Unified super lightweight world champion, Josh Taylor has revealed that he will remain at 140lbs to face Jack Catterall in a rematch in order to silence the doubters.
Taylor was awarded a controversial split decision verdict over Catterall in Glasgow in February in the first defence of his undisputed super lightweight crown.
The unbeaten Scot, who has since vacated the WBA ‘super’ title, said in the immediate aftermath of the fight that he would be moving up to 147lbs to pursue the likes of WBO champion, Terence Crawford.
However, given the backlash he has received since the fight, ‘The Tartan Tornado’ says he has decided to remain at the weight class to prove both Catterall and the naysayers wrong.
“I want to shut everyone up,” the 31-year-old told The National.
“The only reason I’m staying at the weight is I want to fight Catterall again.
“I don’t think it was the wrong decision [in February] but I want to shut everyone up. I want to prove that was an off night for me and that I’m one of the best fighters on the planet.
“Because of all the stick and abuse I’ve been getting, and the way Jack’s been too, mouthing off and moaning, I just want to shut his mouth. The single reason I’m staying at the weight is to shut him and everyone else up.”
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Before a second outing with the Chorley man, Taylor is set to face WBC mandatory challenger, Jose Zepeda next, although a date and venue has not yet been announced.
The Prestonpans native, who became the first Brit to hold all-four major world titles simultaneously, feels that his achievements have been overlooked due to by his own admission, a below-par performance against Catterall.
“It’s frustrating because anyone who knows me knows I’d fight with my shadow in an empty house. I’m not scared to fight anybody,” he added.
“But boxing fans are so fickle, they change like the weather. Often, they don’t understand the business and then it starts getting personal. And if they didn’t have that keyboard in front of them, there’s no way they’d say it.
“Everything I’ve done, being the first guy from the UK to become undisputed world champion, in only 18 fights – has that been forgotten?
“My run up to the Catterall fight had been defeating undefeated champion after undefeated champion, I beat them all. And I beat Jack too, on a really bad performance so it’s quite funny how quickly people forget.
“It would have been Jack before Zepeda if it could have been worked out, without the boxing politics and mandatories getting in the way.
“I’d rather be fighting Jack next but Zepeda is a big fight and people who are talking it down are people who don’t know the business. He’s a top-level fighter.”
