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Jack Catterall vs. Arnold Barboza Jr.: Keys to victory for both fighters
Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. will engage in a life-changing fight Saturday night when they vie for the interim WBO super lightweight world championship at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, and live on DAZN, and for the right to become the mandatory challenger to WBO titleholder Teofimo Lopez.
With the stakes ultra high between Catterall (30-1, 13 knockouts) and Barboza (30-0, 11 KOs), DAZN News lists the keys to victory for both fighters.
Jack Catterall’s keys to victory
Mark Robinson / Matchroom Boxing
Dictate the pace
Of Jack Catterall's four-fight win streak, three victories came over former world champions in Jose Linares, Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis. Through it all, Catterall has been brilliant at dictating the pace and being the aggressor.
Many even felt Catterall took it to Taylor enough during their first clash in February 2022 and he shouldn't have the sole blemish on his ledger due to a controversial split-decision loss.
Knowing when to put his foot on the pedal against Barboza will be key.
Barboza has the tools to keep Catterall off of him, but with the interim WBO title on the line and a mega bout with the WBO titleholder Teofimo Lopez at stake, Catterall must be unrelenting.
Punch in traffic
Part of Catterall being relentless could force the necessity to be willing to punch in traffic and even walk through Barboza’s blows if it means he gets to unleash his power.
Catterall used that power to drop Regis Prograis twice. The general consensus heading into this fight is Catterall has the power that Barboza lacks, so it’s up to the former to prove that notion correct.
Being willing to take one to land something devastating might be what the bout calls for situationally.
Unload with the left hand
The buildup to this fight had Barboza boasting that Catterall has nothing more than a left hand to his repertoire.
Well, that left hand is thunderous as Prograis found out in October. Catterall detonated the shot to swivel Prograis’ jaw and make him taste the canvas twice in the ninth round en route to a unanimous decision.
If he finds a home with his left hand against Barboza, Catterall could very well continue his hot streak and line up the fight against Lopez.
Arnold Barboza Jr.'s keys to victory
Dave Thompson / Matchroom Boxing
Poke Catterall with the jab
Barboza possesses a pesky, prodding jab which could disrupt Catterall’s forward-fighting flow. That is if Barboza makes the Chorley man respect that stick.
Not only does Barboza need to pump the jab to throw Catterall off rhythm but he needs to use it as a distraction toward launching the slicing combinations that he’s capable of piecing together with quickness.
Use a left to start combinations
Watch Catterall closely and you’ll spot his tendency to lower the right hand while looking for offense. In doing that, the southpaw leaves the right side of his face vulnerable.
The guard is so lax on the right side that Prograis was able to use a simple power jab to force Catterall’s glove to the canvas in a knockdown.
That could bode well for Barboza to exploit, especially considering the Long Beach, California native’s penchant for launching rapid-fire combinations.
If Barboza can find a home with his left hand to start those combinations and finish them with a scraping right, he could very well scrap his way to banking rounds.
Don't leave any doubts
This fight marks Barboza’s first in Manchester and just his second outside of the United States. It is going to be a pro Catterall crowd which is going to be hostile toward Barboza.
Whether it means boxing and using his sweet science skills or fighting and scrapping it out, Barboza is going to have to be convincing in everything he does to win the biggest fight of his life. That could mean hitting Catterall cleanly, getting the better of exchanges and producing an eye-catching flurry at the end of rounds.
If his brimming confidence during DAZN’s Live Face-Off was any indication, Barboza is up to the task of proving naysayers wrong. Now, it’s just about him doing it.
