BRITISH boxing is still reeling and seething from the sickening split decision robbery Jack Catterall suffered on Saturday night.
The Chorley 28-year-old went to undisputed super-lightweight champion Josh Taylor’s Glasgow backyard – as a 6-1 underdog – and put on a masterclass to convince almost everyone he should be crowned 10st king.
Jack Catterall produced a stunning performance before being robbed against Josh Taylor
The Chorley fighter could not believe it when the Scot retained his world titles
But hapless judge Ian John-Lewis inexplicably scored it 114-111 to Taylor and Victor Loughlin – who did a great refereeing job last week when he saved Amir Khan – said 113-112 the same shocking way.
The entire Sky Sports commentary team was stunned, Catterall trainer Jamie Moore was left disgusted and considering his future in the sport and Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom admitted he was embarrassed and called for an inquest at the British Boxing Board of Control.
And Catterall – who waited two years for his mandatory crack at immortality – made the agony even worse with his emotional post-fight comments.
He said: “What hurts most is I didn’t do all this for me, I did it for my family, my team, my town and country. My baby girl and missus, our future.
“I should have been waking up with all of the belts. 15 months out of the ring, they all wrote me off. F***** me in every way possible for over two years, finally got the fight.
“I sacrificed everything to fight one of the top pound-for-pound ranked fighters and gave him a lesson. For what? Boxing shame on you. Judges. Dreams stolen.”
??????????! Josh Taylor vs Jack Catterall
pic.twitter.com/ziTzLWcy6c
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) February 27, 2022
Ex-stablemate and world champion Carl Frampton was sickened, raging: “I try to be honest and it is wrong, f****** wrong. Everyone ringside, Sky, BBC, everyone knows the wrong man got his hand raised.
“I sat five yeards behind one of the judges so what the f*** is he seeing that I am not? It is a f****** horrible game.
“The 114-11 card stinks. I know there are no backhanders or brown envelopes but what are these guys seeing that I don’t. I don’t get it. It is so frustrating.”
Nigel Travis – Catterall’s assistant trainer and long-serving fireman – was almost in tears.
He said: “It’s a f****** joke, an embarrassment. I respect most of the BBBofC officials but I am embarrassed for them.
“I am sure I will be pulled up by the board but they have cheated Jack Catterall out of a life-changing win.
“Two months ago he was working on the tools because he had gone so long without a fight. It’s bulls***. I will stand on my honour and say they have lied.”
‘LOAD OF S***’
After Taylor was schooled in the first half of the fight, cut around the right eye, dropped in round eight and deducted a point after the 11th, Taylor’s own trainer Ben Davison told him he needed a KO to win in the last round.
So heavyweight ace Dillian Whyte kept it short and simple by calling the outcome ‘disgusting’.
Peter Fury added: “Wow boxing’s just gone through the floor. What a disgraceful night for boxing. Feel for Jack Catterall and the whole team there.”
Liam Smith commented: “Big fan of Josh Taylor, that was disgusting.”
And Catterall took to Twitter just before 1am with an X-rated blast.
He wrote: “What a load of s***!”
Taylor was down on the canvas in the eighth round and was getting bullied in Glasgow
