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Police probing Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall scoring as plot thickens

With the the British Boxing Board of Control still to investigate the scoring of Josh Taylor's win over Jack Catterall last month, the police have now been involved.

Josh Taylor's controversial win over Jack Catterall has been referred to the police by the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Taylor defended his undisputed super lightweight crown on points last month, but the scorecards have been widely condemned with Catterall seemingly robbed.

Home fighter Taylor got the verdict on the cards and was awarded a split decision in Glasgow.
Chorley-born Catterall was the bookies' outsider, but he floored Taylor in the eighth round as both boxers were deducted a point each for offences.

Taylor, whose face was heavily marked up at the end of the fight, was told by his corner after round eight that he was behind and before the final round he was told he needed a stoppage to win.

However, there was widespread condemnation when it was announced that only one judge had scored it 113-112 in favour of the Englishman.
That judge was Howard Foster. But his counterpart Victor Loughlin gave it to Taylor 113-12 and Gillingham-born Ian John-Lewis awarded the champion a 114-111 victory.

The British Boxing Board of Control announced that an investigation would take place, however that is yet to happen.

Now though Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Catterall's MP in Chorley, has referred the result to government ministers, with the Daily Mail reporting Hoyle has also informed outgoing Metroplitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick and the British Boxing Board of Control.

'I have to question why the judges got it so wrong?'

"Everyone is disgusted by what's happened - it brings the sport into disrepute," Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Catterall's MP in Chorley, told the Daily Mail.
"I have to question why the judges got it so wrong? I have already sent a letter to the police.
"I have spoken to Nadine Dorries, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Minister for Sport, Nigel Huddleston - they are both looking into this.
"I also believe that something seriously went on here - whether it was undue influence, one must question why?"
Taylor, who is set to move up from super lightweight, has insisted that he was the rightful winner of the night.
"I don't think there's any need for a rematch," he told Sky Sports. "I think I won the fight. I won the fight by a couple of rounds. I won the fight in the second half, took over and bossed him."

But Taylor, who is undefeated in 19 fights, has since revealed that he is open to a rematch at a catchweight.

Taylor also admitted that he will struggle to make the 140-pound weight at super lightweight and will likely vacate his belts at that weight.

"We'll see what happens down the line," Taylor told Sky Sports. "We can have a fight again with Jack, why not?

"I'm certainly open to it, so we'll see what happens. Most likely at a catchweight. I can't make the weight anymore safely, I don't think. So we'll see how it goes, but I'm keen for a rematch."

WBO objections

Boxing's governing body has yet to probe the scoring.

"We're dealing with that next week," Robert Smith, general secretary of the BBBoC told Sky Sports on Monday. "We've been very clear of that with everybody. We're taking all the reports in.

"We got Ian John Lewis coming into our hearing. Once we've done that, we will put out something on what's happened. There's nothing changed on that, I've been very clear from the beginning."

Meanwhile, BoxingScene.com claims that the WBO objected to the appointment of judges Loughlin and Lewis.

The mandatory fight was sanctioned by the WBO, but neither Loughlin or Lewis, both of whom awarded the fight to Taylor are WBO-certified.
The objection, per the source, was addressed with the BBBoC on January 26 and done so in the presence of all the sanctioning bodies involved in the fight.
Read more: CompuBox stats reveal Jack Catterall outlanded Josh Taylor in every department

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