Barboza Jnr, 32-0 (11 KOs) narrowly defeated the home favorite Catterall, 30-2 (13 KOs), in a close contest for the WBO junior-welterweight interim title and will hope to fight the full champion Teofimo Lopez next. Their fight, perhaps, was one for the purists – both struggled to consistently implement their style and to dictate the pace at which they fought.

There was little to separate them in the opening round. Both had a look at each other, and with so much on the line neither wanted to make a mistake. Catterall, 31, edged closer and landed a looping southpaw left, and he just missed with a right that glanced the top of Barboza Jnr’s head.

Again neither truly wanted to commit in the second. Both edged forwards and fired in their jabs. Catterall then landed the shot of the round with a sharp right hand that came over the top of Barboza Jnr’s left. Both, similarly, started the third waiting to capitalize on a mistake from the other. They were often fencing with their lead hand, and it took Barboza Jnr, 33, whipping in a body shot to bring the fight to life. Catterall took that shot well, and he returned a left hand that knocked Barboza Jnr’s head back.

The action heated up further in the fourth. Both men had seemed to have found their range and started to throw with more intent. Barboza Jnr again was able to land his wild hooks to the body, and Catterall fired in sharp lefts to the head. Catterall intensified his efforts in the fitth; he whipped in a left to Barboza Jnr’s body and followed up doing so with one to the head. Catterall seemed to have the reading of Barboza Jnr’s style, and the shots that were landing to his body were now whistling past as he pivoted away from danger.

Catterall again pushed the pace in the sixth; he fired a left followed by a right moments after the opening bell but they glanced the chin of Barboza Jnr. The American responded well and landed a right of his own before the round closed. He had his best round yet in the seventh, which he started by landing two hard rights to Catterall’s body, and as the round went by he turned his attention to the head and landed two thudding rights to the top of Catterall’s.

Barboza Jnr also had a good eighth round, when catching Catterall as he came in and by using his longer arms to land glancing blows as the Chorley fighter came out. Their fight remained finely balanced as the ninth round approached and it proved another difficult one in which to separate them. Catterall landed the cleaner work of the two, but Barboza Jnr still was able to land blows over the top as he came in.

The 10th, similarly, was close to call, but Catterall thought he had made a breakthrough late in the round when he pushed forwards and landed a left to the body that caused Barboza Jnr to tumble backwards. The referee Steve Gray, however, ruled it as a slip and waved on the action.

Catterall, determined not to let his shot at a title slip away, pressed forwards in the 11th and caught Barboza Jnr with two well-placed left hands to the bridge of the nose. Barboza Jnr took the shots well and flicked a jab that landed square in Catterall’s face. Both felt that they were ahead at the start of the 12th, but also appeared to understand that it was close. Barboza Jnr caught Catterall with another looping right that seemed to stun Catterall. They then traded jabs as the final bell sounded and they were quick to declare the victory to the crowd. Both were then lifted high by their cornermen as they awaited the official decision.

Legal

Get in Touch

Who We Are