Arnold Barboza Jr. Edges Jack Catterall in Split Decision
Arnold Barboza Jr. defeated Jack Catterall by split decision on February 15, 2025, at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. The 12-round contest was for the WBO interim junior welterweight title. Two judges scored it 115-113 for Barboza; the third scored 115-113 for Catterall. Barboza left the United Kingdom with the belt and an unbeaten record, while Catterall absorbed only the second loss of his professional career.
A close, tactical title fight
The two men spent much of the night working through a measured, tactical contest. Barboza pressed forward and looked to make his combinations count, while Catterall used movement and counters to create his own scoring chances. The fight offered few easy stretches: both had to manage distance, defend carefully and look for openings over the full 12 rounds. The close cards reflected how difficult it was to separate them round by round.
Barboza was fighting in front of Catterall’s home crowd, and the American acknowledged the Manchester fans after the decision. The win earned him the interim WBO belt and a mandatory position in the junior welterweight picture. It also ended Catterall’s long winning run after his 2024 revenge victory over Josh Taylor. The scorecards were narrow enough to underline the competitive nature of the bout, while still giving Barboza the official victory.
What followed
Barboza’s interim-title opportunity led to a full world-title fight with WBO champion Teofimo Lopez. Lopez won their May 2025 bout by unanimous decision, handing Barboza his first professional defeat. Barboza returned in March 2026, moved up to welterweight and beat Kenneth Sims Jr. by unanimous decision in Anaheim. That result put him at 33-1 and gave him a WBO Global title at 147 pounds.
Catterall also returned to the ring after the Manchester loss. In July 2025, he beat Harlem Eubank by unanimous technical decision after an accidental clash of heads forced the fight to the scorecards. The Barboza bout therefore became an important turning point for both men: it gave Barboza a route to a world-title challenge and sent Catterall into a rebuilding phase after another close fight at the top level.
For Barboza, Manchester was a road win in a competitive fight, decided by narrow scorecards that secured the interim title and advanced him to a world-title challenge. It remains a defining bout in his move from long-time contender to world-title challenger, even though his later move to welterweight has since changed the division he competes in.
Sources: WBO result and scorecards; The Ring’s fight report; The Ring on Lopez–Barboza; The Ring on Barboza’s welterweight debut; The Ring on Catterall’s return.
Sources
Tags: MMA
