Catterall vs. Barboza Jr. Fight Results: Barboza Squeezes Out Split Decision Victory

Barboza had his best round of the night in the seventh when he landed two hard rights to Catterall’s body and followed up with two shots to the head that rattled his opponent. The 10th, like most of the fight, was a close one. Catterall thought he had sealed the deal when he seemingly dropped Barboza with a left to the body. The referee, Steve Gray, however, ruled that Barboza had tripped on Catterall’s foot and ruled it as a slip.

To his credit, Catterall never gave up. But in the 12th round, he got a little careless, and Barboza stunned him with a looping right hand. Both men traded jabs as the final bell rung.

The win could have major implications for Barboza, who is now the mandatory challenger to Teofimo Lopez and his WBO 140-pound title. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean Barboza will get a shot at Lopez. Sanctioning body politics are often convoluted, and Teo tends to do his own thing anyway. We’ll have to wait and see if that fight actually happens. Barboza also indicated that he isn’t sure what’s next but will rely on his team to make the next decision.

Catterall had no quarrels with the decision and, in an incredible display of sportsmanship, said he would be cheering for Barboza to snag his first world title. “Tricky fight, close fight, no arguments. Congratulations to Barboza. I thought I’d just done enough in there tonight, but that wasn’t good enough,” Catterall said. “I just want to see him go on now and fight for the world title, hopefully he beats Teo. Straight back to the gym for me; we’ll be back.”