Taylor has eye injury; Catterall rematch May 25

The Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall rematch has been postponed … again.

Taylor suffered an injury that forced him to withdraw from the April 27 return bout vs. Catterall in Leeds, England, sources told ESPN. Taylor-Catterall 2 is expected to be rescheduled as soon as late May, a bout that will be streamed on ESPN+ stateside and on DAZN in the U.K.

This is the third time the rematch has been postponed.

When they met in Scotland in February 2022, Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) retained his undisputed junior welterweight championship with a controversial split-decision victory over Catterall, who entered the ring as a major underdog.

Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) dropped Taylor in Round 8 and cut him over the left eye. The decision led to more bad blood between Scotland’s Taylor and England’s Catterall, who signed on for an immediate rematch that has been postponed two times.

Taylor-Catterall 2 was set for February 2023 before a scheduling conflict delayed the bout last March. Then, Taylor suffered a torn plantar fascia, which seemed to doom the bout for good.

Rather than reschedule the rematch, Taylor signed on to defend his lineal 140-pound championship against Teofimo Lopez in June in New York, a fight where Taylor was soundly defeated via decision. The decision to forgo the rematch further exacerbated the personal issues between Taylor and Catterall.

“I’ve wanted this fight since the moment the scorecards got read out in Glasgow,” Catterall said last month. “A few people say ‘move on Jack’, and that’s easy to say to when you’re not in my position. I get asked every day of my life multiple times a day, ‘when are you fighting Taylor again?’ This isn’t about belts, this is personal to me, and I can’t wait to get my hands on him. I don’t like him, I don’t respect him and … I’m going to end him.”

The 33-year-old Taylor — who vacated three of his four titles to proceed with the Catterall rematch — said after the Lopez defeat that he planned to move up to 147 pounds. But this fight with Catterall will again be contested at the 140-pound limit even with no title on the line.

Catterall, 30, has fought twice since that lone title challenge, victories last year over Darragh Foley and former champion Jorge Linares, who retired after Catterall outpointed him.

Taylor’s only fight since the win over Catterall came against Lopez, his first pro defeat.

“I’ve never run from anyone in my life, especially not Jack Catterall,” Taylor said last month. “He has spent the last two years running from promoter to promoter while living off my name. Jack should be careful what he wishes for because he’s getting battered.”