EXCLUSIVE — Any boxing or movie fan, hardcore and casual alike, will have one key location on their list if they visit Philadelphia.
It's a non-negotiable to set aside some time to get to the bottom of the Philadelphia Museum of Art entrance, run up the 72 stone steps and pose arms aloft, just like Sly Stallone did in the Rocky films. There's even a statue of Philly's favourite fictional fighter to pose alongside nowadays.
It's no different if you're an elite current boxer. Just ask Jack Catterall, who spent some time training in one of America's great fight cities ahead of his all-British showdown with Harlem Eubank at Manchester Arena this Saturday night.
Not that it was straightforward. It seems like few things are for Catterall (30-2, 13 KOs), but he wasn't about to let an ultimatum from some keen amateur runners keep him from his goal.
"D'you know what, I joined a run club," he grinned, while speaking to The Sporting News. "I went up to the Rocky steps on a Saturday morning, saw a group of about 100 people and thought 'what's going on here?'
"It was a run club. Just as I was about to do the steps, they said, 'We'll go and do eight miles, you can do the steps when you finish. So I went and did run club, got back and did the Rocky steps."
It feels like almost too-perfect an analogy for Catterall's career. Being made to wait, work hard and take the long way around before getting what you really want.
The Chorley fighter was the WBO's No. 1 challenger for three years and one month by the time he finally got in the ring with then-undisputed super lightweight champion Josh Taylor in Glasgow. Catterall boxed superbly, floored Taylor in round eight and looked to have done more than enough to be crowned the king of the 140-pound division.
The split decision that went in Taylor's favour – even the 113-112 verdict for Catterall after both fighters were given points deductions felt far too close — is one of the great judging travesties to have occurred in a British ring in the 21st century
Catterall campaigned long and hard for a rematch, keeping busy with wins over Darragh Foley and Jorge Linares. In the meantime. Taylor was stripped of three of his belts and lost the WBO strap to Teofimo Lopez in New York. After a couple of injury delays, Catterall made sure he settled the score with a clear points triumph over Taylor in Leeds last May. Still, it felt inadequate that this was just for pride – the super lightweight championship of each other, to repurpose Jerry Izeberg's famous remark about Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier's trilogy bout.
Who was Jack Catterall's last fight?
A career-best win against former world champion Regis Prograis followed, with Catterall climbing off the canvas to twice deck the American. It left one more hurdle to clear for the title shot against Arnold Barboza Jr.
"Yeah, I was kicking myself," he said, reflecting on a split-decision defeat to Barboza in a cagey, tactical affair. "It was a narrow points loss, not one where I thought I got beaten; I probably gave it away. It's frustrating. I'm competitive. I didn't perform that night, so there's no argument.
"So I took myself away, I can't cry over it. I've got to rebuild. I'm in a good mindset and I've been putting the work in, double hard. I've got to go out there on Saturday and prove where I belong."
Barboza's win over Catterall paved the way for him to unsuccessfully challenge Teofimo on the damp squib of the Times Square card in New York in May. Which is how Catterall found himself in Philadelphia, training and staying in shape as the reserve for a fight card that featured three bouts in the super lightweight and welterweight divisions.
"I understand that it could have been me there that night, but it wasn't," Catterall said, matter-of-factly. "You've got to be realistic. I got beat and it's back to the drawing board. I'd have loved to be in New York fighting in Times Square, but it wasn't for me that night. What's meant for me won't miss me. I've got to go out there and put myself in the position to land one of these fights again.
"I was out in Philadelphia and New York, right up until just before the fight. I didn't stay for the fight, I was home on fight week. I'd had a little rest after fighting in February, and I was straight back in the gym. I was p----- off, frustrated and what better medicine than to get back to it. I went to America, went to Philadelphia, which was great, spent a lot of time travelling around, sparring and meeting new people, learning new things. Just educating myself."
This is nothing new for Catterall, who strode fearlessly into a Las Vegas gym a decade ago to spar Floyd Mayweather Jr. before his showdown with Manny Pacquiao. Word gets around in boxing. Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez had a southpaw assignment against James Kirkland a week later and the call came for Catterall to get himself down to San Diego for more rounds with another of the sport's very best.
Now 32, 'El Gato' headed to Philly with gym-mate Aqib Fiaz in tow. Derek 'Bozy' Ennis – father of unified, lineal welterweight champion Jaron 'Boots' Ennis – threw open the doors of his gym, as did ex-world champion Danny Garcia, as Catterall spent time with comebacking former IBF lightweight ruler Mickey Bey
Who is Jack Catterall's trainer?
For the bulk of his work preparing for Eubank, Catterall headed back to his long-time base under former British, Commonwealth and European super welterweight champion Jamie Moore and his inimitable assistant Nigel Travis.
Having once been the junior up-and-comer when he shared Moore's stable with the likes of Carl Frampton, Rocky Fielding and Tommy Coyle, Catterall is now the senior man of the gym, a model pro looked up to as an inspiration by younger colleagues.
"He is the old man," Fiaz laughed, speaking ahead of his lightweight encounter with Alex Murphy on the Catterall-Eubank undercard.
"One hundred per cent, he's an inspiration. When I first walked in the doors at the age of 18, Jack was in there with the likes of Carl, Tommy and Rocky, just soaking it all in. He was there every day, with or without fighting. There was a long time for Jack when he wasn't fighting, but he was always in the gym, always learning, always preparing
"He's someone I've learned loads from, in and out of the ring. He's been like a big brother to me who took me under his wing for the first few years and even now, really, to this day. He deserves a world title, everyone feels he does, and I believe he'll get it."
To get that dream back on track – the target is a title shot at either 140 or 147 pounds – Catterall must get through Eubank, an undefeated welterweight from boxing stock that needs no introduction.
Although it never left the popular consciousness, the Eubank name is riding high after Harlem's cousin Chris Eubank Jr. beat Conor Benn in an April barnburner at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a thrilling contest spawned from two-and-a-half years of bitter controversy. And yet, Chris Sr arguably stole the show as he and his son were poignantly reunited before the main event. The rematch, announced for September 20, will be another colossal event.
Over recent years, when relations between Junior and Senior were strained, Eubank became a consistent presence at his nephew Harlem's fights. He's been conspicuous by his absence during fight week, but Catterall is unconcerned by the prospect of any late mind-games
"I don't know if it sounds bad, but I'd maybe not have entertained the fight if it wasn't a Eubank. I think the fact that he's a Eubank carries that weight," he said.
"When this fight was proposed, straight away I knew it was going to entice me because we like these domestic dust-ups. We can bring over former world champions, world champions but unless it's a hardcore fan, they're not necessarily going to know who these guys are. Whereas domestically, you get two British fighters, it's more… sexier.
"I'm going to be switched on, focused on the job. Senior can turn up, Chris can turn up. Harlem's going to be there. Nothing really matters until that first bell goes."
Maybe the Eubank fight is the eight-mile run Catterall has been sent on by the Barboza defeat. Get back in the win column this weekend and he can have his sights trained on the top of the steps, and dancing triumphantly with arms aloft.