Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank Predictions: ‘El Gato’ looks to break Eubank family win streak

Jack Catterall makes the move up to welterweight this Saturday as he takes on Harlem Eubank. The 12-rounder tops the bill at the AO Arena in Manchester with an undercard featuring outings for former world champions Joe Cordina and Skye Nicholson as well as hot local prospects Pat Brown and William Crolla. DAZN will screen the event live on their platform.

Here are my Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank predictions ahead of this huge domestic match-up.

Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank Odds

Jack is unsurprisingly ahead in the betting. An experienced world-level fighter, 1/3 is his price for a win. Eubank is priced at 13/5 if you fancy him to keep his winning streak alive. A draw is priced at 14/1. Catterall has had a few close fights in his time. Will Saturday night bring us another?

Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank Fight Preview

They say good things come to those who wait. Our two gladiators for this welterweight contest will have varying views on the old idiom. 

Catterall might scoff. The boxing world agreed his points loss to then-undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor back in 2022 should have gone his way. Chorley’s Catterall fought his way back into contention with four consecutive triumphs. Three over former world champions, including a make-good with the now belt-less Taylor. 

Catterall then fought Arnold Barboza Jr. to crown a WBO interim champion and secure a date with full ruler Teofimo Lopez. Barboza won a close, tactical battle. The 12 rounds went unloved by the public at large, but from up close at the Co-op Arena it was a fascinating scientific contest. 

Jack had waited, but no good things came his way. Now he goes up in weight and arguably drops a level in competition for a big domestic outing. 

But Eubank’s wait has borne fruit. That surname is both a privilege and a millstone. Harlem is Chris Sr’s nephew and Jr’s cousin. But growing up Eubank has not had the same benefits one might expect. 

The shadow of his father has often been cited as a deciding factor in Chris Eubank Jr’s uneven career trajectory. But it has also opened doors, especially given the fact he shares some of his father’s poise and prose. After all, he just won the battle of the generations when he outpointed Conor Benn, the progeny of Senior’s great rival, Nigel.

Much was made of the weight, with Eubank Jr boiling down and Benn packing on the muscle to allow the two to fight on somewhat even terms. But Harlem is a welterweight, the same division Benn calls home and a far more natural fit for any renewal of family hostilities. And yet, the 31-year-old had to watch as his cousin headlined the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2025’s glitziest domestic fight.

But good things come to this particular one who waited. Now Eubank is rewarded with a big fight of his own. The Sussex star has come up the hard way. A surname only gets you so far and, while Chris Jr became a fixture of big arena nights at an early stage, Eubank has gone 21-0 largely cutting his teeth in casinos, leisure centres and hotels. Unlike his cousin, the arena assignments he has landed have firmly been undercard fare.

But Eubank is now top of the bill, taking on the local favourite at an arena that has housed boxing history. Catterall is Chorley born and bred but he is boxing’s latest seat-filler in Manchester. Having headlined the Co-op Arena twice, he now follows in the illustrious footsteps of Ricky Hatton and Anthony Crolla with his name on the Manchester Arena marquee.

There is a lot on the line for Catterall. The Barboza loss was a surprise. ‘El Gato’ had not put a foot wrong after the Taylor controversy, climbing back to the top with a clutch of quality wins. A man seen by many as the uncrowned champion lost when glory was in his grasp against Barboza. Now the journey begins anew. 

I spoke with Jack last week and quizzed him on whether he had watched the fight that was almost his, namely Barboza’s points loss to Lopez in May. “I watched the fight. I understand that after me and Barboza boxed, he was pretty much straight back in the gym. I think Teofimo boxed really well.”

While understandably reserved in giving his feelings upon watching that WBO super lightweight title fight, Catterall was more candid about why now was the time to move up the weight divisions.

“Casual fight fans don’t understand it. They say “Oh you’ll be eating up now to get to welterweight”. It doesn’t quite work like that! But I’ve felt good these last couple of weeks as the intense sparring has been going on. I’ve got good energy. I wouldn’t say it’s not on my mind, but I’ve not been weighing myself every day religiously. You remain disciplined.”

Harlem is a logical choice of opponent and not just because, as Catterall told me, “the Eubank name is hot right now”. The underdog is also not a full-bore welterweight. Eubank has boxed at both super lightweight and welterweight in recent years. It is a fight in which Catterall can feel his way into a new weight class without facing one of the division’s monsters.

The fight also offers high stakes from a ranking standpoint. Eubank is placed 14th in the WBO standings and 15th with the IBF. A win will catapult him up the list. A victory for Catterall will give him a foothold in his new division. Plenty to play for as big-time boxing returns to the scene of some of its greatest nights.

Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank Full Card

Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank

Joe Cordina vs Jaret Gonzalez

Aqib Fiaz vs Alex Murphy

William Crolla vs Frazer Wilkinson

Leo Atang vs Jiri Surmaj

Skye Nicolson vs Carla Campos Gonzalez

Pat Brown vs Lewis Oakford

Alfie Middlemiss vs Mohammed Wako

Niall Brown vs Victor Ionascu

Jack Catterall vs Harlem Eubank Prediction

This fight suits Catterall. Eubank is not a big puncher, coming in with nine knockouts from 21 wins. Catterall’s average is only slightly superior, 13 stoppages from 30 victories. But he has forged that record at a higher level than his opponent.

The best names on Eubank’s record are Tyrone McKenna and Timo Schwarzkopf. The former a domestic staple who had lost three of his last five and the latter a decent European level fighter.

But Catterall can boast wins over former world champions Taylor, Regis Prograis and Jorge Linares as well as wins over both McKenna and Schwarzkopf. ‘El Gato’ has also beat Darragh Foley, Ohara Davies, Tyrone Nurse and Martin Gethin as he surged through the domestic ranks on his way to the world scene.

The gulf in top-flight experience is a chasm here. Eubank has done well headlining Channel 5’s well-watched cards. But this is a whole new glove game. It is one I do not think he is ready to win. But Eubank will learn a lot from 12 rounds in the company of the former world title challenger.

I am committing to those 12 rounds. I think Catterall takes this on points. Greater guile. Greater experience. A set of skills that, if used a little more aggressively, could finally lead to that world title. Catterall via decision is 4/7.

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