Jack Catterall and Arnold Barboza Jr. will collide in a high-stakes junior welterweight WBO interim title clash on Saturday at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England on DAZN.


The victor will emerge as the challenger to current Ring and WBO title holder Teofimo Lopez Jr.


Barboza set himself up for the opportunity by beating former 140-pound unified champion Jose Ramirez in November. For Catterall, over the last 16 months, he’s beaten a credible trio of former world champions in Regis Prograis, Josh Taylor, and Jorge Linares.


"I've been calling for this fight since 2022 when I met him at the Ramirez and Taylor fight,” said Barboza. “It's something that I've dreamed about. This is a fight that I've been waiting for my whole career. I worked hard to get here – just like him.


"I feel like my whole career I've been the underdog. Even when I'm the favorite, I feel like I've been overlooked my whole career. People are finally starting to see who Barboza really is. Come February 15, my hand will be raised.”


Catterall is ranked No. 2 by The Ring and Barboza is ranked No. 9. According to DraftKings, Catterall is a -250 betting favorite, and Barboza is a +190 underdog.


"I'm an overall better fighter than him,” said Barboza. “He calls me a B-level fighter but the only thing special about him is that he's lefty. That's it. We'll find out.


"He can say Ramirez is past his best and I can say the same thing about the last three victories he just had. Linares retired after their fight, Regis was going to retire after their fight. Josh Taylor had a messed up knee. He can say all he wants, I don't think he's ever faced anyone like me.”


Catterall (30-1, 13 KOs) is riding high after a commanding victory over Prograis in October, where he knocked down the former two-time 140-pound champion on his way to a unanimous decision win. That fight took place in the same hometown venue in Chorley, Lancashire, where he’ll now face Barboza. In May, the 31-year-old southpaw also secured a unanimous decision victory over Taylor, avenging the lone loss of his career – a controversial split decision defeat to Taylor in 2022.


Barboza (31-0, 11 KOs), meanwhile. enters the fight following a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Ramirez in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The win was a strong rebound for the 33-year-old Los Angeles native after a less-than-impressive performance in April, where he barely edged Sean McComb via split decision.


"He doesn't win this fight inside the distance,” boasted Barboza. “He doesn't win this fight; it's that simple. If there's going to be a stoppage it's going to be me stopping him. We're going to see. I'm better than him overall at everything.


"People don't know what they're going to get when it comes to me because I can do it all. He's going to find out. I can stay, I can brawl, and I can box. [He’s] going to see what a hype job [he is], [he’s] average and I'm going to make [him] look average."


Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for Ring Magazine. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.