JOSH TAYLOR left the Hydro arena in Glasgow on Saturday with a split decision win over Jack Catterall and the world super-lightweight championship. But it was an intensely controversial result.
Taylor however had no doubt that he deserved the decision. “I don’t think it was a bad decision. I think it was because he did better than everyone was expecting. So because he did better than everyone was expecting they automatically think he won the fight. But he never won the fight. The right man won the fight. It was a far from marquee performance from myself but the right man won the fight. It is what it is,” Taylor said afterwards. “I thought the right man won in the end. I’m not happy with my performance but I still thought I won the fight.”
Catterall became the first man to drop Taylor when he sent him to the canvas in the eighth round. “I got up I was fine, I had all my faculties about me, I was totally fine, not hurt, I was just seriously ticked off with myself for switching off and getting put down like that,” Josh insisted. “Far from my best performance but got the right result. I started off slow, the first three or four rounds, but I started taking over the middle rounds and the late rounds I was the boss in the fight. Obviously the knockdown must have made it a little closer.
“I know in my heart I won the fight. The only reason I’m a little annoyed is I didn’t put on a good performance. I put far too much pressure on myself in the lead up to this fight, with it being the homecoming and not being at home for a long time and being undisputed champion, everyone turning up to see me after a miserable two years and I put pressure just to perform in front of everyone.”
He has decided it’s time to move up a division. “That will be my last performance at 140lbs,” Taylor announced. “I’ll be moving up. That was my last fight at 140lbs. We said that before this fight.
“It was maybe one too many fights at 140lbs but I made a deal with Jack for me to get the fight for undisputed against [Jose] Ramirez [when Catterall stepped aside] and on the back of it I’d give Jack his chance at his shot at the belt and I did that. Fair play to Jack he turned up and he gave it his best shot and he was very competitive in the fight but he never won the fight.”
“All the marquee fights are at 147lbs. Even non-title fights at 147lbs are massive fights. I’ve earned the right to be in big fights now. The way I’ve come up in my career. I’ve took all the risks,” he continued. “Tonight wasn’t a great performance… Trust me that was far from my best. When I move up to 147lbs I’m going to be a monster at it, I’m going to better than I am now.”