Josh Taylor jokes he is “sick of looking” at Jack Catterall as rivals face off

Taylor and Catterall exchanged words ahead of their undisputed tilt in February where the champion joked he was “sick” of seeing his opponent already after their original meeting was rescheduled

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Josh Taylor slams Teofimo Lopez as he talks next fight

Josh Taylor joked that he was “sick” of seeing his rival Jack Catterall during their face-off ahead of the champion’s undisputed mandatory defence in February.

The Scottish star was set to defend his belts on December 18 in Glasgow before he was forced to withdraw after suffering a knee injury.

Catterall will be handed his title shot on February 26, however, after the bout was rescheduled to take place at the Hydro Arena.

A tense face-off was held between the pair on Tuesday with Taylor making a joke during their stare down : “Keep dreaming, I’m getting sick of looking at your face already.”

Both southpaws are undefeated during their careers with Taylor earning his unified titles in an emphatic victory on American soil against Jose Ramirez earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Catterall agreed to step aside to allow the undisputed clash to take place in May, but is yet to step into the ring since November 2020 where he defeated Abderrazak Houya.

Taylor has admitted he has lots of “respect” for his opponent next year after his decision to step aside, but has admitted he is currently his “enemy”.

“He’s a very good fighter, he’s been knocking on the door for world titles for a couple years now,” Taylor said. “He stepped aside to let me fight [Jose] Ramirez, but it wasn’t all out of the good of his heart.

“He knows by stepping aside he gets a shot at all the belts, at the lottery. It’s my job to make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near it, and he won’t. If the fight were next week, I’d be ready.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Jack, he knows that, but as for now: He’s my enemy, I hate his guts. He’s a great guy, but we put the fondness aside now.

“If the stoppage is there, I’ll take it. I’m a good finisher when someone’s hurt, but I’m not gonna go looking for it.”

Mirror Fighting discovered earlier in the year that there was a rematch clause available if Taylor is to be defeated by Catterall next year.

Who wins on February 26 – Josh Taylor or Jack Catterall? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below

Catterall is extremely keen to spring a surprise after waiting so long for his golden opportunity at all the belts, accepting the offer to travel into Taylor’s back yard in Scotland.

The 28-year-old has responded to Taylor’s claim that he is keen to find a stoppage by insisting he will take any method of victory providing his plan is implemented correctly.

“I’ve beat everybody domestically,” Catterall said. “I’ve been reaching for this shot for over two years now.

“We’ve been studying Josh, I was over there for the Ramirez fight. I was supporting Josh for this fight to be made. There’s certain stuff we can work on and implement to beat Josh. Everything’s got to go right.

“I’ve been working towards this fight pretty much all year. I win by turning up in Glasgow on 26 February and being Jack Catterall. If I stop Josh, happy days; if I win on points, all good.”