Katie Taylor successfully retained all four of her lightweight belts last night and has called for the chance to take part in “megafights” in the near future.
Taylor defended the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO titles against America’s Jennifer Han in front of 20,000 people at the Headlingly Rugby League stadium in Leeds.
It proved to be a comfortable fight for Taylor, especially after knocking down Han in the eighth round. At the end of the contest, all three judges scored the bout 100-89, giving the Bray Bomber her 19th professional win.
While Han deserves credit for stepping up two weight classes, this fight failed to deliver the thrills of Taylor’s previous bouts against Natasha Jonas and Delfine Persoon. It was a steady and assured performance from the Irish sta, but by no means her finest either.
KT’s eyes are now on a fight against Amanda Serrano. The Puerto Rican boxer is considered one of the best female fighters ever and has held nine major world titles across seven different weight classes.
Serrano is the unified world featherweight world champion and is ranked as the third best pound for pound female fighter by ESPN.
A fight between Taylor and Serrano was due to happen last year but never came to fruition because of the coronavirus pandemic and failure to agree on terms between the boxers’ teams.
“I want the megafights and to be involved in the biggest fights out there,” the Irish star said.
Serrano defended her featherweight belts last week and expressed her own desire to “definitely” meet Taylor at some point before she retires.
However, an alternative opponent for the Bray Bomber could be undisputed welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill. Taylor beat the American in 2017 to retain the WBA lightweight title but McCaskill is undefeated since then.
Both of these matchups are potential pay per view headliners and few could argue that Taylor is deserving of a chance to headline her own card.
For now, though, these potential fights are no more than speculation and Taylor can do no more than soak in the feeling of her latest victory.
The 35-year-old admitted her performance was far from perfect but stressed how pleased she was to retain her belts.
"I am very, very happy with the win but a bit scrappy at times," she said.
"I knew she was very crafty in there but I would have liked a stoppage. I want to say a masterclass, it wasn't, but a win is a win."