Jack Catterall produced a tremendous performance, only to lose on the cards, resulting in a judge receiving a severe punishment.
On Saturday night, the Englishman will return to action against Harlem Eubank at the AO Arena in Manchester, UK.
The fight is incredibly important for Catterall, who still holds ambitions of becoming a world champion.
However, in the eyes of many, the southpaw ought to have achieved that dream three years ago.
WOW: Jack Catterall’s last fight resulted in upset split decision loss ahead of Harlem Eubank meeting
Ian John-Lewis received punishment after scoring in Jack Catterall vs Josh Taylor
On February 26, 2022, Jack Catterall dropped Josh Taylor in a spectacular performance at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
However, in one of the most shocking results in boxing history, ‘El Gato’, who most felt had won at a canter, lost the bout via split decision.
Ian John-Lewis scored the contest 114-111 in favor of the Scotsman, causing huge controversy, and ultimately resulting in the British Boxing Board of Control having to act.
In the aftermath, the released a statement claiming: “Following an internal review of the scoring of the Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall contest by all three appointed judges, the Stewards of the Board decided to call Mr Ian John-Lewis to appear before them to explain his returned card.
“Having considered Mr Ian John-Lewis’s explanation, the Stewards of the Board decided to downgrade Mr John-Lewis from an A Star Class to an A Class Official.
“Whilst the Board were satisfied that Mr. John-Lewis’s scorecard did not affect the overall result of the contest, the Stewards of the Board did have issue with his margin.
“As the regulatory body for the Sport in Great Britain the British Boxing Board of Control continue to improve and maintain the high quality and consistency in scoring by our licensed officials. As such, the Stewards of the Board have further decided that in addition to each A Star Class Official being evaluated after each bout, as per current procedure, they will now also be subject to a separate individual annual review.
“Finally, the British Boxing Board of Control have contacted the WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA supporting Jack Catterall to be made mandatory challenger for each or all Championship Sanctioning Bodies.”
Jack Catterall dominated legendary three-weight world champion in 2023, who dropped Vasiliy Lomachenko
While the loss to Taylor was heart-breaking, it didn’t take Catterall long to get back to world level.
Two fights later, he was sharing the ring with one of the greatest fighters of the modern era.
Just like he did against ‘The Tartan Tornado’, the slick boxer produced a tremendous display.
In his best scalp to date, Catterall dominated a fighter, who dropped Vasiliy Lomachenko.