It’s official: Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr will meet in a WBO super lightweight eliminator on February 15 in Manchester, England.
Catterall (30-1, 13 KO) is coming off of a dominant decision win over Regis Prograis in October, while Barboza (31-0, 11 KO) had sort of a down-and-up year in 2024, struggling to an arguable gift win over Sean McComb in April before earning a very strong victory over Jose Ramirez on Nov. 16.
“I’ve got a great fight in Barboza. I’m glad he finally found his pen,” Catterall said. “I’m not overlooking him, but I’m ready to smash him to pieces to cement my spot for the WBO world title. I’m geared up for this one.”
“I’m truly excited to do what I do best and make it a meaningful win,” Barboza said.
It’s a matchup of two guys who, at their best, are fundamentally strong and good, tactical boxers, and may be one of those fights where those skill sets match up to provide more action than you might expect on the surface. If Catterall, 31, and Barboza, 33, are operating in top form on the night, they’re going to make each other work and think and try to figure out how to impose their wills.
The show will stream on DAZN, which is set to be the case for almost all boxing soon enough.