Scottish boxing monthly review, February 2022
Admirers of Josh Taylor have long felt that the undisputed super lightweight champion deserves a bigger profile. An elite talent with unjustly limited fanfare. After his successful defence of the WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring world titles against Jack Catterall, Saturday 26 February, Taylor’s name trended across all social media platforms. But not in a manner that supporters could have predicted, or wanted.
Taylor was awarded a split decision victory over the Englishman after 12 gruelling rounds, with Ian John Lewis and Victor Loughlin giving the nod to the champion, 114-11 and 113-122, respectively. Few judgements in recent memory have evoked such unanimous derision and hostility.
Taylor’s remarks that he “won that fight” in the post match press conference were repeated over again like a mantra but convinced no-one, perhaps not even himself, though he remained stubbornly committed to that position. It was difficult, even for his most avid fans, to agree.
The Tartan Tornado blustered but could not damage Catterall, cutting a frustrated figure, Taylor could not find his rhythm throughout the contest. The pattern of the fight was established as quickly as 28 seconds in the opening round, as the Scotsman demanded the centre of the ring, approached aggressively, but could not unload his shots, smothering them up close before Catterall countered with a strong left hand. Catterall’s game plan was executed perfectly - a tight shell of a defence, an effective jab piercing the advancing Scot, as sharp counters preceded intelligent inside work and clinches. Taylor, so used to exerting his strength, utilising his attributes as both a technical boxer and bullish fighter, was reduced to desperate, aimless charges at times, buoyed by spirit rather than any considered strategy. Another attack in the eighth round saw Taylor glued to Catterall, too close to land any meaningful shots, persistently dipping without creating space; he was countered with a sharp left and sent to the canvas for the first time in his career.
There were some improvements in the second half of the bout as Catterall’s output reduced, but very few truly believed the swing was significant enough to justify a Taylor victory. Ben Davison, Taylor’s trainer, called for his man to ‘have a championship mindset’ and to ‘not allow [Jack] to breathe’ in the final rounds, espousing rhetoric rather than clear tactical instruction. The atmosphere in Glasgow was magnificent. Yet, as the swelling crowds left the venue, the patriotic songs and chants dulled, fans left quietly, the sound of footsteps interspersed with stunned muttering and uncertainty at what had unfolded.
Consensus was that Catterall was unlucky, cruelly so, and Taylor suffered from difficulties making the weight, and succumbed to pressure from the home crowd, impacting his performance. Questions must be asked, though, of Ben Davison, who devised a game plan which saw Taylor neglect his advantages whilst reducing his punching output from 664 thrown against Prograis and 530 against Ramirez to 306 against Catterall. A period of reflection and action for Taylor, and the sport, is needed.
Earlier in the evening, Nick Campbell became the first Scottish heavyweight champion in 71 years as he stopped Glaswegian rival Jay McFarlane in the seventh round. There were two schools of thought when watching the bout. Some felt the quality of the participants could not justify the fight’s placement so high on an international, televised show, effectively co-headlining an undisputed championship. Others threw reason away and simply enjoyed a fun, entertaining contest. Nick Campbell’s superior strength and conditioning, and commitment to boxing fundamentals, saw him jab and one-two his way to a stoppage victory. McFarlane opened with decent head movement and fluid hands but as his poor conditioning deteriorated with each passing second, he abandoned boxing technique, opting to square up to Campbell, walking forward with his hands down, swinging left hooks with only occasional success. McFarlane’s performance was brave, entertaining, foolish, and dangerous all at once. Fans seeing McFarlane for the first time may feel that he could in fact be a decent operator if he just showed some commitment to training. There were some well placed left hooks and shots to the body. However, those who have followed McFarlane’s career may be growing tired of this long and increasingly unrealistic expectation. As a late starter in the sport, Campbell is still a novice and lacks that innate fluidity indicative of world-class potential. But he has demonstrated a supreme commitment to learning, training, and improving. And, after capturing a recognised belt in only his fourth fight, a future run at a British title may not be out of the question. In any case, it was a proud moment and deserved win for the Glasgow Warrior.
Montrose’s John Docherty continued his rebuild by stopping Hamilton’s Jordan Grant in round two of their all-Scottish clash. Docherty showed his superior pedigree and experience, punishing Grant as he over extended his right hand with a painful hook to the body. It was a cathartic experience for Docherty, who was back on a large televised show for the first time since his loss to Jack Cullen in 2020. Grant is ambitious and brave, and should be commended for taking the bout, but would benefit from several more learning fights before stepping back up in levels. Scott Forrest has now made the transition from decorated amateur to professional boxer, kicking off his career with a second round stoppage of Erik Nazaryan. Of course, the muscular, imposing cruiserweight was under matched, but he did what all good fighters should do - punish and stop those who probably shouldn’t be in the ring with them. Mark McKeown moved to 6-0 with a comfortable points-win over Engel Gomez, joining Forrest in a list of Scots prospects to keep an eye on.
