An emotional Jack Catterall said "I am the happiest man in the world" after a comprehensive victory over Shakhram Giyasov to capture the WBA "regular" welterweight title in Egypt on Saturday.
Catterall, who knocked his opponent down in Round 1 with a big left hand, won by unanimous decision with the judges scoring it 118-109, 119-108, 116-111 after an arguably career-best performance from the Brit in front of the Pyramids of Giza.
Catterall (32-2, 14 KOs) is now in line to fight WBA "super" champion Rolando "Rolly" Romero next.
In what was highlighted as a potential fight of the night with so much on the line in Giza, Catterall hardly put a foot wrong, dropping Giyasov (17-1, 10 KOs) early. He never looked back and established himself as a real threat at 147 pounds.
Catterall worked his right jab with good effect, but it was his left hand which caused the damage, as Giyasov's nose started to bleed in Round 6. Catterall was, however, in complete control by at least Round 5, moving in with good right-left combinations and dictating the pace of the bout.
Uzbek Giyasov, who was unbeaten heading into the fight, never found his rhythm and when he did land, Catterall usually had a good response, using exceptional movement and footwork to keep out of harms way throughout the technical fight. Catterall was never overawed and refused to get carried away despite his dominant performance.
Giysov had success, especially in Rounds 4 and 11 when he tried to let his hands go more, but Catterall remained composed.
Having been denied a world title in 2022 with a controversial points defeat to Josh Taylor, Catterall is now on the cusp of fighting for a full belt once more
"I am the happiest man in the world," Catterall said in the ring after the bout.
"I just want to give a lot of credit to Shakhram. He's been out the ring for over a year, he's had personal stuff going on. What a fighter, what a man. It's been respect all week. I knew what he was about. I wasn't going to be denied tonight. It was going to happen.
"Third fight at welterweight. I feel strong, I feel good. I'm just buzzing."
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Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said Catterall would be ready to fight Romero sooner than the 180 day cut-off period which will be ordered by the WBA.
"He's [Catterall] got a portion of that world championship ... We want the full portion. Thank you to [WBA president] Gilberto Mendoza who put the order out that the winner of this fight must fight Rolly Romero in 180 days," Hearn said.
"Why wait 180 days? 90 sounds better. "He [Catterall] deserves it. He's ducked nobody. Every opponent we've put in front of him, [he's] said yes every time. Nobody wanted to fight Giyasov, especially Rolly Romero who avoided that fight for nearly a year.
"Jack stepped up, becomes regular world champion tonight and next up will be a shot at the super championship."
