminator against Arnold Barboza Jr. win the full belt when they meet on February 15 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Will Teofimo leave?
Matchroom promoter Hearn is banking on WBO 140lb champion Teofimo Lopez retiring his title to move up to 147 to go after bigger fights, possibly against IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis.
Whether that happens or not, it still doesn’t work in Hearn’s favor as Caterall (30-1, 13 KOs) may not get past the talented Barboza Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) on February 15th.
The only thing going in Caterall’s favor for this fight is that it’s in England, which means he could get a decision he doesn’t rate. If the rounds are close, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Caterall wins them.
Barboza Jr. to destroy Hearn’s vision
Barboza Jr. is by far the better talent of the two and figures to win this fight based on his offensive prowess. Caterall is like the British version of Shakur Stevenson, an imperfect imitation of the real thing. Jack has the same moves as Shakur, but without the speed, reflexes and IQ.
“It’s the final eliminator for the WBO world title – and hopefully could be for the world title if Teofimo Lopez gets out of the way. Jack should be the undisputed champion of the world by nowHearn said. “And there’s no better way than to prove that he’s earned his place at the very top by defeating Arnold Barboza Jr. in a fantastic fight at 140 pounds.”
Hearn’s comment about how Catterall should already be the undisputed world champion was due to his controversial loss to Josh Taylor on February 26, 2022. Hearn is still reeling from that loss, but it wasn’t controversial. Taylor had the harder shots all night and was on offense.
If Caterall wanted to win, he should have stayed in the pocket instead of using his three-foot Shakur-esque approach every time Taylor came forward. It was so boring to watch, and it was obvious that Caterall was trying to get a cheap win. The judges didn’t have them.
Caterall was not seen in his recent fight against Regis Prograis on October 26 in Manchester. The old warrior, Prograis, dropped Caterall in the fifth and kept him on the run throughout the 12-round contest.
The judges gave Caterall a unanimous decision in 12 rounds, but it was like watching one of Shakur’s fights. So boring. Had the contest been held in the US, the fans would have booed Catterall out of the arena that night. You have to be able to have fun in this era.
Fighters like Shakur and Catterall are relics of the past and don’t belong. Hearn will have plenty of work trying to promote the Caterall-Barboza Jr. event. February 15.