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Arnold Barboza Jr. upset the home crowd as the American took the interim WBO super lightweight title in a tactical battle with Jack Catterall in Manchester.
Barboza nullified Catterall’s work, putting the pre-fight favorite off his stride in the early rounds. As the contest progressed, Barboza gave as good as he got as a chess match played out throughout the twelve rounds.
The 33-year-old impressed the judges enough to take the decision and the strap with two of the judges 115-113. A third saw it 113-115 in favor of Catterall for a split decision at the CO-OP Live Arena.
WBN scored the fight a draw but couldn’t argue with Barboza getting it, as Catterall didn’t do enough to win. CompuBox stats for Catterall vs Barboza proved how tough it was to split both men.
“This was a close fight as evidenced by the fact that in only one of the twelve rounds were the combatants separated by more than four landed punches,” said CompuBox. “Barboza and Catterall swung and missed a lot, but Barboza was the more active fighter, throwing 123 more punches but only landing 18 more punches than Catterall.
“Barbosa spent much of the fight circling Catterall, moving in and out of range, while Catterall searched for openings that didn’t materialize. Catterall only averaged 25 punches thrown per round, while Barbosa averaged 36.”
After his greatest triumph, Barboza thanked Oscar De La Hoya, naming him ‘The greatest promoter’ in the business. De La Hoya mentioned Barboza a couple of times during the bout on social media, stating he had it level after six rounds, as WBN did.
Congratulations, @jrBarbozaArnold
He defeats Jack Catterall by split decision to win the WBO Interim World Super Lightweight Title
115-113 Catterall, 115-113 Barboza, 115-113 Barboza pic.twitter.com/35MhHcn0SK
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) February 15, 2025
Following the verdict, De La Hoya added ‘and the new’ as he’s likely to have bagged himself another world champion in his Golden Boy Promotions stable.
Teofimo Lopez holds the full belt but is reportedly ready to vacate rather than face Barboza, meaning an upgrade is on the cards. Lopez has been seeking alternative challenges despite a mandatory WBO order to fight Barboza in the next few months.
The consensus is Lopez will look elsewhere, and Barboza will soon be celebrating his first world championship.
Reece Bellotti, Pat McCormack, Jazza Dickens, and William Crolla enjoyed victories on the undercard.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN and Quora.
