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Undisputed junior welterweight champion Josh ‘The Tartan Tornado’ Taylor 19-0 (13) is considering remaining in the 140-pound weight class rather than moving up to the lucrative welterweight division.
The 31-year-old Scottish southpaw is coming off a controversial split decision win over fellow lefty Jack ‘El Gato’ Catterall 26-1 (13) in late February.
England’s Catterall appeared to get the better of the action in the 12-round championship fight but ultimately went down 114-111, 113-112 and 112-113 on the judges’ scorecards.
“I want to fight Jack again to shut everyone else up,” WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF champion Taylor told The National. “I want to put it right, put it to bed and make sure I’m still the best in the division and the best in the world.
“I’d like to give Jack a rematch to really fill him in and perform at my best.
“If I stay at 140lbs, the WBA have already called in a mandatory so that has to happen next otherwise I get stripped of a title and if I stay at 140 there’s no way I’m giving up any of the belts.”
If the rematch with Catterall is to happen, the 28-year-old may have to wait. The WBA have ordered a mandatory title defence between Taylor and undefeated number one contender Alberto Puello 20-0 (10) of the Dominican Republic.
“I wouldn’t mind doing a rematch,” Taylor told BBC Scotland. “But if I stay at 140-pounds it’s proving almost impossible because the WBA have already ordered a mandatory defense and after that it will be the [IBF] then the WBC. It’s going to be mandatory after mandatory so it’s going to prove almost impossible to give Jack the rematch straight away.
“I would like to revisit the fight at some point, 100%, to prove to everyone else it was just an off night and that I am still one of the best fighters on the planet.”
Taylor insists he won the fight against Catterall, but the controversial nature of the victory clearly still stick in his craw.
“It was a close fight and when I watched it back, I scored it to myself 113-112 but I could see how it could have been a draw or one or two rounds to Jack,” Taylor said.
“It was one of those fights where there were a few swing rounds that could have gone either way. It was basically who you preferred. Obviously the judges went in my favor but that’s nothing to do with me. I’m very fortunate to keep the belts and I’m moving forward.”
Taylor added to The National: “I’ll need to have a good chat with my nutritionist and my team and see if we can do it safely or approach things differently if I stay at 140lbs.
“I’m 31 and I’ve been making the same weight since I was 21. It’s getting harder in between fights and that last one proved really hard.
“You saw the state of me on the scales and the performance I put in was way below par. So we’ll see what happens.”
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