Boxing expert Chris Oliver has been in fine form of late and returns with three bets for a big night of action on Saturday.
Boxing betting tips: Catterall vs Barboza Jr
3pts Zelfa Barrett to win by stoppage at 6/4 (Ladbrokes)
2pts Jack Catterall to win by unanimous decision at 13/10 (bet365)
1pt Reece Bellotti to win by decision at 2/1 (General)
The wait for an overdue world title shot continues for Jack Catterall, who has the stern test of Arnold Barboza Jr to pass in Manchester on Saturday night.
Despite two big wins in 2024, Catterall has another hoop to jump through before fighting for a belt again and the unbeaten Barboza represents yet another tough assignment.
The good news is that this contest is now for the WBO interim world super lightweight title, meaning the winner will be ordered to face Teofimo Lopez or, as looks likely, they will be upgraded to champion if Lopez vacates for a move up to welterweight.
Headlining the Co-op Live Arena for second consecutive outing, local lad Catterall is a 4/9 favourite to give the home fans something to cheer about but the visitor, who can be backed at 9/4, won’t give up his perfect record without a fight.
There are plenty of similarities between the pair, having both had 31 fights with all of their recent wins coming on points, and they each recorded big wins last time out.
Barboza arrives on the back of a career-best victory over former unified champion Jose Ramirez via a close, but unanimous, decision in November, although the latter looked a shadow of his former self that night.
The American brings a perfect record to the table but is lucky to be doing so, as most observers felt he was very fortunate to be awarded a split decision over Sean McComb last April.
Conversely, Catterall has one loss on his CV, but most people feel he should be unbeaten, with his now-infamous split decision loss to Josh Taylor three years ago still being talked about as one of the biggest controversies in recent years.
The Chorley native gained revenge over Taylor with a clear decision last May, before twice dropping another former champion in Regis Prograis en route to a unanimous verdict at this same arena in October.
Catterall has the edge
Always working behind a strong and effective jab, Catterall is a smart fighter who controls the distance very well and shows great patience, which regularly pays off as he makes his opponents walk on to hard counters. He is also tough to hit cleanly, as he tucks up nicely behind his shoulder-roll defence and presents a small target to aim at.
Technically very sound, Barboza puts his punches together smartly and has an array of shots in his arsenal. He can undoubtedly have success here when up close, but he may have trouble getting into range as his feet aren’t as quick as his hands and he doesn’t cut off the ring too well.
They look evenly matched on paper but there are a couple of big factors that point me in the direction of Catterall coming out on top here.
Firstly, despite being the older man at 33, Barboza has yet to compete in a contest scheduled for the championship distance of 12 rounds. He has been 10 rounds on each of his last eight outings, but Catterall has the experience of doing the full 12 on plenty of occasions and that could prove vital at the business end. That is also a reflection of the level Barboza has been fighting at and there is a lack of top-class opponents on his record, whereas Catterall has generally been mixing in better company.
Moreover, I think Barboza’s fight with McComb could be a big clue for this contest. Like Catterall, McComb is a southpaw who boxed Barboza on the back foot and the latter not only had real problems closing the distance but was regularly tagged with clean counters when he did and that all bodes well for the home fighter this weekend.
Their combined last 15 contests have all gone the distance, so it’s no surprise to see a best price of 1/3 about us hearing the final bell. With experience and home advantage on his side, I believe that winner on the scorecards will be Catterall, and that outcome is a best price of 4/5. For those looking to bump the odds up, I think Catterall by unanimous decision at 13/10 may be the way to go.
Catterall’s style is proving a very tough one to beat and, in what is becoming a familiar theme, his style could be all wrong for his opponent here.
Bellotti finally gets a crack at Gomez Jnr
On the undercard of Catterall versus Prograis last year, Reece Bellotti’s scheduled defence of his British and Commonwealth super featherweight belts against Michael Gomez Jnr was called off at the 11th hour when the latter was taken ill in the changing room.
In a clip that went viral, Bellotti didn’t hold back in his reaction interview and now they finally get to settle their bad blood in a fight that could well steal the show. Both men like to throw plenty of leather and are usually in exciting contests, with this one unlikely to be any different.
Bellotti (4/6) is enjoying a real Indian summer and has looked rejuvenated since losing four out of five outings between late 2018 and the summer of 2021. They came in hot company against the likes of Jordan Gill and subsequent world champion Ray Ford, though, and he has shown his experience back on the domestic scene with five straight victories.
After handing Aqib Fiaz his first loss 16 months ago to claim the Commonwealth strap, Bellotti did the same to British champion Liam Dillon (UD) and then widely outpointed Levi Giles when last seen in July. That is the same Giles who pushed Gomez very hard over 10 rounds a couple of years ago, but that doesn’t mean this will be easy for the champion.
There is sure to be plenty of support for Manchester-based Gomez (13/8), as was the case when he stopped Kane Baker in six rounds in his home city 10 months ago. The noisy crowd could spur Gomez on to a big performance, but Bellotti is a marked step up from Baker, who was 19-10-2 at the time.
The champion has all the experience and pedigree here, having mixed in much better company and he arrives in fine form to boot. Once all about his punching power, ‘Bomber’ Bellotti is a much more rounded fighter these days and has displayed his boxing ability more often of late. It should be exciting and there may be some tough moments for Bellotti, but I fancy him to register a third decision victory on the bounce at 2/1.
CLICK HERE to back Bellotti to win by decision with Sky Bet
Barrett the best bet on Saturday
The north-west derby between Zelfa Barrett and James ‘Jazza’ Dickens could be all about timing, which should favour the former.
Dickens (34-5) arguably has the bigger wins to his name but he’s beginning to show the signs of a long, hard career now and that is reflected in his price of 10/1 (as short as 5/1). Barrett (31-2) is only two years younger but looks much the fresher fighter in this 10-rounder and his odds of 2/13 may seem short on paper but could prove very fair in the ring.
Having won all three since performing so well in his world title defeat to Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov in late 2022, Barrett arrives on the back of a big stoppage victory over the aforementioned Gill, who was fresh from a career-best win over Michael Conlan. That was competitive early doors before the sharper and faster shots of the ‘Brown Flash’ began to have a serious effect and it could be a similar story here.
Four of Dickens’ five defeats have come by stoppage and his last two losses have been the kind that put serious miles on the clock. He was a bloody mess when retired by his corner after 11 rounds of his IBF featherweight title challenge against Kid Galahad in the summer of 2021, and he was out for quite a while when Hector Sosa switched his lights out with one punch in alarming fashion in July 2023.
Dickens’ two wins against journeymen last year told us very little and, now up at super featherweight, he could find Barrett too big. I expect the quicker Barrett to find his range early and begin to land hard and often, before handing the underdog his fifth stoppage defeat at 6/4.
CLICK HERE to back Barrett to win by stoppage with Sky Bet
Posted at 1255 GMT on 14/02/25
Catterall vs Barboza Jr: Big fight details and TV coverage
- When and where: Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, February 15
- Start time: Undercard 1900 GMT, Main Event approx 2200 GMT
- TV channel: DAZN Sports