Jack Catterall managed to get precisely what he wanted out of his latest bout, even with having to endure a minor scare along the way.

The unbeaten 140-pound mandatory contender from England soundly outboxed Germany’s Timo Schwarzkopf, but had to contend with a cut for more than five rounds in emerging victorious via unanimous decision Friday evening at Caesars Palace Dubai in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Scores were 100-91, 99-91 and 99-92 in favor of Catterall, who is due a shot at unbeaten, unified junior welterweight titlist Jose Carlos Ramirez in the year ahead.

The difference in skill level was apparent from the opening bell, although the contest would become more of a battle of wills as the evening progressed. Catterall boxed smartly out of the southpaw stance, often sticking his right jab in Schwarzkopf’s face in setting up straight left hands. Schwarzkopf didn’t always have an answer in terms of his offense, as his come-forward style also didn’t prove tailor made for Catterall who at times found himself fighting in reverse but was otherwise effective in remaining one step ahead during every combination.

Drama briefly surfaced in round five, when a developing cut reopened over Catterall’s right eye. The earlier wound was reaggravated by a left hook by Schwarzkopf, who followed with a whipping right hand. The sequence clearly affected Catterall, who continued to paw at the wound and spent most of the rest of the round looking to create space between himself and his suddenly resurgent foe.

Having regained his bearings, Catterall slowed down the pace just enough to control the action over the second half of the bout. Catterall was effective in close quarters, slipping Schwarzkopf’s right hands and effectively countering with crushing left hand shots upstairs. The power surge was enough to put pause in Schwarzkopf’s aggressive attack, reduced to plodding as Catterall utilized lateral movement to set up his offense while slowing the incoming to a crawl.

A left hand to the body caused Schwarzkopf’s knees to buckle early in round eight, the closest either boxer came to hitting the canvas.

Clearly well behind, Schwarzkopf sought to work his way inside in the final two rounds, but unable to accomplish more than an occasional clinch. Catterall, on the other hand, looked surprisingly refreshed, riding out any attempted attack to immediately counter his opponent with purposeful straight left hands.

 The final bell sounded to extend Schwarzkopf’s career long run of having never been stopped through 24 pro contests. It did, however result in his second loss of the year as he falls to 20-4 (12KOs).

Catterall improves to 25-0 (14KOs) with the win, his second of a 2019 campaign which largely served as a holding pattern. He began the year with the honor of being named the mandatory challenger to the World Boxing Organization (WBO) 140-pound title, elevated to that position three months after scoring a 12-round win over Ohara Davies. The 26-year old southpaw had fought exclusively in the United Kingdom throughout his seven-year career but figures to travel abroad for his first career title fight. The trip to Dubai at least removes any uncertainty that comes with having to fight on the road, although the stakes will be considerably higher for the winner of the forthcoming title fight between Ramirez and Ukraine’s Viktor Postol, which takes place next February in Haikou, China.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox