Josh Taylor retained his status as undisputed light-welterweight world champion with a controversial split-decision victory against Jack Catterall in Glasgow.
The English challenger appeared to have upset Taylor in his first defence of all four belts.
Two of the three judges scored in favor of the Scots, who were knocked out in the eighth round.
The verdict was greeted with disbelief.
There was a loud noise after the decision was confirmed. How did Taylor escape with the belts?
The scorecards seemed to show that Catterall was the new undisputed super-lightweight champion. Taylor was dethroned in his own backyard.
Taylor fell far short of the lofty standards he set in his career, so why did he fall short? Was he exhausted from the weight? Did he have a good idea of the future fights?
Maybe Catterall is better than people think. The man who put in the performance of a lifetime, El Gato, will wonder how he is not now the man with all the options in the world.
Taylor's perfect record was extended to 19 wins as Catterall suffered his first loss in 27 bouts.
This was the first home fight for the 31-year-old since he captured his maiden world title against Ivan Baranchyk. Since then, the Tartan Tornado has faced stern tests against both Jose Ramirez and Regis Prograis.
Catterall stepped aside from his mandatory position to allow Taylor and Ramirez to have their shootout to become undisputed champion. He had a chance to claim all four light-welterweight belts.
The atmosphere inside the Hydro was electric as Taylor made his ring entrance, but any notion that Catterall was overwhelmed by the occasion was dispelled within 20 seconds as the Englishman hit Taylor back on his heels with a big overhand left.
Catterall had settled quicker, getting off a succession of stiff jabs, and Taylor was frustrated as he received two warnings for shots to the back of the head. Taylor responded with a solid hook that connected in the third round.
The Scot looked to impose himself in the fourth but Catterall landed cleanly towards the end of the round and was now involved in a serious examination.
In the fifth, when Taylor was caught flush with a beautiful left-right- left combination, the home crowd breathed a huge sigh of relief, and in the sixth, the distress signals were becoming obvious as a nasty cut opened up below Taylor's right eye.
This wasn't in the script. Catterall was boxing beautifully, his shots getting through almost at will and a shake of the head from Taylor after another crunching left connected with his face spoke volumes.
At the halfway stage, the challenger was leading and while Taylor was able to draw Catterall into close-quarter exchanges, the Englishman's left cross was still finding joy.
Taylor was sent to the canvas for the first time in his professional career after another stinging combination. He returned to his corner at the end of the eighth and the swelling under his eye looked worrying.
The champion landed his most meaningful shot of the fight early in the ninth with a big left hand and Catterall seemed to be taking a round off after banking a 10-8 in the previous
Taylor was chasing his opponent looking to close the distance as he searched for a way back into the fight, but the ramrod right jab of Catterall knocked him back on his heels in nearly every exchange. Catterall was docked a point for excessive holding, and another one-two snapped Taylor's head back.
The crowd roared to try and rouse their out-of-sorts hero as it became clear Taylor needed a big final two rounds to hold onto his titles, but a crunching uppercut from Catterall again caught the eye.
Taylor was deducted a point for an exchange after the bell, but Catterall was never likely to allow himself to walk onto a shot.
The judges split their scorecards and Taylor was still alive.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
