The present invention is directed to a method of forming titania clad high surface area alumina suitable as a support for forming noble metal catalysts. The resultant catalysts exhibit resistance to poisoning by sulfurous materials and, therefore, are useful in applications directed to internal combustion engine emission conversion and the like. The present invention provides a commercially feasible and cost effective method of forming a highly desired support for noble metal catalyst application. The process comprises forming a slurry of porous alumina particulate suitable as a catalyst support for the intended application, mixing said slurry with a solution of titanyl sulfate having a pH of about 1, increasing the pH of the mixed slurry/solution at a slow rate of from 0.05 to 0.5 pH unit per minute to a pH of ≦4 by the addition of a basic solution, allowing the resultant slurry to age for a period of from 10 to 120 minutes, separating the treated porous alumina particulates and washing same free of sulfate with a weak base, drying and calcining said particulates to produce titania clad alumina particulate product. The resultant material exhibits a normalized sulfur uptake of less than about 45 μg/m2-sample. Such material can subsequently be coated with a noble metal to form the catalyst material.