Arnold Barboza Jr edged a split decision win over Jack Catterall today in Manchester, England, claiming the interim WBO super lightweight title and staying undefeated with the victory.
Barboza (32-0, 11 KO) took two cards of 115-113, and Catterall (30-2, 13 KO) got the same 115-113 score on the third card. Bad Left Hook unofficially scored it 115-113 for Barboza, who was on the road and the slight underdog going in.
It was not a fireworks-laden affair to say the least, which was also not a surprise, as the fight matched a pair of skilled craftsmen against one another, and it became a bout more about picking spots and trying to score points than any sustained offense or big exchanges.
The 33-year-old Barboza felt he’d won even clearer, but didn’t throw any shade toward the judges or Catterall, and said he hoped he’d picked up some fans in Manchester.
“I honestly didn’t have it that close, I thought I won more rounds, but it’s his backyard,” Barboza said, adding that he’s not sure what’s next, but knows his team will be working on it quickly.
The clear option is WBO titleholder Teofimo Lopez, but that will depend, as everyone knows, on what Lopez actually wants to do.
Barboza and Catterall did show a lot of respect for one another, and Catterall said he’ll be rooting for Barboza to go on and win the full WBO title.
“Tricky fight, close fight, no arguments. Congratulations to Barboza. I thought I’d just done enough in there tonight, but that wasn’t good enough,” Catterall said. “I just want to see him go on now and fight for the world title, hopefully he beats Teo. Straight back to the gym for me, we’ll be back.”
Undercard results
- Reece Bellotti pretty well dominated rival Michael Gomez Jr, forcing a corner stoppage after nine rounds. Gomez (21-2, 6 KO) was down in the fifth and eighth rounds, and just could not keep pace with Bellotti (20-5, 15 KO), who retains the British and Commonwealth super featherweight titles. Gomez was game, but never really too competitive after the opening round, with Bellotti’s tempo too much, and Gomez was just too easy for Bellotti to hit. Gomez wasn’t happy about the stoppage, but it was probably the right call. He had no real path to victory.
- Pat McCormack turned in a dominant performance in an on-paper “step-up fight” against veteran Robbie Davies Jr, scoring three knockdowns before Davies was pulled after the sixth round. McCormack (7-0, 5 KO) turns 30 this summer and will probably be looking to get a move on this year in a welterweight division that does have room for a lot of new blood, to say the very least, and he passed this test, whatever it was really worth, with flying colors.
- Jazza Dickens handed Zelfa Barrett a major setback in the latter’s quest to get back to a world title shot, scoring a win by unanimous decision in their 10-round super featherweight showdown. Dickens (35-5, 14 KO) can count this one among his very best wins, really, and it puts the 33-year-old southpaw closer to the conversation at 130 lbs. Barrett, 31, has never quite broken through and it really just doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. He’s been right on that cusp a couple times, but you have to wonder if it’s really there for him, or if he winds up a guy we remember as just a crucial bit less than the sum of his parts. But it was a good fight, well-matched, and Dickens earned the win. Scores were 96-94, 97-93, and 97-93.