Bob Arum was right... Jack Catterall's revenge win over Josh Taylor was much closer than the scorecards suggested as debate over quality of judging rages on

Bob Arum had a point. Josh Taylor wasn't awarded capable of them.

Whoever you thought won Saturday night's grudge rematch – and nan mostly sentiment favours Jack Catterall arsenic deserving of his revenge – it was a adjacent fight.

Much person than nan gaping margins connected nan unanimous cards of nan charismatic judges.

Arum, nan legendary US promoter of Scotland's Taylor, was among nan minority erstwhile claiming that his man had won. But his rant astir nan margins of Catterall's triumph was valid.

Two cards of 117-111 were, arsenic Arum put it: 'Absolutely ridiculous.' The third, astatine 116-113, was nearer nan people but still wide of reality.

Watching done nan fish-eye lens of tv is not nan perfect measurement of scoring a conflict and surely would not provoke an statement present if Catterall had been proclaimed nan victor by 1 aliases 2 points.

Nor americium I overmuch of a instrumentality of nan computerised method of counting punches landed, which happened to grounds Taylor narrowly up astatine nan end. 

Sometimes 1 aliases 2 punches thrown successful combinations tin beryllium excessively speedy for nan oculus and nan digit prodding nan buttons.

Controversy does not rage complete this lively conflict arsenic heatedly arsenic it did aft their first meeting, erstwhile howls of protestation greeted Taylor being connected nan correct extremity of a divided determination contempt being knocked down. 

Yet this does bring into nan boxing debate, erstwhile more, nan value of judging.

Arum proclaimed: 'I will ne'er bring an American combatant to nan United Kingdom aft this.' His accusation being that Catterall benefitted from home-country judging successful Leeds.

Actually, location was a whiff of a different benignant of power this weekend. One reminiscent of nan 2 fights against Evander Holyfield which ended pinch Lennox Lewis becoming nan undisputed world heavyweight champion.

When Holyfield escaped pinch a tie from their first fight, which astir observers thought Lewis had won comfortably, nan furore mushroomed from Maidson Square Garden into a US Senate investigation into nan authorities of boxing.

As they moved connected to Las Vegas for nan rematch, Holyfield shrewdly observed: 'After what happened successful New York I will person to sound Lennox retired to get nan triumph here.'

Sure enough, nan judges felt obliged to ballot for Lewis moreover though Holyfield looked to person done capable to triumph connected points.

If history has repeated itself, it is to nan detriment of Taylor. The man from Prestonpans did not endear himself to nan nationalist erstwhile he insisted he deserved nan original determination successful Glasgow. Nor again this weekend, though he was little bullish successful that assertion successful Leeds.

Even so, he is being denied nan respect his profession deserves. It seems to beryllium forgotten that erstwhile Taylor first burst onto nan segment he was anointed by Ken Buchanan arsenic nan heir-apparent to nan throne of Scottish boxing. 

A prophesy he fulfilled arsenic nan only Scot to emulate nan awesome man's feat of becoming an undisputed world champion. 

He did truthful arsenic nan first UK combatant to go undisputed successful nan four-belt era and only nan 5th successful nan world successful immoderate section aft Bernard Hopkins, Jermaine Taylor, Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk.

At 33 nan Tartan Tornado whitethorn person subsided into a beardown upwind during his first 2 defeats, by Teofimo Lopez and now Jack Catterall, but those 2 still person a agelong measurement to spell if they are to lucifer Josh Taylor's achievements. 

Which see triumphs complete a series of genuinely elite boxers during his reign arsenic king of nan light-welterweights.