Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall walkout songs: Tracks both fighters have used before
The Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall feud is approaching a crescendo, as the arch-rivals are primed to clash in their highly-anticipated rematch. Their first fight witnessed Taylor enter as the undisputed light welterweight (junior welterweight/super lightweight) champion.
Scotland's Taylor held the WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, IBF, and The Ring light welterweight titles. England's Catterall entered the showdown as the challenger. The all-UK matchup transpired at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, on Feb. 26, 2022. Their fight went the 12-round distance, and Taylor won via split decision (114-111, 113-112, 112-113) to defend his undisputed throne and retain the belts.
Nevertheless, many in the combat sports community disagreed with the judges' verdict and felt the challenger did more than enough to win. They highlighted that Catterall secured a crucial knockdown in round eight and appeared to out-box the champion for the better part of their fight.
Taylor subsequently vacated most of his titles, suggesting that the financial burden of paying sanctioning fees for each belt played a role in his decision. In his very next fight, he put his WBO and The Ring light welterweight titles on the line against Teofimo Lopez in June 2023. Lopez beat him, and 'The Tartan Tornado' thereby lost those belts too. Taylor has also been embattled by injury issues.
Meanwhile, after the controversial loss against Taylor, Catterall secured unanimous decision victories over Darragh Foley (May 2023) and Jorge Linares (October 2023). Presently, Catterall is scheduled to fight Taylor in a long-awaited rematch, albeit with no titles at stake this time around. Their grudge match will take place at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England, on May 25, 2024.
Watch Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall's entrances and fight from 2022 below:
Which songs did Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall walk out to?
For their 2022 title clash, the challenger Jack Catterall entered first, coming out to the song 'Lift Off' (by Jay-Z and Kanye West, featuring Beyonce). Known for its energetic pop, hip-hop, and R&B vibes, the track set the stage for an incredible display of pugilism by 'El Gato.'
Since the event was taking place on Josh Taylor's home turf of Scotland, the crowd appeared to rain down boos on Catterall who hails from Chorley, Lancashire, England. Moreover, for his most recent fight, a clash against Jorge Linares last October, Catterall was walked out by British DJ and musician Tom Zanetti (of 'Darlin' and 'You Want Me' fame) to what sounded like a remix of his tracks.
On the other hand, Josh Taylor, who comes from Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland, generally uses different renditions of the iconic song, 'Flower of Scotland' (composed by Roy Williamson of 'The Corries'). The song is beheld as one of the unofficial national anthems of Scotland.
'The Tartan Tornado' uses the aforementioned song or a remixed version of it by itself, or he opts for a rendition of it in cohesion with another song. Entering his match against Viktor Postol in June 2018, a fight he ultimately won via unanimous decision, Taylor notably used the beloved Scottish anthem.
For his first encounter against Jack Catterall a couple of years back, Josh Taylor's entrance song was a version of the progressive house genre song, 'Insomnia' (by Faithless, a British music group), coupled with a rendition of the 'Flower of Scotland.'