WBO President Gustavo Oliveiri has confirmed that the fight between #1 Arnold Barboza Jr. and #2 Jack Catterall will be up for the interim WBO welterweight title when they meet on February 15th at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Olivieri says this move was made because of “uncertainty regarding the career of Teofimo Lopez”. Teo has been all over the place, talking about wanting to move up to 147 to challenge IBF welterweight champion Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis for his belt, calling out Terence Crawford, and turning down fights left and right.
WBO Interim Title Fight
Teofimo wants to buy his contract with Top Rank promoters, which has also caused uncertainty about his career. Some believe his actions will sabotage him and ruin what remains.
The winner of the Catterall vs. It’s a big if.
Barboza Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) has a good chance of defeating Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) if he fights the way he did in his recent 10-round unanimous decision victory over former unified light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez. on November 16.
Arnold looked impressive in that fight, using a powerful jab, nice one-two combinations, and, at times, the ability to slug with the former champion.
1/ In view of the uncertainty regarding the career of Teofimo Lopez, it is in the best interest of boxing and the division of 140 lbs, recommending to #WBO Championship Cmte. that Barboza/Catterall be sanctioned for the interim and mandatory title subject to the specific conditions and schedule
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) January 10, 2025
Catterall, promoted by Matchroom, turned his career around, winning four straight since losing to Jack Catterall in 2022. In May 2024, he avenged his loss to Taylor, winning a 12-round unanimous decision. Last October, he defeated former 140 lb. champion Regis Prograis by a 12-round decision.
Some fans see Catterall as a poor man’s Shakur Stevenson, as he has the same style of hit-and-not-get-hit approach. Catterall retreats after throwing punches and does a lot of holding to nullify his opponents offense. He’s not fun to watch, but his style works for him. It may not be against Barboza Jr, but he has the home country advantage.
So there’s a chance he’ll win if it’s close. In terms of talent, Barboza Jr. he is level above and should win easily. The fight on Catterall’s home soil makes it difficult to predict.
