JACK CATTERALL ABSOLUTELY DOMINATED JOSH TAYLOR IN GLASGOW BUT WAS ROBBED BY AN UTTERLY DISGRACEFUL POINTS DECISION BY THE RINGSIDE JUDGES, GIVING THE FIGHT BY SPLIT DECISION TO JOSH TAYLOR, WITH THE SCOT RETAINING HIS TITLES AS THE UNDISPUTED SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD. THE DECISION WAS TRULY UNBELIEVABLE, AND STUNNED EVERYONE RINGSIDE INCLUDING THE SKY SPORTS TEAM.
EVEN PROMOTER, BEN SHALOM (BOXXER), APOLOGISED, EMBARRASSED AT THE DECISION MADE BY THE RINGSIDE JUDGES.
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT CATTERALL HAD THE BETTER DEFENSE AND OFFENSE, FORCING THE CHAMPION TAYLOR TO REACH AND FORCE THE FIGHT, AND THE ENGLISHMAN CLEARLY WON 4 OF THE FIRST 6 ROUNDS. TAYLOR LOOKED WEAK AND STRUGGLED TO MAKE ANY IMPACT UPON THE FIGHT, BEING OUT-PUNCHED SIGNIFICANTLY BY CATTERALL AND STRUGGLING TO DEFEND AGAINST THE STRAIGHT JAB OF THE VISITOR IN A HOSTILE ATMOSPHERE.
CATTERALL WAS CLEARLY AHEAD HEADING INTO THE 8TH ROUND, AND I HAD HIM AT THE WORST 5-2 UP IN TERMS OF ROUNDS AT THAT STAGE, AND IN THE 8TH HE KNOCKED TAYLOR DOWN, RESULTING IN A 10-8 ROUND AND THE DEFENDING CHAMPION NEEDED A MIRACLE TO CLOSE THE GAP AND RETAIN THE TITLES. BOTH CATTERALL AND TAYLOR WERE DEDUCTED A SINGLE POINT BY THE REFEREE IN THE 10TH AND 11TH ROUNDS RESPECTIVELY, AND WITH TAYLOR UNABLE TO LAND A SIGNIFICANT PUNCH ON THE CHALLENGER IT SEEMED A FORGONE CONCLUSION THAT THE SCOT WOULD LOSE HIS BELTS.
REMARKABLY THESE WERE THE JUDGES SCORECARDS: 113-112 (Catterall), 114-111 (Taylor), 113-112 (Taylor).
TO HAVE TAYLOR EVEN LOSING BY 1 POINT IS FAR-FETCHED, BUT TO HAVE HIM WINNING THE FIGHT AND WINNING BY 3 POINTS IS SOMETHING WHICH STUNNED EVERYONE, INCLUDING MYSELF. THIS IS A DECISION WHICH MUST BE INVESTIGATED, IT REEKS OF CORRUPTION OR INCOMPETENCE, EITHER AS BAD AS THE OTHER.
BEN SHALOM INSISTED THAT BOXXER WOULD DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO FIND OUT THE REASONING FOR THE DECISIONS MADE BY THE JUDGES WHICH ROBBED CATTERALL OF BEING UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.
EVEN PROMOTER, BEN SHALOM (BOXXER), APOLOGISED, EMBARRASSED AT THE DECISION MADE BY THE RINGSIDE JUDGES.
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE FIGHT CATTERALL HAD THE BETTER DEFENSE AND OFFENSE, FORCING THE CHAMPION TAYLOR TO REACH AND FORCE THE FIGHT, AND THE ENGLISHMAN CLEARLY WON 4 OF THE FIRST 6 ROUNDS. TAYLOR LOOKED WEAK AND STRUGGLED TO MAKE ANY IMPACT UPON THE FIGHT, BEING OUT-PUNCHED SIGNIFICANTLY BY CATTERALL AND STRUGGLING TO DEFEND AGAINST THE STRAIGHT JAB OF THE VISITOR IN A HOSTILE ATMOSPHERE.
CATTERALL WAS CLEARLY AHEAD HEADING INTO THE 8TH ROUND, AND I HAD HIM AT THE WORST 5-2 UP IN TERMS OF ROUNDS AT THAT STAGE, AND IN THE 8TH HE KNOCKED TAYLOR DOWN, RESULTING IN A 10-8 ROUND AND THE DEFENDING CHAMPION NEEDED A MIRACLE TO CLOSE THE GAP AND RETAIN THE TITLES. BOTH CATTERALL AND TAYLOR WERE DEDUCTED A SINGLE POINT BY THE REFEREE IN THE 10TH AND 11TH ROUNDS RESPECTIVELY, AND WITH TAYLOR UNABLE TO LAND A SIGNIFICANT PUNCH ON THE CHALLENGER IT SEEMED A FORGONE CONCLUSION THAT THE SCOT WOULD LOSE HIS BELTS.
REMARKABLY THESE WERE THE JUDGES SCORECARDS: 113-112 (Catterall), 114-111 (Taylor), 113-112 (Taylor).
TO HAVE TAYLOR EVEN LOSING BY 1 POINT IS FAR-FETCHED, BUT TO HAVE HIM WINNING THE FIGHT AND WINNING BY 3 POINTS IS SOMETHING WHICH STUNNED EVERYONE, INCLUDING MYSELF. THIS IS A DECISION WHICH MUST BE INVESTIGATED, IT REEKS OF CORRUPTION OR INCOMPETENCE, EITHER AS BAD AS THE OTHER.
BEN SHALOM INSISTED THAT BOXXER WOULD DO EVERYTHING THEY COULD TO FIND OUT THE REASONING FOR THE DECISIONS MADE BY THE JUDGES WHICH ROBBED CATTERALL OF BEING UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF THE WORLD.
Sky Sports' Johnny Nelson said: "I am so surprised. I gave Taylor four rounds. That was it.
"I can't believe it and I feel so sorry for Catterall. It's decisions like this which turn casual fans off. Josh Taylor did not win that fight."
THIS IS A DARK NIGHT FOR BOXING, MAKE NO MISTAKE.
