Josh Taylor heads home to Scotland to defend the undisputed junior welterweight title against undefeated Jack Catterall on Feb. 26, 2022. Let's examine this eagerly anticipated bout, beginning with the latest betting odds.

Taylor comes home for title defense

Taylor begins his run as the undisputed junior welterweight champion with a hometown defense, where an emphatic crowd will be ready to greet him. The Scot is one of boxing’s best fighters, most recently beating Jose Ramirez to become the undisputed champion, and he has fought at an impressively high level considering the current stage of his career.

All signs point to Taylor reaching even higher accolades, especially as he possesses an impressive mix of speed, power, and technique. He does not sacrifice power for speed and is very calculating when executing his offense.

Catterall is taking a big step up in class

Though he boasts a glossy record, Catterall hasn’t done much to suggest he’s ready for the challenge Taylor presents. He’s certainly better than the regional level opponents he’s faced, but he hasn’t shown much to indicate he’s on the verge of standing out as a top-tier fighter.

The southpaw carries decent pop and doesn’t rush when he feels he’s in control. He showed both power and poise defeating Abderrazak Houya in November 2020, but will have to shake off close to 16 months of rust if he wants to spring a massive upset.

An energized Taylor will dominate Catterall

George Kambosos Jr. faced similar circumstances regarding a perceived gap of experience and class when he fought Teofimo Lopez last November, but he rose to the occasion and scored an unlikely upset. Parallels will be drawn here, but Taylor isn’t a headcase like Lopez, and Catterall is facing his first test against a top opponent.

Taylor boasts advantages in height and reach over Catterall, who may only get a few rounds in thanks to being a southpaw. Once Taylor gets set in his offense and starts letting his hands go, Catterall will be done for.

With potential bouts at 147 lbs on his radar, Taylor isn’t going to endure a setback. Though it isn’t impossible, there isn’t much that Catterall brings to the table. There’s a chance Taylor will carry Catterall at least to the middle part of the fight, but don’t expect him to play with his food for too long. Taylor wins by KO.

Boxing free pick: Taylor