The upcoming grudge match between former undisputed king Josh Taylor and his rival Jack Catterall takes place soon, and a current world champion has called out the winner, meaning a victory may not only represent bragging rights but also a route to a world title.
Taylor defended his undisputed crown against Catterall back in 2022, but the performance was highly criticised, as was that of the judges, with many fans believing that the challenger had done enough to win comfortably on the cards.
The decision added fuel to the fire of the already existent rivalry between the Scotsman and the Englishman and calls for a rematch led to Taylor vacating three of his four world titles.
However, he lost his fourth and final WBO belt in a defence against Teofimo Lopez last year, before signing to fight Catterall once again.
With pride at stake but world honours not, IBF super-lightweight champion Subriel Matias has offered further motivation for the British duo, offering the winner a bout in their respective home country for his world title, in an interview with Boxing Scene.
“It would be an honour for me to face the winner of that fight.
“They are good names [that] the fans like. The boxing world demands these competitive fights. Of course I would love to go to the U.K. for that fight, why not? All you need is a ring to fight. God is the protagonist in every chapter of my life; it will be his decision to make.”
For now it seems that Matias will return to action on home soil, with a second defence of his world title in the pipeline that is rumoured to be against either Liam Paro or Elvis Rodriguez in Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Taylor-Catterall II is set for April 27th in Leeds, where the winner will be thrust amongst the champions and the loser cast aside.