Josh Taylor Vs. Jack Catterall: Odds, Records, Prediction

Each one of Josh Taylor’s last five opponents entered the ring with an undefeated record and with a hope of becoming the first to defeat Taylor. All five exited with a loss. Now, Taylor will face another fighter in Jack Catterall who’s never tasted defeat. The only difference now is that Taylor has all four junior welterweight titles to lose if Catterall finds the success that eluded every other Taylor opponent. Here’s everything you need to know about Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall, including the odds, their records and a prediction on who will win.

Since 2018, Taylor has defeated Ryan Martin, Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez en route to becoming the undisputed 140-pound champion. Catterall, though he’s seen as a decent opponent, has nowhere near that resume.

So, if you’re going to wager your money on the longshot Catterall, it’s tough to find reasons why that might be a good bet. Especially since Taylor is fighting in his home country of Scotland for the first time in three years.

“I’m sharp, I’m fast, I’m quick,” Taylor said. “I can’t wait to get in there and dismantle him in every single department of the game. I can’t wait to get in there and put on a real top performance Saturday. A real homecoming, first time I’ve been here in a couple of years now. I’m back home. The fans have been starving for a big night for a couple of years, and I’m determined to put on a good show, keep the belts here, and keep bringing big boxing back to Scotland.”

If Taylor wins, though, it’s not immediately clear what else he can accomplish at junior welterweight since he’s beaten all the top 140-pound contenders (though maybe he’d be interested in facing an undefeated prospect like Arnold Barboza or taking a clash against tough veteran Jose Zepeda). Perhaps welterweight and potential fights against Terence Crawford or Errol Spence would be tempting.

Meanwhile, Catterall, an Englishman who will be the villain on Saturday, is ready for the booing that’s most likely coming his way. But he also knows he must perform at a level he’s never shown before to pull off the upset vs. Taylor.

“I’ve got to go above and beyond for this fight,” he said. “Everything I’ve done in all my previous fights mean nothing. I’ve got to go and put on a career-best performance to beat Josh on Saturday. Josh is at the top of his game—he’s got all the belts—so I’ve got to fight with everything on Saturday. Believe me when I say I’m prepared to go to the darkest places possible to come home with that victory.”

Here’s more info on the Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall showdown that U.S. viewers can watch on ESPN+ beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall odds

Unsurprisingly, Taylor is a big betting favorite at -2000 (bet $2,000 to win $100), while Catterall is the +900 underdog (win $900 on a $100 wager). I wouldn’t bet on either money line (Catterall would have to be at least +1000 to take that gamble), and I don’t think there’s a ton of great value in the prop bets. You could go with Taylor to win by KO/TKO at -163 or take a bigger chance and pick him to win by stoppage in rounds 1-6 at +300.

If you were looking for a fun parlay for this weekend’s action of boxing (and this is only for entertainment purposes), I might take Taylor to stop Catterall at -163, Chris Colbert to beat Hector Garcia by decision at +125 and Gary Antuanne Russell to beat Viktor Postol at -800. That would win you $308 on a $100 wager (and for the record, my hypothetical parlay would have hit last week).

Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall records

In his last six fights, the record for Taylor’s opponents is 107-0. Though Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) doesn’t have overwhelming power, he has enough snap in his punches to have stopped Martin and Apinun Khongson and to have knocked down Baranchyk and Ramirez multiple times. For what it’s worth, Catterall has never been knocked down.

There’s certainly an unknown quantity about Catterall (26-0, 13 KOs), because he’s never competed at the elite level. His best win probably came via unanimous decision vs. Ohara Davies in 2018 (Taylor, for the record, stopped Davies in the seventh round 15 months earlier).

Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall prediction

It’ll be exciting for the Scottish fans to see their hero in action, but it’s difficult to imagine this as anything but a one-sided contest. Taylor is, by a good measure, the best junior welterweight in the world and No. 9 on my pound-for-pound list. I think he’s going to hurt Catterall early, and by the fifth round, the beating will turn brutal enough for the referee to stop the fight.

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