JACK Catterall insists he is ready to take his place as the world’s best super-lightweight.

The Chorley star returned after a year out on Saturday night with a dominant 10-round points win over Frenchman Abderrazak Houya.

Ranked as the mandatory challenger by the World Boxing Organisation, Catterall was shaking off some ring rust on the Joe Joyce-Daniel Dubois undercard having agreed to step aside and allow Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez to meet in a unification fight.

The unbeaten 27-year-old is then in line to get his shot at the big one in 2021 with all four world titles up for grabs.

Taylor was watching his potential future opponent in action live on BT Sport but was unimpressed, the Scot tweeting: “Levels to this game and I’m on a level on my own.”

Catterall however believes he has what it takes to be the top dog at 140lbs when he gets his long-awaited world title opportunity.

“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” he said in response to Taylor.

“If I’d have gone in there and blasted him out in a round, something would have been said regardless of how I won tonight.

“Watch that fight and think what you want of it, but I know that come these big fights I’ll be ready for them.

“I’ll be back in the gym on Monday, hopefully Ramirez-Taylor gets announced in the coming weeks and I look forward to taking on the winner.

“I’ve always found a way to win and I believe getting in with either of those two I’ll find a way.”

Catterall, who made it a perfect 26 wins as a professional at Church House in Westminster, sent Houya to the canvas in the sixth and ninth rounds, but the visitor hung on to the see the final bell, referee Victor Loughlin scoring it 99-90 in the Chorley man’s favour.

It was a case of job done after 12 months out of action as he has waited on his WBO title chance.

“I felt like I wanted it a bit too much tonight,” Catterall admitted to promoters Queensberry Promotions post-fight.

“I was like a caged animal in the dressing room, I was ready to pounce on him.

“There was a lot of pressure with big fights looming, I didn’t have to take that risk tonight.

“The two losses he had had, I don’t think one of them should have been a loss, so he was a solid enough opponent.

“It’s been a year out of the ring but I was enjoying myself tonight. I was probably a little bit too eager in there and there’s things to work on but overall I got the win, there was a couple of knockdowns, so I’m happy.”