Two Scots appeared on a Pat Barret show in Liverpool on the same night, 26 February, with mixed fortune. Glasgow-based Aberdonian, Boris Crighton, punished Vasif Memedov over six rounds, winning 60-54. Crighton was utterly dominant, comprehensively beating his opponent and the greater challenge of inactivity and ring rust on the night. Bigger and better things surely imminent for Crighton. Scott Allan was disappointed to lose a unanimous points decision against Marcel Braithwaite in the night’s main event. Reece Carter’s 98-93 card was particularly harsh considering the competitive nature of the contest, with Allan dropping Braithwaite in the fourth. After giving away the first few rounds, Allan rallied and appeared the busier man, finding his rhythm and finishing stronger in a hotly contested bout. Allan can take positives from the showing, looking impressive at super flyweight for the first time, with plenty left in the tank.
On 18 February, David Jamieson won his first title - the IBO International belt - after outpointing Samo Jangirov over ten rounds. Jamieson pummelled the former Swedish champion in the first half of the contest, but Jangirov was durable and presented some challenges for the Scot, landing some decent combination punches. A successful endeavour, Jamieson picked up a strap and a number of lessons as he strides towards further cruiserweight title contention.
There were few signs of ring rust for Uddingston’s Michael McGurk as he returned to the ring after a three year hiatus, stopping Jan Balog in two rounds with viscous body shots. Kieran Smith dominated but could not stop a frustratingly negative Gabor Gorbics. Nevertheless, Smith looked strong in his first appearance at middleweight. Nathaniel Collins shone against Uriel Lopez, stopping him in three rounds, with impressive measure of distance, variety, reflexes, and shot selection to stop the Mexican. There were wins for Hamilton’s Jordan Grant and Ireland’s Kate Radomska in useful learning fights.
The quality of the following evening’s card, on 19 February, was dealt a heavy blow as Stewart Burt withdrew from his anticipated Scottish title defence against Corey McCulloch through injury. John Docherty headlined the show, making his debut for Kynoch Promotions, and stopped Kristaps Zulgis in three rounds with ease. Beth Arthur just about moved to 2-0 with a razor thin decision victory over experienced Ester Konecna. There were successful appearances for Elliot O’Donnell and Darren Johnstone who both cruised to 40-36 points wins and moved to 2-0. But no such luck for debutant Alfie McArthur who was stopped by popular Glaswegian journeyman, Gary McGuire.
Lee McGregor’s perfect record was damaged, ever so slightly, on 11 February as his contest with Diego Ruiz was ruled a draw. The referee’s decision was harsh as McGregor appeared to have done enough to edge the Argentinian opponent. However, it was a disappointing showing by the Commonwealth, British, and European champion’s standards. McGregor’s ability should have seen him outclass Ruiz, but it was a flat, rushed performance. McGregor also failed to impress in his previous bout, dropped in the second round by Vincent Legrand, before stopping the Frenchman in the fourth. Another incredibly talented Scotsman trained by Ben Davison who needs to reflect and improve.
On 10 February, Martin Harkin reminded St Andrews Sporting Club fans that he’s still one of the top talents in the country, handily dealing with journeyman Vitalii Maksymiv, stopping him in the third of their six round contest. Harkin added to his montage of impressive stoppages, and has now linked with Gary Jacobs, the legendary fighter turned trainer, as he plots another attack on the British scene. Josh Campbell continued his education with a 40-36 points win over Craig Sumner, moving to 2-0, while Andy Tham suffered a shock defeat to Sandeep Singh Bhatti, a setback for the promising but inactive super featherweight.
A few days earlier, in the first UK show of 2022, Jake Limond kicked off his professional career with a successful four-rounder against Dean Wilkinson. The charismatic, mullet-haired, son-of-a-legend looked sharp and mature for such a young debutant. Callen McAulay extended his record to 9-0 and continued to shake off ring rust as he looks for a title fight in 2022. And there were successful appearances for Jack Turner (now 4-0), Martin Crossan (2-0) and Ahmed Mweva (14-2-1).
Out of the ring, Hannah Rankin impressed on commentary duties for Sky Sports, covering fights on the Khan-Brook and Taylor-Catterall cards, in a possible future career, though there’s still plenty of fights left in the world champion.
