Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov Tips & Predictions

Boxing News Hall of Fame writer Graham Houston previews Jack Catterall’s 'Pyramids of Giza' WBA welterweight world title fight against Shakhram Giyasov and provides his best bets and tips.

Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov Tips Preview

There’s an argument to be made that Jack Catterall is an uncrowned world champion.

The Chorley southpaw seemed to have beaten Josh Taylor clearly in their fight for the 140lbs title four years ago in Glasgow, even scoring a knockdown, but the split decision went against him.

Then, in February last year, Catterall lost a split decision to Arnold Barboza Jr in a bout for the WBO interim junior-welter title.

It was a fair decision, with Barboza finishing the stronger fighter down the stretch, but there wasn’t much in it. In the consensus scoring of the judges (two or all three agreeing on the scoring of a round), Catterall won six of the 12 rounds.

Catterall seemed to drop Barboza with a left hand in the 10th round but referee Steve Gray ruled, correctly, that the US visitor had tripped over Catterall’s foot. So it's fair to say he hasn’t had the best of luck in championship attempts.

That could all change on Saturday in Giza, however, when Catterall meets Uzbekistan’s Shakhram Giyasov for the vacant WBA welterweight title.

This is a tough fight for Catterall but certainly a winnable one.

Catterall, 32, is a seasoned fighter with a tricky, hard-to-beat style. He’s excellent at counter punching after making an opponent miss. The English fighter is a 2/5 favourite.

We saw a more aggressive version of Catterall in his last fight when he knocked out Ekow Essuman in the 11th round (but ruled a TKO because the referee waved off the 10-count).

That was Catterall’s first fight after preparing under the guidance of Bozy Ennis (father/trainer of Boots Ennis) in Philadelphia.

However, Bozy won’t be in Catterall’s corner this time. Bozy is focusing on getting Boots ready for his big fight with Xander Zayas, so Catterall has, instead, been working with Liverpool trainer (and former British champion) Stephen Smith.

Catterall is now having his third consecutive fight with a different trainer each time, going from Jamie Moore to Bozy Ennis and now Stephen Smith.

Some could see this as a negative but the flip side is that Catterall will have presumably learned new things and thus become more well-rounded across the board.

Giyasov, born in Uzbekistan but based in New York, has the amateur pedigree (2016 Olympic silver medallist) and at 32 he is the same age as Catterall.

However, Catterall has the greater pro seasoning with a record of 32-2 (14 KOs) while Giyasov’s record stands at 17-0 (10 KOs).

Also, Catterall has faced the tougher opposition. He went 1-1 in two fights with Josh Taylor (avenging the disputed defeat in a rematch) and he won comfortably against former world champions Jorge Linares and Regis Prograis.

And while he didn’t get the decision, El Gato boxed pretty much on level terms with Arnold Barboza.

Giyasov, meanwhile, doesn’t have a standout win on his record. Probably his best performance was when he won a unanimous technical decision over Mexico’s heavy handed but unexceptional Pablo Cano in a welterweight title eliminator two years ago.

(That one had a weird ending, with Giyasov leaning on Cano in a clinch when the Mexican fighter fell awkwardly and twisted his ankle).

Most of Giyasov’s fights have seen him winning almost every round but he did struggle against Mexico’s Miguel Parra a couple of years ago. Giyasov won on a split decision but he was getting hit too often for comfort.

But perhaps Giyasov was unlucky not to win by stoppage: He creased Parra with what was clearly a legitimate left hook to the body in the seventh round but the referee ruled a low blow and gave Parra time to recover.

Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov Tale of the Tape

	Jack Catterall	Shakhram Giyasov
Record:	32-2 (14 KOs)	17-0 (10 KOs)
Age:	32	32
Birthplace:	Chorley, England	Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Height:	5′ 7″ / 170cm	5' 9″ / 176cm
Stance:	Southpaw	Orthodox
Last Fight:	Won (TKO) vs Ekow Essuman (Nov 2024)	Won (KO) vs Franco Ocampo (Apr 2025)
KO%:	43.75%	58.82%
Alias:	'El Gato'	'Wonder Boy'

Jack Catterall vs Shakhram Giyasov Top Tips

• Jack Catterall - By Decision @ 8/11
• Total Knockdowns: Under 0.5 @ 1/2

Catterall looks the better all-over fighter but we can’t be certain of Giyasov’s ceiling.

Giyasov had to endure personal tragedy when his two-year-old daughter passed away in March last year after suffering from a rare form of cancer.

Apparently Giyasov visited medical experts in several European cities to try to find a cure for her.

Giyasov says he promised his daughter he’d win a world title. This gives the fight an emotional backdrop.

As for the fight itself, Catterall has the counter-punching skills to pick Giyasov off and win rounds. Giyasov is tough and determined, and he will most likely be the one pushing the pace. He’s a good body puncher.

There are variables here.

It’s possible Giyasov stayed in the amateurs too long. He hasn’t lived up to expectations as a pro.

But Giyasov is a Muslim boxer fighting in a Muslim country and he could be lifted to an inspired performance, fighting to honour a promise made his departed daughter.

Catterall, meanwhile, is on his third trainer in three fights. We can't be sure how well this will work out for him.

All things considered, though, I think that Catterall has the crafty style and the ring savvy to edge most of the rounds. So Catterall to win by decision at 8/11 looks promising.

I also like “Under 0.5 Knockdowns” at 1/2.

Neither man is an especially hard hitter and Catterall has only one knockdown recorded against him, when a glove touched the canvas in the Regis Prograis bout, while Giyasov has never been knocked down.

All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.