Katie Taylor: I’m getting better all the time

Olympic champion Katie Taylor is convinced her best is yet to come as she prepares to lead Ireland into the inaugural European Games in Baku next month.

Fri, 22 May, 2015 - 01:00

Mark Staniforth and Declan Taylor

The Bray 28-year-old recently returned to the ring after six months out with a wrist injury she sustained in the course of clinching her fifth straight world title in South Korea in November.

And Taylor believes the longest injury break of her illustrious career could serve her well as she looks to continue making history for a number of years to come.

Taylor said yesterday: “I badly needed to get back in the ring after long out and the wrist held up well so I will be 100% prepared when I go to Baku. It was a very frustrating period for me and I wasn’t able to spar for long periods but I was able to work on a lot of new things and it has left me feeling very fresh.

“I have stayed positive and I believe I am still improving in every competition I enter. I have even managed to improve a lot since the last World Championships.”

Women’s boxing is set to be one of the star attractions at the Baku Games, with five weight divisions — two more than the Olympic programme.

Taylor will be joined by Michaela Walsh and Ceire Smith in the Ireland squad.

Taylor goes into the event in the knowledge that victory will secure her status as lightweight world number one for an unprecedented 10 years in a row.

Meanwhile Matthew Macklin has confirmed talks are ongoing regarding a fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Las Vegas and it could even be confirmed by the end of the weekend.

Chavez, son of the Mexican icon of the same name, was badly beaten by Andrzej Fonfara last month and was forced to retire at the end of the ninth round of their clash in California.

But he will begin his rebuilding job later this year and it has been revealed that Macklin is on his potential list of opponents.

However Macklin, his promoter Eddie Hearn and Al Haymon, Chavez’s influential advisor, remain in talks, with the issue of what weight to fight at proving a potential stumbling block.

‘Tipperary Tornado’ Macklin has spent most of the last decade fighting in the 160lb middleweight division while Chavez is currently campaigning as a 168lb super-middleweight.

And Macklin said: “We are in talks. At middleweight I would love that fight but I don’t really want to venture up so we’ll see what happens.

“I would consider giving him a few pounds. Listen, if he could meet me halfway, maybe at 164lbs, I would go for it but to go up to 168lbs, I’m giving a lot of an advantage away.”

Chavez beat Limerick’s Andy Lee when the pair met in June 2012 but he has endured an up-and-down career since.

The 29-year-old lost to Sergio Martinez before back-to-back points wins over Brian Vera but was stunned by Fonfara last month.

Macklin added: “He came a cropper and now needs to rebuild. He’s looking for a smaller guy, someone like me, who is a decent-size middleweight but not massive.”