Jack Catterall defeats Josh Taylor by unanimous decision in a thrilling rematch

Catterall avenged his controversial split decision loss to Taylor two years ago in Glasgow by landing the harder punches and finally getting even in one of the biggest rematches in British boxing in recent history.

All three judges gave Catterall the win in the fight at the sold-out First Direct Arena, twice by 117-111 and the other by 116-113, but Taylor will be annoyed that the score wasn't closer.

Taylor worked hard on his jab in the first rounds, while the left-hander Catterall was particularly successful with his left hook.

After an accidental clash of heads in the second round, Taylor briefly forced his opponent into the ropes, but Catterall responded with a sweeping left before another clash of heads early in the third round sent Taylor flinching.

Catterall landed two consecutive lefts at the end of the fourth and looked to take the lead in the fifth round. He found his range with his jab and then hurt Taylor with a series of lefts and rights that pushed the Scot into the ropes.

Taylor regained his composure in the sixth round despite swelling under his right eye, but Catterall's punches continued to be more precise and heavy.

Two short rights from Taylor gave him a boost in the seventh round as both fighters traded blows, and the Scot again proved more effective in the eighth round to even the fight.

Catterall broke through his opponent's defenses at the start of the ninth round and the two boxers fought head to head.

Taylor stalked his opponent in the 10th round, now looking like the more threatening fighter, landing a right hook and then an uppercut.

But a thunderous right from Catterall in the 11th inning got Taylor in trouble, and in the final inning the two were only a few points apart as they ground each other out to a standstill.

The two fighters met for the first time in February 2022, when Taylor defended his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts by a controversial split decision in Glasgow.

Most observers felt that Chorley-based Catterall had done enough to win and in the two years since, the fighters have traded insults both in person and on social media.

This second meeting – with no belts at stake – was postponed twice, first to January 2023 due to Taylor's foot injury and then again in March this year when the Scot suffered a slight eye problem.

Taylor, who became Britain's first undisputed world champion in the four-belt era with his victory over Jose Ramirez in Las Vegas in 2021, lost to American Teofimo Lopez in June last year in his only fight since first meeting Catterall.

The Edinburgh man's record currently stands at 20-2, Catterall's 29-1, and there will now be a loud call for a decisive third meeting.

Earlier, Jamaican-born Chev Clarke won the vacant British cruiserweight title in the supporting act by knocking out Ellis Zorro of Lewisham in the eighth round.