Jack Catterall scored a dramatic and somewhat contentious 11^th round stoppage victory over the plucky Ekow Essuman, thumping him out of the ring mere moments after landing a series of blows that stretched the rules to breaking point. 

Essuman, who had worked his way back into the bout after a rocky start, was dropped only for the referee to call break, seemingly believing that Essuman had not been felled by a legal blow. Catterall then let fly with four punches, each on target, that floored his man again. No action was taken, the fight resumed, and the finishing touches were applied. 

In his first contest since his surprising departure from long-time coach Jamie Moore and subsequent hook up with ‘Bozy’ Ennis, Catterall exhibited newfound spite against a rival many suspected could cause an upset. And for sections of the the second half of the bout, it looked like he might do just that.

This always looked like a curious choice of opponent for Catterall. The reason, however, could likely be found within the wibbly-wobbly world of sanctioning body rankings; though the favorite found himself with a WBC ranking it was only Essuman’s name that was present in the welterweight ratings of the other three alphabet groups.

That recognition, such as it is, was a long time coming for the 36-year-old from Nottingham. A 2023 loss to Harry Scarff seemed to only solidify his place on the fringes until Josh Taylor, Catterall’s old rival, offered Essuman a route into the big time this year. Essuman duly took it, winning a 12-round decision and retiring the Scot in the process.

Victory for Catterall, then, would again leave him knocking on the door for that elusive world title. An opening evaded him last year during a disappointing display against Arnold Barboza in a bid for a vacant interim junior welterweight belt and, frankly, the door was barely in touching distance when the southpaw moved up to 147 in July and outhustled Harlem Eubank in a forgettable fencing match.

But Catterall has always been a classy and smooth operator even if his style, designed to win and win only, has rarely been one to appease the bloodthirsty. Until now.

The opening round, which was predictably subdued, was likely edged by the 32-year-old from Chorley thanks to the handful of jabs he threw.

That output reached double figures in the second as Catterall, already dictating the pace of the contest, wasted little as he sidestepped into range and offered even less on his way back out. Essuman, a known battler, tried to break the pattern but aside from the odd looping right that skimmed the whiskers of his rival, his success was limited at best.

Frustrated, Essuman opted to step out of his comfort zone in the fourth. A head clash left the older man with a deep gash on the bridge of his nose and then, in a sumptuous move, Catterall scored with a right and sweeping left that dropped Essuman heavy. The underdog did well to first find his feet and then his stool at the round’s end. Catterall, meanwhile, looked on the brink of a sensational victory.

With the attention of the watching Turki Alalshikh duly snared, Catterall looked to end matters in the fifth. But even the presence of the Saudi Arabian paymaster couldn’t make the stylist dispense with the care and patience that has made him such a difficult fighter to beat. Essuman, to his credit, refused to relinquish hope even when the skin surrounding his right eye ballooned rapidly.

Catterall showed signs of tiredness in the seventh as his aim faltered. And then Essuman gained a foothold when a left hand pinged into the right eyebrow of Catterall, leaving a bloody hole.

Though it would be an overstatement to say a thriller then ensued, there was certainly drama on display as Essuman, re-energised despite being all but blind in one eye, looked to return the favor by zeroing in on Catterall’s own injury.

The earlier dominance long gone, Catterall found himself in something of a dogfight, his movement and effectiveness stunted by the aggression and pressure of his rival.

Then it happened. Catterall landed a left in the 11^th which briefly sent Essuman to his knees. He instinctively got up, likely too quickly, and with the referee unsure if a punch had caused the fall, Catterall fired several times, after the official appeared to call break, to drop Essuman again. 

No knockdown was ruled, nor a foul called, and Catterall set upon his wounded prey. Caught up in the ropes, Essuman shipped two clean shots that sent him through the boundaries and, for a few worrying minutes, out of consciousness. 

Catterall paused his celebrations. But referee John Latham was likely the most relieved when Essuman awoke.