Undis-Split-Ed: Josh Taylor edges Jack Catterall to retain junior welterweight title

“I started a little slow, but once I grabbed the momentum, I started catching him with the bigger shots. He was trying to spoil a lot. Going down and up a lot and clashing my head. He caught me with a couple of good shots. I’m not gonna lie to you. It wasn’t my best performance. I put a lot of pressure on myself with it being my homecoming. Been three years, first time since lockdown and all that. I put a lot of pressure on myself being the heavy favorite and it showed in the first half of the fight.

“Once I got my rhythm I started catching him with the bigger shots and catching him and catching him. It wasn’t my best performance, but I believe I got the win 100 percent. But Jack did very well.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to put on a good show for my home fans. But it didn’t matter in the end. I got the good result.

“I knew I won the fight. It was close. Overall I scored the bigger shots, the better shots, the more meaningful shots so I know I won the fight. It was a little bit close, but I know I won the fight.”

Ramirez Shines in Co-Feature

The last timeRobeisy Ramirez(9-1, 5 KOs) fought on British soil, at the 2012 London Olympics, he won the first of his two Olympic gold medals. His return was a triumphant one, as he knocked down Irish veteran Eric Donovan (14-2, 8 KOs) twice en route to a third-round stoppage. Ramirez scored a knockdown with a counter left in the opening round and closed the show with a pair of lefts.

Ramirez said, “It was an honor to fight in Scotland in front of the great fans. I wanted to put on a sensational performance, and I believe I did that. Eric Donovan came to fight, but I am motivated to become a world champion one day. I know I can contend for a featherweight world title very soon.”

In undercard action:

Welterweight: Paddy “Real Deal” Donovan (8-0, 6 KOs), the Irish sensation trained and managed by former world champion Andy Lee, picked apart Miroslav Serdan (13-9, 7 KOs) en route to a sixth-round TKO. Serban’s corner stopped the fight due to left ear injury 56 seconds into the round.

Donovan said, “I was comfortable in there, but he has a tight defense so I had to take my time and break him down. We knew he would be durable, and my jab made it easier to open up a bit. No complaints with this performance. We executed the game plan to perfection.”

Junior Lightweight: Top Rank prospect Kurt Walker, who won a 2019 European Games gold medal for Ireland, needed only 2:03 to knock out Jaroslav Hriadel (1-3) in his professional debut. Walker ended the fight by digging a left hook into Hriadel’s liver. Walker plans on campaigning as a featherweight.

Walker said, “I enjoyed it. It’s different whenever you’re fighting as an amateur. You’re in an airport for eight hours. I was able to chill out and feel the pressure of other fighters because they’re fighting big fights. I enjoyed it. It was like I was on holiday.”

Heavyweight: Nick Campbell (5-0, 5 KOs) won the battle of Scotland with a seventh-round stoppage over the impossibly game Jay McFarlane(12-6, 5 KOs). Campbell knocked down McFarlane with a right hand in the seventh, and after repeated flush right hands to the chin, the referee halted the beating later in the round.

Junior Middleweight: Top Rank-signed prospect Kieran Molloy, from Galway, Ireland, authored a second-round TKO in his pro debut over Spanish veteran Damian Esquisabel (4-8). Molloy, a southpaw, engaged from the opening bell until the referee saw fit to end the one-way traffic 33 seconds into the second after a pair of right hooks landed.

Junior Featherweight: Ebonie Jones(1-0-1) was held to a six-round draw against Scottish veteran Effie Kathopouli (4-3-1).

Light Heavyweight: In an all-Scottish battle, southpaw John Docherty (12-1, 9 KOs) picked up his third consecutive victory with a second-round stoppage over Jordan Grant (4-2). Docherty notched the KO with a left hand to Grant’s body.