WBO President Gustavo Oliveiri has confirmed that the fight between #1 Arnold Barboza Jr. and #2 Jack Catterall will be up for the WBO interim light welterweight title when they meet on February 15th at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Olivieri says this step is made because of the “uncertainty about Teofimo Lopez’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’s promoters, causing further uncertainty about his career. Some believe his actions are sabotaging it and will ruin what remains.
The Catterall vs. Barboza Jr. fight winner will face Teofimo if he chooses to take the bout. It’s a big ass.
Barboza Jr. (31-0, 11 KOs) has a good chance to defeat 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 Nov. 16 .
Arnold looked impressive in that fight, with a powerful jab, good one-two combinations and, at times, the ability to grapple with the former champion.
1/ In light of the uncertainty surrounding Teofimo Lopez’s career, it is in the best interest of boxing and the 140 lbs division, and recommends #WBO Championship Cmte. that Barboza/Catterall be approved for the interim title and is mandatory subject to specific conditions and time frame
— Gustavo Olivieri, Esq. (@OlivieriLaw) January 10, 2025
Matchroom-promoted Catterall has turned his career around and won four in a row since losing to Jack Catterall in 2022. In May 2024, he avenged his loss to Taylor, winning a close 12-round unanimous decision. Last October, he defeated former two-time 140-lb champion Regis Prograis by a 12-round decision.
Some fans consider Catterall a poor man’s Shakur Stevenson because he has the same style of hitting and no-hitting approach. Catterall backs off after throwing punches and does a lot of clinching to nullify his opponents offense. He’s not entertaining to watch, but his style works for him. It might not be against Barboza Jr, but he has the home-field advantage.
So there’s a chance he’ll win if it’s close. Talent-wise, Barboza Jr. levels above and should win easily. Fighting on Catterall’s home turf makes it challenging to predict.
