WHAT A NIGHT
23:49:06

That concludes tonight’s blog on a night that reminds us all what is great about this sport. What a fight, what a night. Salute to both men. What price we see that one again for a third time?

HERE COMES BOB ARUM!
23:46:29

Josh Taylor’s American promoter Bob Arum grabs the mic in the ring. He is seething!

“I will never ever allow an American fighter to come here with the British Board scoring the fight,” he cries. “Those scores were ridiculous. Those scores were a disgrace.”

CATTERALL SPEAKS
23:45:01

“It is bittersweet tonight,” Catterall says. “No world titles but I won the fight and I can close that chapter with Josh Taylor.

“I believe I won the fight, I took more risks this time. Josh is an elite operator.

“It was a fight of two halves but I believe in the second half of the fight, the rounds I won, I won clearly.

“We’ve shared 24 rounds now so respect to Josh.”

JACK CATTERALL WINS VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION
23:41:49

All three judges score in favour of Jack Catterall. Both Kieran McCann and Mark Bates have it rather wide at 117-111 while Lee Every scores it 116-113. As Catterall celebrates, Taylor shakes his head with a wry smile. Let’s see the third fight.

WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS
23:38:22

Both men raise their arms in celebration as the bell tolls to end the 12th. What a fight. Now we await how the judges saw it – based on how the first one ended, this could be anything.

BIG 11TH FOR CATTERALL
23:34:11

In the final 80 seconds of the 11th, Catterall walks Taylor onto a big left hand, not once but twice. Taylor, who had been doing well until then, will surely have dropped the round in the eyes of the judges. All to play for in the 12th.

TWO TO GO
23:30:34

The first fight was punctuated by the controversial scorecards and this is the sort of fight which might also produce a couple of strange scores. “Don’t leave it in the hands of the judges,” says Joe McNally to his boxer Taylor. “Make it a clear shutout.”

Here comes the 11th.

EBB AND FLOW
23:27:05

Both men have pockets of success in the ninth, but it is Taylor who appears to land the more meaningful and eye-catching shots.

“I know it’s hard now but you’ve got to try and get that timing and sharpness,” says Jamie Moore to his boxer Jack Catterall in the break before the 10th. He might need a second wind here.

CATT FADING?
23:22:14

Another good round for Taylor with Catterall seemingly starting to tire after such a bright start. Now it is the Scot who looks the more positive of the two and he lands a superb catch-and-counter on Catterall’s chin. There are four rounds left and this is anybody’s game.

TAYLOR STORMS BACK
23:18:24

Much better from Taylor through the seventh, who responds to that hard sixth by finding a far better rhythm and finding a home for his left cross. He’s happy with his work and raises his hand as he makes his way back to the corner.

HALFWAY HOME
23:14:25

All things considered, this has been a torrid first half to the fight for Taylor, who is getting marked up with every passing round. Catterall is dictating the fight with his jab and is having a lot of success with his left hand too. But Taylor is by no means done yet.

CATT PURRING
23:10:18

First Catterall lands with a triple jab, then follows it up with a hard one-two early on in the fifth. Taylor works his way back into the round but once again Catterall is all over him in the final 20 seconds and seems to really have the Scotsman going.

BIG FINISH FOR CATT
23:06:19

Just as it looked as though the fight had began to settle down during the fourth, back storms Catterall with a sustained attack in the closing stages to potentially nick it in the eyes of the judges. The Chorley man does not seem capable of missing with the left hand at the moment.

TAYLOR IN BUSINESS
23:01:17

Taylor lands a big left hand and then attempts to follow it up with a flurry but gets countered by Catterall on the way in. The Tartan Tornado seems to be growing into the fight and his opponents is marked up under the left eye already. “This is the Josh Taylor I want,” his trainer Joe McNally says in the corner.

HEAD CLASH!
22:56:33

Both fighters wheel away holding their heads midway through the second round after a clash but the whole arena breathes a sigh of relief as it becomes clear that neither man is cut. Taylor can’t seem to spot Catterall’s jab but he is still attempting to get an early foothold in the fight. This is top tier stuff.

CATT FELINE FINE
22:53:11

Confident opener from Jack Catterall, who starts like he has been waiting for this moment for more than two years. He is straight out behind a stiff jab and almost immediately lands a straight one-two. He finds a home for the backhand against his fellow southpaw twice more in the round too. Very good opener for Catterall.

TAYLOR BOOED
22:49:04

There is some din inside the arena as the fighters are announced, with Taylor booed loudly by the clearly pro-Catterall crowd. This is going to be great.

FINALLY THEY WALK
22:40:18

Nearly half an hour after Chev Clarke stopped Ellis Zorro, the main event fighters are ring walking. Jack Catterall emerging to the Ben E King classic Stand By Me. Levels.

