WBA and IBF female lightweight champion Katie Taylor has asked fellow world champions Delfine Persoon and Rose Volante to step up and fight her so that she can unify the lightweight division.
Taylor was successful in her fifth title defence against Eva Wahlström last weekend with a unanimous decision win over the Finnish boxer in Madison Square Garden, New York City.
Persoon [WBC world champion] and Volante [WBO world champion] are the only two fighters left for Taylor to beat in her bid to unify the lightweight division but her manager Brian Peters has revealed that negotiations to initiate a fight with either fighter were proving difficult despite the ‘retirement’ type money on offer for a bout with Taylor.
“They could certainly retire on the money we’ve offered them,” Peters told RTE.
“I don’t know why they won’t take it but we certainly can’t be held at ransom. They have these opportunities but when it comes to it are they afraid? They have been offered more money than their whole career to date.”
Katie Taylor's rivals are 'running scared' according to the Irish fighter's management, with the WBC and WBO title holders declining huge sums of money to fight the Bray woman. #rtesport pic.twitter.com/DloPOqWn3S
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) December 20, 2018
If potential bouts with Persoon and Volante can’t be finalised, Taylor is hoping a fight with WBO light welterweight champion Amanda Serrano can be made, which, she thinks should not be difficult given the fact that the Puerto Rican recently linked up with Taylor’s promoter and Matchroom boxing chief Eddie Hearn.
“I think that fight with Amanda Serrano is probably the biggest fight in women’s boxing at the moment,” said Taylor.
“That fight is going to happen sometime next year and I know she’s expressed her desire to fight me as well so the both of us want that fight.
“She has signed up as well with Eddie Hearn so that fight is very, very easy to make.”
Hearn said after the Wahlström fight that he’s excited to get the 2012 Olympic Gold medalist into some fights where there is real danger for her and her undefeated record.
“Serrano is going to box on January 18 at Madison Square Garden and she is going to fight for her seventh world title at 115 pounds which is madness but that’s what she wants to do,” Hearn told IFL TV. “She’ll have a fight probably at 135 then fight Katie.
“Basically it’s [Rose] Volante, Delfine Persoon and Serrano. They’re the three. I’m excited to jump into those fights where you can get a bit nervous because they’re really tough fights those three. Particularly Persoon and particularly Serrano.”
