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WBO President Gustavo Oliveiri has confirmed that the fight between #1 Arnold Barboza Jr. and No. 2 Jack Catterall will be for the interim WBO light welterweight title when they meet on February 15 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Olivieri says this move is being made because of the “uncertainty about Teofimo López’s career”. 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 out his contract with Top Rank promoters, causing even more uncertainty about his career. Some believe their actions sabotage it and will ruin what remains.
The winner of the Catterall vs. Barboza Jr. fight. he will face Teofimo if he decides to take the match. That’s a big yes.
Barboza Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) has a good chance of defeating Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) if he fights like he did in his recent 10-round unanimous decision win over former unified light welterweight champion Jose Ramirez on November 16.
Arnold looked impressive in that fight, using a powerful jab, good one-two combinations and, at times, the ability to hook the former champion.
1/ In light of the uncertainty surrounding Teofimo López’s career, it is in the best interest of boxing and the 140-pound division to recommend to #WBO Championship Cmte. that Barboza/Catterall be sanctioned for the interim and mandatory title subject to specific conditions and terms
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) January 10, 2025
Matchroom-promoted Catterall has turned his career around, winning four in a row 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-pound champion Regis Prograis by a 12-round decision.
Some fans see Catterall as a poor man’s Shakur Stevenson, as he has the same hit-and-miss style of approach. Catterall backs off after throwing punches and does a lot of holding to nullify his opponents attack. He’s not entertaining to watch, but his style works for him. It might not be against Barboza Jr, but he has the home court advantage.
So there is a chance that he will win if he is close. In terms of talent, Barboza Jr. he is over the top and should win easily. Fighting on Catterall’s turf makes it difficult to predict.
