Josh Taylor has lashed out at the boxing media this week in an interview with the Edinburgh Evening News, accusing outlets of being biased towards Jack Catterall after Taylor’s controversial win when the pair fought earlier this year.
Despite the Scotsman getting his hand raised on the night, many in the sport felt Catterall was hard done by and this became a common line of questioning in the days and weeks after the fight.
With a rematch looking likely for early 2023, it is clear Taylor has been less than impressed with the media’s coverage and is no mood to kiss and make up.
“When I win this fight and all the so-called top boxing pundits, the outlets, want to be your friend again, they can all get to France as far as I’m concerned.”
“They showed who they wanted to win the fight with all their bias. After the fight it was all ‘Jack this and Jack that’ but I’m still the champion and I’ve heard nothing from anyone, and the stuff they have written about me, they’ve really shown their true colours. It wasn’t that when I became the first Briton in the modern era to become undisputed world champion, they didn’t want to know.”
Neither man has fought since their meeting in the Hydro Arena in February, and the post fight animosity appears to have only grown in recent months, with both men taking numerous digs at each other in interviews.
And Taylor believes this bad blood will serve to motivate him to bring the rematch to a much more conclusive ending.
“It’s a grudge match. It’s become personal with the things that have been said since the fight like Jack moaning about corruption and all this s**t. There’s a bit of needle there so I’m going to get in the ring and knock him out this time.”
Former undisputed champion Taylor has had to vacate three of his original four world championships, so Catterall will only get the opportunity to win the WBO light welterweight title this time around, as well as the prestigious Ring Magazine belt.
Fans will be hoping an official announcement for the rematch is made soon, kickstarting the British boxing calendar for 2023 with one of the biggest grudge matches in the sport.