There were times during the pandemic when Jack Catterall and trainer Jamie Moore would toil in the VIP Gym on the outskirts of Manchester, UK.
There was no hustle, no bustle – just a fighter hoping to reach world level and a trainer showing up for no money with the belief that his investment of time into the Chorley, UK, boxer would eventually pay dividends for them both.
The busy days of the gym being packed with Carl Frampton, Rocky Fielding and others were no more, and it was Catterall and Moore who worked in comparative silence.
It all nearly paid off until Catterall was hard-done by on the scorecards against Josh Taylor, but that decision cost Catterall a life-changing bounty and the undisputed title at 140lbs, and meant his search for boxing’s most lucrative fights would endure.
Now Catterall is the elder statesman in the gym, with the child-like combo of Dave Allen and Pat Brown behind him – and a slew of young prospects.
“I feel like the gym’s been through a cycle, like with many boxing gyms,” Catterall told BoxingScene. “When I first joined, I think it was 2017, there was quite a lot of established fighters – Rocky Fielding, Martin Murray, Tommy Coyle, Carl Frampton, etc.
“So that was good for as long as that lasted. And in that time frame, you’ve got a lot of younger fighters joining the gym. And certainly over this last year, I feel like there was a period where a lot of the names that I mentioned have retired. And I felt like there was a lot of days that there was just me, Jamie and Nigel [Travis, Moore’s No. 2] – especially through that lockdown period – where things were frustrating, but we kept chipping away. And over this last year, you would say the gym’s probably a brand-new gym. There’s a lot of fighters in there now, a lot of young fighters, and I feel like one of the older ones.”
Since those lonesome days, Catterall has had numerous high-profile bouts, with the likes of Jorge Linares, Taylor (twice), Regis Prograis and, in a defeat earlier this year, Arnold Barboza Jnr.
Catterall remains desperate for a world title win, so he is not yet logged as one of the better British fighters never to win a world title – like his trainer Moore, a former European junior middleweight titleholder who never got a shot at the big-time.
“That’s got to be first and foremost,” Catterall said.
“And I understand the position I’m in, coming off a defeat to Barboza, but I’m still confident that between 140 and 147 over this next year, I’m going to get myself in a position to win a world title.”
His fight on Saturday, against Harlem Eubank in Manchester, is at 147lbs and is his first significant contest at the weight, but he can and will move back down for the right fights.
Had he beaten Barboza, Catterall, rather than the American, might have moved into the Times Square fight with Teofimo Lopez Jnr – or at least parlayed the win into another big night.
“It’s so frustrating, but I guess you can’t cry over spilt milk,” Catterall said.
“That’s part of my journey, part of the process. Over the last 18 months, I’ve had good momentum from Darragh Foley, Linares, Taylor, Prograis, going into the Barboza fight. And I guess I was kind of in that position where it’s just, get through this one, just get through this one. And I didn’t perform, didn’t beat him. No excuses made. It wasn’t my night. I’ve got to be better. So we’re back to the drawing board, and I’m excited for this challenge. I don’t think Barboza was, like, dominant or over-impressive. It felt like he was nicking rounds. I put it down to myself not performing, whether that was one thing or a number of things. It didn’t happen for me that night. I stewed on it for a couple of weeks, got back in the gym, and I’m out there to make a statement on Saturday and remind people that I am a force at 140, 147 and I’m coming for it.”
Regardless of what is next, Eubank comes first, and Catterall admits he hasn’t done too much scouting of his opponent beyond watching fights against common foes in Timo Schwarzkopf and Tyrone McKenna.
Eubank had favorable results against both, but Catterall boxed them first – years earlier – taking McKenna’s unbeaten record at the time.
“It’s business for me and it’s an important fight for me on Saturday,” Catterall said. “One, I need to go out and dominate, and that’s what I intend to do. As far as Harlem’s concerned, I know it’s his opportunity to get in the picture for bigger fights. … We met a couple of weeks back now in Manchester – we did a roundtable [interview]. There was no trash-talking. I think we both understand the challenge ahead. I guess, in a way, I probably gave him the blueprint [for Schwarzkopf and McKenna], but we’re talking about a fighter in McKenna who had retired, who’d been quite vocal and he’d not been firing 100 per cent on all cylinders and he’d come back and that was his last fight.”
Boxing might have gradually started to phase out the gravitas attached to unbeaten records in recent years, so the loss at a high level to Barboza for Catterall was not the end of the world. But consecutive defeats would alter the complexion of his trajectory entirely, and he understands how perilous that position is.
But Catterall’s diligence in his preparation means he is not nervous ahead of a crucial bout.
“I’m confident, but in the back of my mind, I know that I’ve got to go and leave it all out there,” he said. “I’ve got to go and put the performance on because, not even if I don’t win in a great fashion, people are going to say X, Y and Z. So, I’ve got to go out there and be dominant and show them what I’m about.”
Should he win, then claim a title and then make a defense or two, Catterall’s bank balance heading into retirement will look far different, and that is something he is aware of, too.
After the loss to Taylor, it must have felt like he had lost a winning lottery ticket, as he could have been defending the undisputed 140lbs crown had the decision gone his way. A loss to Eubank, and he slides back down boxing’s board of snakes and ladders.
“Of course, and I’ve been conscious of that for some years now and I’ve got a great wife and a great family, and we’re sensible and we’re realistic and we’ve been putting plans in place for well over a couple of years, and being wise and being smart with money that we’ve earned from fights,” Catterall said.
Catterall also knows that there is a life outside of and after boxing, and he has been making plans for the next step. He has his seconds’ license to start with.
“Boxing has been a massive part of my life, and if there’s lessons and teachings that I can pass on, whether that be in a boxer trainer role and a manager role, I’d like to keep my hand in there, definitely,” he said. “These are all things you’ve got to take in consideration. I’ve got a young family, I’m expecting a baby in a couple of months, so you’ve got to have a plan in place. I’ve got a great support network of not just family members, but externally, so we’re kind of putting plans into place. I’m realistic. I know boxing doesn’t last forever. I’m 32. I know I can give it a good go for probably a couple more years.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, is on The Ring ratings panel and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
