On July 5th, confusion lingered at Manchester Arena as the Harlem Eubank vs. Jack Catterall headliner ended in a rather controversial way. The all-English fight started well, with Eubank playing elusive with better footwork. But things quickly took a turn in the 6th round, as a result of a horrific head clash. Both sustained cuts. But the 32-year-old Catterall seemingly had it worse, as the blood from the gash above his right eye kept bleeding into his eye. Being a southpaw only made it worse.

The profuse bleeding from the cut caused the referee to call a timeout and issue a warning to the two. However, when the fight went into the 7th round, the referee, after a brief discussion with the officials, decided to end the fight for good. The bout went to the scorecards with all three referees awarding the win to Jack Catterall—69-66, 69-66, and 69-65, making him the new IBF Inter-Continental welterweight champion and dealing Eubank his first career loss.

As anticipated, the outcome frustrated both fighters, who were eager to battle to the end. While Catterall quickly moved on, the nephew of British boxing legend Chris Eubank, faced with his first career defeat, looked visibly angry at the score. In the post-fight interview, the Brighton native expressed his frustration, insisting he didn’t understand why the referee halted the match. “We was looking at the other corner. The ref went over to the other corner. My doctor approved everything my side. You know, we was raring to go and his corner um they, you know, his corner was told he couldn’t continue,” Harlem Eubank stated.

The 31-year-old called out the hypocrisy of commentators who constantly sided with the 31-2 boxer the whole time. “It was nothing to do with me and that was a fake narrative, um, live on the commentary. There were so-called independent commentators in his dressing room before the fight and coaching him ringside. I’ve not experienced something like that,” he added.

From the outset, psychological tactics were in full swing, with Conor Benn, fresh off a loss to Eubank’s cousin Chris Eubank Jr., making a bold appearance in Eubank’s locker room during hand-wrapping. Furthermore, the 21-1 boxer even noted the commentators who were greeting his opponent from the start. Though he didn’t directly state it, he believes that the move may have influenced the outcome.

Harlem Eubank’s plan forcefully stopped against Jack Catterall

“I was a fan of this guy and you know. I feel like I’ve been done dirty this evening,” Eubank added. The Brighton native believes that everything was going according to plan before the unfortunate headbutt. However, even after that, the pair could have gone for a few more rounds.

Eubank explained, “I was carrying out the game plan to a T and that is to make him miss and to make him pay late.” A tactic that he has followed in all his championship fights. However, this time, “the referee took that away from me tonight, not letting Jack Caterral continue,” he concluded.

Well, while the former IBF Inter-Continental Welterweight champion can call out the bias during commentary, blaming the referee seems far-fetched. After all, the clear pictures of Jack Catterall’s cut are horrifying. One bad punch and the 32-year-old could have lost his sight completely. Furthermore, an immediate rematch should be on the cards, given the duo did not have a full fight.

However, by Catterall’s tone, that seems unlikely as he is already targeting other big fights in the welterweight division. “I am back in the win column now, after back-to-back defeats, so I now can get back in the big fights,” he declared after the match. Failing to have this rematch will only give substance to Harlem Eubank’s remarks, intensifying his frustration.

Only a rematch can help make things right, offering Harlem Eubank an opportunity for redemption. Regardless of the Chorley native’s perspective, Eubank has earned the right, and it would benefit Catterall to have the notion of bias dispelled. A win marred by such controversy will only undermine his credibility and his title win. What do you think?