Jack Catterall Sets Sights on Teofimo Lopez After Arnold Barboza Jr Bout

Jack Catterall remains focused on securing another world title opportunity, expressing his desire to face WBO super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez in the near future.

The 31-year-old British boxer is set to face Arnold Barboza Jr this Saturday in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing card at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena. Despite the challenge posed by the undefeated Barboza (31-0, 11 KOs), Catterall is confident in his ability to claim the vacant WBO interim belt.

Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) is coming off an impressive victory over Regis Prograis, where he dominated the former two-time world champion and secured a wide points decision. Prior to that, he avenged his controversial loss to Josh Taylor, further demonstrating his versatile skill set.

While Catterall acknowledges the importance of maintaining focus on Barboza, who himself is coming off a career-best win against Jose Ramirez, the Chorley native sees this fight as a potential stepping stone to bigger opportunities.

The winner of Saturday’s bout will be well-positioned to challenge Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) for the WBO title, although the champion has shown little interest in facing either fighter. However, there’s a possibility that the title could become vacant if Lopez decides to relinquish his belt.

At the pre-fight press conference, Catterall stated, “I must stay completely focused on Arnold. However, we understand the business side of things, and looking beyond Saturday, there are numerous exciting matchups to be made. Lopez holds the WBO title, and I hope that fight can materialize in the future.”