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Mike CoppingerESPN
Josh Taylor vacated his IBF junior welterweight title, the third 140-pound belt he has relinquished since his controversial decision victory over Jack Catterall in February.
Taylor (19-0, 13 KOs) still holds the WBO title after also giving up his WBA and WBC belts. The 31-year-old from Scotland is in talks for a Nov. 26 rematch with Catterall in Glasgow. With mandatory title defenses due, he was forced to relinquish the belts if he wanted to push forward with the return meeting.
“I will continue to do whatever it takes to be in a position to make the rematch with Jack Catterall happen,” Taylor, who was the undisputed champion, told Sky Sports.
The IBF’s top two contenders, Subriel Matias and Jeremiah Ponce, will vie for the vacant title.
Matias (18-1, 18 KOs) avenged his lone professional defeat with a ninth-round TKO of Petros Ananyan in January. The 30-year-old from Puerto Rico is ESPN’s No. 8 junior welterweight.
Ponce (30-0, 20 KOs), a 26-year-old from Argentina, has never faced a world-class opponent.