It’s not even February yet, but Katie Taylor is staring down the prospects of 2019 being her biggest year yet.
The WBA/IBF lightweight champion will face WBO lightweight champion Rose Volante in a title-unification bout at Temple University’s Liacouras Center in Philadelphia during St. Patrick’s Day weekend on March 15. Taylor (12-0, 5 KOs) defeating Volante (14-0, 8 KOs) would bring the Irish sensation one step closer to being crowned undisputed champ of the division. From there, a fight with WBC titleholder Delfine Persoon would seem imminent, with a mega bout pitting Taylor against seven-division champion Amanda Serrano as a blockbuster way to end 2019.
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Although Taylor is well aware that the fight blueprint has been rolled out, she vows to only hone in on the title unification first.
“This is a huge, huge fight for me. I always said all along that I’d love to become the undisputed champion, but the girls also have to take the fights. So, for this fight to be made, it was absolutely huge for me — a chance to unify the division,” Taylor told Sporting News after a press conference in Philadelphia to formally announce the fight Tuesday. “She’s a strong champion, a very, very proud champion, so it’s going to be an exciting fight. She has a big right hand, a strong punch. She’s very aggressive. Yeah, it’s going to be a great fight. Yeah, it’s going to bring the best out of me.”
She added: “If I do overcome Rosa Volante, the next fight would be Delfine Persoon. That’s a huge fight. Obviously, Persoon is a long-reigning champion. If all goes well, we’ll have Amanda Serrano by the end of the year as well.”
Seeing this fight plan formulate before her very eyes sort of stands as a self-fulfilling prophecy from the conversation the Olympic gold medalist first had with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
“When I first sat down with Eddie Hearn two years ago, before I signed with him, I said I’d love to become the undisputed champion, I want to make history in this sport, I want to leave a great legacy and we’re on the right path in doing that,” Taylor said. “[Being crowned undisputed champ] would definitely overtake the Olympics for me.”
Since turning pro in November 2016, Taylor has built herself up to being a ferocious puncher, with a willingness to stay in the pocket and slug it out — onslaughts that none of her 12 opponents have been able to withstand.
The fourth quarter of her 2018 ring resume had Taylor dominating Cindy Serrano, Amanda’s older sister, to a unanimous decision in October, before defeating Eva Wahlstrom by the same route in December.
Following the former bout, Taylor had a locker room visit from fellow Irish star Conor McGregor. She joked with him that she was thinking about doing the outlandish "Conor McGregor walk," drawing huge laughter from the MMA star. While actually doing something like that would be out of Taylor's demure outside-the-ring personality, inside the ring she's demanding her respect with blunt force just as McGregor implored her to. When the laughter between the combat sports' stars subsided, McGregor called her an "Irish hero," saying it was "an honor" to visit her in a show of support.
Now, imagine how many chapters could be added to Taylor's growing legend if she successfully runs the gamut in front of her unscathed ... and with all the gold.
Amanda Serrano signing a reported three-fight co-promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing in October would seemingly make the collision course between her and Taylor seem imminent.
However, for such a clash to take shape at full blast, Taylor says she and Serrano have to keep putting up Ws in their respective fights leading up to that point. Otherwise, the fight will lose some of its sizzle.
“Obviously, I have to keep winning, she has to keep winning for the fight to make sense,” Taylor said.
If that does indeed happen, though, Taylor believes a fight with Serrano can headline a card in a huge box-office venue in the U.S.
“I’ve said all along that that’s probably the biggest fight in women’s boxing right now — a fight that can actually headline a big stadium here as well,” Taylor said. “It’s huge for both of us and a history-making fight.”
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She added: “Amanda Serrano is obviously an amazing fighter. For the two of us to step in the ring together, it’s only going to be fireworks. It’s going to be such an exciting fight, a toe-to-toe fight. We’re both going to have to show a lot of heart in that fight. It’s going to be more about skill, but also about heart as well.”
Taylor can take one giant step toward that path with a win over Volante on March 15.
