CO-OP LIVE ARENA, MANCHESTER -- Arnold Barboza maintained discipline and composure, even when things threatened to go against him, edging a split decision win over Jack Catterall to claim the vacant WBO interim world junior-welterweight title.

Barboza (32-0, 11 KOs) went the 12-round distance for the first time as a pro citing a desire to earn long-coveted respect for father Snr and himself as a key motivator in the ability to stick to the gameplan set out for him. So much so that when Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn, Catterall's promoter, met him in the ring, he was bullishly confident that he'd won the fight wide.

Even when he would've been subconsciously panicking, hopeful referee Steve Gray ruled Catterall flooring him late in the tenth a slip. Or the handful of occasions the Chorley man's punches strayed low, particularly one sequence three rounds earlier punctuated by a piercing combination which had the partisan crowd naturally excitable their man was boxing well.

"I don't think the scorecards were that close but I'm in his territory, people don't understand what we just did, came to his hometown - all the hype on him - we did that. My father's gameplan, he really did his homework and adjusted to everything, really appreciated it. Trust me, this guy is crazy about boxing," he said when asked by The Ring to assess his display.

Training at more than 6,700-feet altitude and solitude up at California's well-renowned Big Bear while testing himself against half-a-dozen suitable sparring partners is no easy feat, as well as typical sacrifices made to ensure everything went as planned. He revealed he missed his daughter's birthday on February 10, having flown into the UK the week prior to get acclimated.

So then, what exactly was the gameplan? After rejecting the possibility of a rematch given how closely-contested their matchup was, Barboza Snr wasn't afraid to divulge the strategy:

"Continue circling to the left, let Catterall come to us instead of the other way around because he boxes well off his back foot, actually waits and waits for you before countering, so we did the opposite. Let him come to us and stay patient, Arnold landed some nice combinations and everything off his back foot, it worked from round one all the way to the end."

Barboza was more active throughout and had more success behind his power punches, as evidenced by the CompuBox numbers - landing 69 to Catterall's 45, while throwing 123 more total - an average of 10 per stanza on an evening where Hearn mused his charge left a little to be desired in a tight, tense affair.

Having memorably been fortunate to eek out a split decision win over Sean McComb (18-2, 5 KOs) on the Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia undercard last April, plenty was said in the build-up about the 33-year-old's potential vulnerability against southpaws.

McComb, 6ft tall and an awkward physical proposition, posed markedly different problems than Catterall (30-2, 14 KOs). During the post-fight press conference, Arnold's father Snr was keen to point that distinction out and while the Chorley man is world-class, was found wanting at times against someone who'd clearly done their due dilligence.

"McComb put in a hell of a performance, tall and lanky, that's the reason they don't wanna fight him - we never turn down opponents, just move onto the next."

Arnold's manager, Rick Mirigian, echoed that sentiment by passionately highlighting Barboza's championship mindset given the capability to adapt after previously suffering adversity.

"When you look at a champion and what they have to go through, who and what they are, they're defined by what they don't do right and correct it. He made the adjustments, corrected the mistakes, that's the definition."

While a matchup against reigning WBO/Ring junior-welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) remains an option now that he's won interim world honours, team Barboza insist they're unwilling to wait for the 27-year-old after being lulled into a false sense of security while both were under contract with Top Rank.

Speaking as they headed out of the arena, Arnold Barboza Snr continued where he left off.

"A lot of people said we were poor against McComb and it was my job to go back and put a better performance in, needed to wake up as a coach. We really mentally and physically prepared to fight Catterall, a great fighter in his own right. There were a lot of distractions when we fought McComb, truthfully never prepared for him as there was an 80-90% chance of fighting Haney instead because of the Garcia situation."

Barboza could've made the same money and headlined against a lesser-known name surrounded by home comforts this week, but instead chose to roll the dice again after outpointing former unified champion Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) on Saudi shores in November.

As far as the return timeline is concerned, he cited an increased level of activity as key for his son at this stage of his career - four victories in 13 months say it all - now wanting a May date, likely back on home soil headlining a Golden Boy show if newly-minted IBF champion Richardson Hitchins (19-0, 7 KOs) gets the Alcatraz unification.