UNDERCARD DONE
22:22:44

So that is the undercard complete, there are 11,000 fans inside the arena cranking up the volume. This is a rematch that has been two years and three months in the making… the wait is nearly over. There’s nothing better.

CLARKE SPEAKS
22:18:04

After becoming the British champion, Clarke says: “I feel great, man. This was one for the believers, so thank you.

“He came out and he fought as we expected. After a defeat like that [against Opetaia] I would want to come out and show I’m not a walkover but I was the better man on the night.

“Cruiserweights, I’ve got it, come and take it because I’m winning this belt outright.”

ZORRO DOWN AND OUT!!!
22:13:01

Just as the eighth round was meandering to its finish, in stormed Clarke and landed with a big right hand with Zorro against the ropes. The bell sounded as Zorro hit the canvas with referee Mark Bates at liberty to deliver a count. Zorro, however, was in big trouble and in no shape to continue. Chev Clarke is the new British cruiserweight champion after just nine fights as a professional.

HEADS GONE
22:04:31

Referee Mark Bates is forced to stop the boxing and warn them both for use of the head with the fight rather untidy in patches. Clarke closes the round with a hard left hook but Zorro does not seem to feel it. Still all to play for in the second half of this one.

FIVE DOWN
22:00:43

“The guy is dropping, big time,” says Sam Mullins in Clarke’s corner. But in the fifth it was Zorro who landed the two most significant punches, changing the angle with his right hand and hooking it round his opponent’s guard. Into the sixth we go.

UNEVENTFUL
21:56:49

This is not the firefight that some had expected with both men struggling to find their rhythm through four rounds. On this evidence, that vacant British title is there for the taking for either man.

CLARKE PUSHING
21:49:30

Once again it’s Clarke who is pushing the action in the second but the best shot of the round came from Zorro, who timed his man on the way in and landed a peach of an uppercut on the chin. This one is warming up.

ONE DOWN
21:44:27

Clarke is straight onto the front foot and attempting to put some early pressure on Zorro, who is boxing for the first time since he was brutally knocked out in a round by Jai Opetaia on December 23. Clarke well in control after one.

INTO THE CO-MAIN WE GO
21:34:22

The British cruiserweight title is on the line as bookies’ favourite Chev Clarke takes on Ellis Zorro for the belt vacated by Isaac Chamberlain earlier this year. This should be fun while it lasts. The boxers are walking…

IT’S ALL OVER!
21:20:44

the ninth starts much like the eighth ended and Howard Foster does not wait too long before jumping in to end the punishment for Ritson, who is pinned against the ropes and unable to fire back with Donovan throwing with real conviction. A very good win for the Ennis hotshot. The official time of the stoppage is 32 seconds of round nine.

PADDY THE BADDY
21:18:06

After seven rounds on the back foot, Donovan is pure spite in the eighth and has Ritson going badly in the closing stages as he unloads with both hands to head and body. Ritson finishes the round crouching in his corner with Donovan all over him. That was a torrid round for the former lightweight.

PADDY OFF THE ROPES
21:15:41

Towards the end of the seventh, Donovan finally turns Ritson round and begins to hold the centre of the ring and push the older man back. He has some success too. Donovan starts the eighth in similar fashion as the Irishman looks to turn the screw down the stretch.

DONOVAN DOWN, OR NOT
21:11:09

A moment of excitement a minute into the sixth as Donovan touches down but referee Howard Foster realises it was a simple tangle of legs and does not rule it as a knockdown. Ritson continues to apply the pressure but, as yet, Donovan is refusing to unravel and continues to pick him off on the way in.

FIVE DOWN, FIVE TO GO
21:06:57

Ritson is having pockets of success but Donovan still appears in control, although the Irish southpaw is spending a lot of time with his back leg near the ropes, inviting pressure. He is well adept at countering off whatever Ritson throws, however, and he is ahead at the halfway point.

GOOD ROUND FOR RITSON
20:58:53

After struggling in the opening two, the third is a good one for Ritson who gains some confidence with a straight right hand midway through the round and then lands with a right hook too. He needed that, now can he build on it?

MORE OF THE SAME
20:55:03

Ritson continues to stalk forward into range and Donovan is having little trouble in picking him off. The left bolo to the belly lands multiple times while he draws applause from Lee in the corner with a picture-perfect one-two straight down the pipe. Ritson needs another gear here.

GOOD OPENER FOR DONOVAN
20:50:31

Although it is Ritson who controls the centre of the ring, it is Donovan who gets the better of the opening round, looking to draw a Ritson lead before countering with sharp backhands, thrown either straight or up through the middle, from his southpaw stance. “He’s giving you the body,” Andy Lee tells him in the corner. Into the second we go.

THREE LEFT
20:34:04

With Cully’s win secure, there are now just three fights left on the card – and they are all belters. First up is at welterweight as Andy Lee’s undefeated protege Paddy Donovan looks to secure his fifth straight stoppage victory with the former British lightweight champion Lewis Ritson the man bidding to stop that hot streak.

