Jack Catterall Says Devin Haney Fight ‘Wasn’t Going To Happen’

Asked if defeating Giyasov was the biggest victory of his career, Catterall pointed to the significance of the fight and how it altered his position in the welterweight division.

“I would say so. Closely followed by the Taylor rematch,” Catterall said to InsideRingShow. “It was right up there for me. We was going there in the WBO route. We was chasing Devin Haney. It wasn’t going to happen. So we jumped at the chance to fight Shakhram. And what an event. What a fighter. I loved every minute of it.”

The comments offer a glimpse into how Catterall’s career changed course over the past year. Haney had become one of the leading names at welterweight after moving up from junior welterweight, while Catterall was attempting to position himself for a title opportunity.

Instead, he accepted a dangerous fight against Giyasov on the Oleksandr Usyk-Rico Verhoeven undercard in Egypt. The gamble paid off. Catterall defeated Giyasov and captured the WBA regular welterweight title, putting himself firmly in the title picture.

The Manchester southpaw also explained why his rematch victory over Josh Taylor still carries special significance despite ranking the Giyasov win slightly higher.

“It become very personal to me, more than anything, to prove myself,” Catterall said. “In the first fight people saying, well he overlook you, he didn’t train correctly. I saying, okay let’s get it on again. For some time it looked like the fight wasn’t going to happen, but it did. It felt personal. It was great to get the correct decision in the rematch.”

Whether a fight with Haney can be revived remains unclear. Catterall now owns a version of the WBA welterweight title, while Haney continues to sit near the top of the division. Catterall’s comments suggest that the matchup was once very much on his radar, even if it never advanced beyond the planning stage.