Josh Taylor isn’t entirely certain that his fight against Jack Catterall on Saturday night will be his last appearance at the 140-pound limit.
If the Scottish southpaw decides to move up to the welterweight division for his following fight, though, there is only one opponent Taylor wants to pursue. The second undisputed champion in junior welterweight history wants to take on the 140-pound division’s first fully unified champion, Terence Crawford.
Though Crawford, the unbeaten WBO welterweight champ, is no longer partnered with Taylor’s promoter, Bob Arum, Taylor is convinced that a showdown with Taylor would be pretty easy to put together.
“I think it’s very realistic,” Taylor told BoxingScene.com. “I think that fight is a mouthwatering fight, you know, undisputed champion versus undisputed champion at welterweight. … Hopefully, I can beat him to the punch of being a two-weight undisputed champion and become the first fighter to ever do it at two weights.”
The 34-year-old Crawford (38-0, 29 KOs), of Omaha, Nebraska, has won world titles in three weight classes and has long been considered one of the top three boxers, pound-for-pound, in the sport. Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs), a southpaw who is three years younger and less experienced at the championship level, still isn’t the least bit intimidated by the prospect of challenging Crawford.
“I just think I know how to beat him,” Taylor said. “I know I can box like him. I can be a good rhythm boxer. I can fight him as well. I can match his skills. I think I can match him for everything in the game. So, yeah, I feel really confident in myself at the minute. I feel good. I feel that all I need to do is move up to welterweight. But I have a little bit of time to develop into the weight, and it’ll suit me. My natural size and strength will then not be taken as a hindrance [while] making the 140-pound limit again. I’ll be really full and can afford to put on a little bit of strength as well, so yeah, it’ll suit me down to the ground.”
The 5-foot-10 Taylor stands two inches taller than Crawford, who is commonly considered a small welterweight. Taylor figures moving up seven pounds will make him fresher and stronger, too.
“I still make [140] quite comfortable,” Taylor said. “I’ve got my nutrition on point. So, I’m making it quite comfortable. But there’s no wiggle room for me now to put on more size or strength, you know? I’m at my limit. Moving up to 147, it’s seven extra pounds to play with. I can put on a lot of strength, without hindering myself and bringing myself down to 140.
“I can put a whole lot of strength on and put size on, and be more natural at the weight. I think that will suit me down to the ground, especially now that I’m 31, I’m mature and I’m coming into my prime. It’ll be a perfect time to move up to welterweight and fill in and be a beast at 147 as well.”
In Catterall, Taylor will battle a crafty British southpaw who is unbeaten (26-0, 13 KOs), but not nearly as tested as Taylor. Caesars Sportsbook has thus established Taylor as a 14-1 favorite entering their 12-round fight for Taylor’s IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO championships at The OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland.
Taylor-Catterall will be broadcast by Sky Sports as a main event in the United Kingdom and Ireland (7 p.m. GMT). ESPN+ will stream their fight in the United States (2 p.m. ET; 11 a.m. PT).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