CULLY WINS VIA UD
20:26:49

As expected, all three judges score in favour of Gary Cully.
Scores of 98-92, 96-94, 96-94 move the Diva to 18-1 (10). The rebuild continues.

WE GO TO THE SCORECARDS
20:24:41

Patera attempts to empty the tank in the final 45 seconds of the 10th, but it passes without much to report. Cully lands again with a crisp left hand but does ship a lead hook himself. Overall, a mature performance from the 28-year-old southpaw – and the scores will surely reflect that.

CULLY-FIED
20:20:30

After signs of success, Patera is starting to look frustrated as Cully regains control of the distance and begins to pick him off with long, straight left hands once again. Patera chases shadows throughout the ninth and Cully is surely just one round away from a pretty clear win on the cards.

TWO LEFT
20:16:43

An otherwise good eighth for Cully is punctuated by three good right hands landed by Patera. However, the two-time European champion from Belgium is starting to show signs of damage from Cully’s uppercut, which he is starting to time well.

PHONEBOX SCRAP
20:11:57

“It’s getting a little bit too close,” Cully is told in the corner, as Patera continues to close the distance and fight this one on his terms. They spend much of the seventh head to head, trading hooks to head and body. Patera closes the round with a good counter left hook. He’s not out of this yet.

PATERA ON THE CHARGE
20:07:46

As we enter the second half of the fight, the Belgian visitor is just starting to up the pace. He is switching that attack from head to body now, whipping the left hook to the ribs before winging right hands up and over. Cully spends most of the sixth retreating but continues to box well on the back foot. These last four are going to be interesting.

HALFWAY THROUGH
20:04:44

Patera is clearly targeting Cully’s body with the lead hook and is having some success with them too. They do not appear to be slowing the Irishman down too much, however, and he will be reasonably confident of being ahead at the halfway point.

CULLY TAKING CONTROL
19:56:28

Cully starts to use his height and reach advantage to good effect in round three, keeping Patera at range with the jab before following it up with something juicier. Patera, meanwhile, is limited to pot-shots to head and body but still retains a threat.

TWO DOWN
19:53:33

Southpaw Cully far happier to try his luck with the straight left hand through round two and a few of them find the target. Patera, however, is not hurt by any of them and seems to land with a big back hand of his own midway through the round. We go into the third.

WARMING UP NICELY
19:49:02

One round down and it’s a patient start for both men. Patera spends most of the round holding the centre of the ring with Cully happy to circle him. The Irishman does ship a left hook towards the end of the round and there is already a bit of reddening around his right eye.

CULLY TIME
19:43:27

So here we go. Gary Cully in only his second fight since his shock stoppage defeat to Jose Felix 12 months ago. He beat Reece Mould in his comeback in November and a win over the always-game Francesco Patera would be a big boost to his chances of ever climbing up towards the upper echelons of the lightweight division.


WHAT’S HAPPENED ALREADY?
19:37:34

There were two fights on the non-TV part of the card with both home fighters coming through unscathed. First Leli Buttigieg beat Anas Isarti on points over six before George Liddard saw off Graham McCormack in the eighth and final round of their contest.

GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME
19:29:30

Welcome along to tonight’s live blog from the show at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, where Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall finally clash in their rematch. But before that, we’ve got a juicy undercard. The first fight on the televised portion of the undercard has just finished, with Giorgio Visioli stopping Sergio Odabai after 1:47 of round four. It was scheduled for six.

Up next is what looks like a guaranteed action fight at lightweight, with Gary Cully and Francesco Patera colliding over 10 threes.

Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall square off once again in a long-awaited rematch following a highly contentious first fight in 2022.

Undercard action begins on the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel from 5.30pm UK, 12.30pm ET and 10.30am PT.

Taylor vs Catterall Weights and Running Order

6 x 3 mins International Super-Welterweight contest
LELI BUTTIGIEG 157.6 lbs v ANA ISARTI 156.8 lbs

8 x 3 mins Middleweight contest
GEORGE LIDDARD 162.3 lbs v GRAHAM MCCORMACK 162.3 lbs

6 x 3 mins International Lightweight contest
GIORGIO VISIOLI 134.1 lbs v SERGIO ODABAI 136.5 lbs

10 x 3 mins vacant WBA Continental Lightweight Title
GARY CULLY 134.1 lbs v FRANCESCO PATERA 134.1 lbs

10 x 3 mins WBA Continental Welterweight Title
PADDY DONOVAN 145.4 lbs v LEWIS RITSON 146.8 lbs

12 x 3 mins vacant British Cruiserweight Title
CHEAVON CLARKE 199.3 lbs v ELLIS ZORRO 198.6 lbs

12 x 3 mins Super-Lightweight contest
JOSH TAYLOR 139.6 lbs v JACK CATTERALL 139.8 lbs