Catterall Defeats Eubank by Technical Decision After Head Clash
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Manchester, UK (July 6th, 2025)– Jack Catterall is the new World Boxing Association International and International Boxing Federation Inter-Continental World Welterweight champion. On July 5, 2025, Catterall scored a controversial seventh-round technical decision win over the previously undefeated Harlem Eubank, after a sixth-round clash of heads resulted in a nasty, bloody mess, at Manchester Arena, in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the main event of a nine bout card.
Catterall, 31-2 with 13 knockouts, Chorley, United Kingdom, in his welterweight debut, cut over the right eye, and Eubank, now 21-1 with nine knockouts, Brighton, United Kingdom, cut over the left eye, clashed heads on a clinch. Subsequently, a frustrated Catterall threw Eubank to the floor. Referee Bob Williams allowed the round to finish. Before the round finished, after the head clash, a corner man in the Catterall corner illegally wiped Catterall’s forehead blood off with a towel during the break in action.
Eubank, from the opening bell, appeared in top condition and used fancy footwork and body movement to attempt to confuse Catterall, to mostly no affect. The southpaw Catterall came forward and landed good left hands. The two combatants tumbled to the floor in the third round, an ominous sign of a clash in styles of what was to come. Eubank tried right hands and body shots, countered by Catterall left hands. Both men tumbled again to the canvas in the sixth round. As the clashes and clinches became more frustrating, the head clash occurred.
Both corners did good cut work between rounds, and the ringside doctor signaled the bout could continue, but when the bell sounded for the seventh round, referee Bob Williams waved the bout off for reasons of safety. A rematch could be in order, and Eubank stated after the bout he wanted one. However, promoter Eddie Hearn stated a rematch was not of interest. Catterall, who lost a 12 rounder to Josh Taylor for the World Lightweight title in 2022, then beat Taylor in a 12 round rematch in 2024, will have his work cut out for him ascending in the 146 pounds welterweight division. Technical scores were 69-66, 69-66 and 69-65 for Catterall in the bloody shortened bout.
“Respect to Harlem (Eubank). The fight was going the way I expected it to go. I was breaking him down. It’s not the way I wanted to win, but I’m happy to get back in the win column, and move on to the next chapter (of my career). I’m not saying it (the heads clash) was intentional, but as soon as I felt it go. I went straight back to the corner. I wanted to carry on. Of course, I did. The referee made the decision. It’s out of my control. I felt like Harlem rushed straight in. I needed to win tonight, and we did that.”
On the undercard, 12-2 Aberdeen super welterweight Fraser Wilkinson decked 8-0 Manchester southpaw William Crolla in the fifth round and stopped him at 1:07 of the sixth round in an upset. 18-1 Joe Cordina of Cardiff, Wales won the vacant WBO Lightweight title with a 10-round unanimous decision win over 17-2 Jared Gonzalez Quiroz of Monterrey, Leon, Mexico. 14-1 Cardiff lightweight Aquib Fiaz won a unanimous 10 round decision win over 13-2 Alex Murphy of Salford, United Kingdom. 13-1 former World Boxing Council Female World Lightweight champion, the southpaw Skye Nicholson, of Yatala, Australia, won a comeback bout, stopped 9-4 Carla Camilla Campos Gonzales of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, at 1:21 of the second round.
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