Jack Catterall has warned his junior-welterweight rivals that he is “back on the hunt” after assessing the missteps that contributed to his defeat by Arnold Barboza Jnr.

The 31 year old lost for the second time – given the controversy that followed his first fight with Josh Taylor in 2022, there remain observers who insist that the defeat by Barboza Jnr was his first – when in February he fought Barboza Jnr in Manchester, England.

Barboza Jnr has since been rewarded with a date with the WBO champion Teofimo Lopez on May 2 in New York, and Catterall will begin the process of rebuilding in the summer. His promoter Eddie Hearn has also speculated about matching him with the IBF champion Richardson Hitchins, George Kambosos Jnr – who on Saturday defeated Jake Wyllie – or Dalton Smith, though none of those three are likely to be next.

Hearn, similarly, has spoken about his belief that after five fights in under two years Catterall requires a rest, and Catterall hinted at having drawn that same conclusion when he told BoxingScene: “Disappointed in the performance. But it was a close fight. I thought I scored the knockdown, but there’s no arguments – Barboza got the decision in a close fight. That’s it, really. 

“Gotta draw a line underneath it, assess it, which I’ve been doing over the last couple of weeks. Spoke with Jamie [Moore, my trainer]; spoke with Sam [Jones, my manager] and Nigel [Travis, my assistant trainer]. It’s time to improve and be better, ‘cause I am better than that.

“There was a lot of factors going into that fight, and we’ve taken time now to sit down and look at this year; this last 18 months. Not massive changes, but small changes have got to be made. I know I’m better than that. I didn’t perform on the night. Congratulations to Barboza, but it’s time to go back to the drawing board and chase them one per cents and be better.

“I didn’t think there were loads in the fight. I knew he were a good fighter. You don’t make it to mandatory position, 31 fights undefeated, for being a shit fighter. We knew he were good. It just wasn’t my night.

“I’m back in the gym now, and looking to be back in the summer time. That’s something Sam and Eddie have spoke about, and there’s a couple of different options. It’s about preparing now and making them adjustments and little one per cents and being the best I can for a summer date.”

Lopez remains widely considered the finest fighter at 140lbs, but asked whether he believes Barboza Jnr – whose victory over Catterall represents the finest of his career – can beat him, Catterall responded: “Yeah, I do. At that level now, he’s certainly up there. You look at Lopez’s last couple of performances; the [in June 2024, Steve] Claggett fight, he’s not been looking a million dollars. I wish Barboza all the best in the fight and hope he can go on and do it.

“I’m ready for all of them. I want to fight all the fighters. I understand after a loss you take a step back in the pecking order, but all the top names at 140, I’m open to fighting all of them. Maybe not the next fight; maybe the fight after that. But there’s a lot of good fighters in and around 140; there’s so many to name; I want any of them. We want to target the world champions, but that aside, you’ve got a big handful of fighters that are fringe level as well, so there’s a lot of competition.

“I’m excited to be back. I’ve taken time to reflect on the defeat, and I’m disappointed in myself and the performance. I’m down but I’m not out. There’s a lot of good fights and I’m back on the hunt.”