UNIFIED world lightweight champion and double Olympic gold medallist Katie Taylor could make her professional home debut in Belfast next year.
The Bray native, who shares the bill with Belfast’s James Tennyson and Sean McComb in Boston on Saturday night has gone to 10-0 in her pro career so far but has never fought in Ireland.
The Eddie Hearn-promoted star, who meets Cindy Serrano on Saturday night’s bill, admits that a fight in Dublin remains unlikely. But she would relish the chance of appearing up the road in Belfast where the professional fight scene is enjoying an unprecedented ‘boom time’.
“Belfast looks more likely than Dublin at this stage,” said Taylor, now based in Connecticut, USA where she has devoted herself to her fighting career and works with coach Ross Enamait.
“I would love to box at home at some stage and maybe that could be a possibility next year. That’s up to Eddie (Hearn) and Brian (Peters, her manager), I just do what I’m told really.”
Peters oversaw the rise of Bernard Dunne during the ‘noughties’. Dubliner Dunne, who was trained in Belfast by Harry Hawkins, sensationally beat Ricardo Cordoba to win the WBA super-bantamweight title and was the figurehead of a thriving Dublin scene that included a series of successful fight nights at the O2 Arena and the National Stadium featuring the likes of Andy Lee, Jason McKay and Jim Rock.
The experienced fight manager says Taylor’s Belfast appearance could hinge on whether James Tennyson beats champion Tevin Farmer in Saturday night’s IBF super-featherweight rumble in Boston. The result of Ryan Burnett’s World Boxing Super Bantamweight Series clash with Nonito Donaire in Glasgow next month is also a factor.
“All we need is for Mr Tennyson to do a number on Mr Farmer and Ryan Burnett to go over and win the bantamweight super six and then we’ll have a nice little party there with the three world champions,” he said.
To follow:
Katie Taylor defends her world lightweight titles against the experienced Cindy Serrano in Boston on Saturday.
Ahead of the fight, Taylor and her manager Brian Peters talk to Andy Watters about the Serrano sisters, Paddy Barnes, James Tennyson, McGregor, her new movie Katie, the possibility of an appearance in Belfast next year and what the future may hold...
