Boxing Betting Tips: Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr

World honours beckon for Chorley super-lightweight Jack Catterall, providing he finds a way past California's Arnold Barboza Jr in Manchester on Saturday evening.

Our boxing tipster Brad Walker (@brad_TWalker) takes a closer look at the match-up to pick out where the value lies. 

Given that the WBO's interim title is on the line at the Co-Op Arena, the winner of this fight will at the very least be fighting for Teofimo Lopez's WBO world title next. 

In fact, doubts remain over whether Lopez's future is at 140lbs given recent reports suggesting a move up to welterweight is on the cards. 

Should that happen, either Catterall or Barboza would likely see themselves upgraded to full WBO champion, raising the stakes further for this weekend's clash.

Catterall's lengthy quest for a world title

England's Catterall heads into the bout on the back of four consecutive victories since his controversial split-decision loss to then undisputed champion Josh Taylor three years ago. 

Unanimous decision wins over Darragh Foley and Jorge Linares were followed by a return grudge match against Scotland's Taylor, who was soundly beaten over 12 rounds in May last year.

Catterall then disposed of former world champion Regis Prograis five months later, picking himself off the canvas in the fifth before dropping Prograis twice later on to secure another unanimous decision victory. 

Despite having only fought for world titles once, Catterall has more than left his mark on the world stage and is bitterly unlucky to still find himself chasing the status of world champion given the opponents already on his resume.

His wait could seen be over providing he does the business this weekend though, particularly if Lopez does indeed opt to move up to welterweight and vacate his WBO trinket at 140lbs.

Catterall impressed in his victory over Prograis back in October. (Photo credit: Alamy Images)

The unbeaten Barboza (31-0, 11KOs) will have something to say about any world title ambitions, mind. 

The 33-year-old also boasts victories over former world champions in Jose Pedraza and Jose Ramirez, though many felt Barboza was a tad fortunate to emerge with a split-decision win over Sean McComb in April last year. 

Nevertheless, the Californian sits first in the WBO's super-lightweight rankings (one place above Catterall in second) and is setting his own sights on world honours in the near future. 

Yet, despite his lofty ranking, Barboza is yet to fight over the 12-round distance prior to the weekend, posing some questions over his ability to last the full championship duration. 

Brad Walker's Jack Catterall vs Arnold Barboza Jr best bet

Both of these have impressive wins under their belt heading into this fight, but it's the manner in which Catterall has won which has also drawn praise. 

Most people felt he deserved the nod in his first fight with Taylor but there were no doubts over the outcome of their second meeting, which Catterall won by six rounds on two of the three judge's scorecards.

He also climbed off the canvas to drop Prograis to secure another wide victory on the cards against a man who, despite having seen better days, still held world titles on two separate occasions. 

Meanwhile, Barboza has beaten everyone put in front of him, it's hard to ignore the furore over his controversial win over Ireland's McComb 10 months ago. 

He was also a narrow winner over former beltholder Jose Ramirez in a 10-round fight to forget in November. 

Ultimately, the American has not yet shown enough to convince he can outbox the in-form Catterall over 12 rounds, particularly considering it will be his first time fighting over the championship distance. 

It's no surprise therefore to see the Englishman come in a comfortable 4/9 favourite, though backing him to win over the distance once again boosts this price to just shy of the even money mark.

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