Katie may chase fourth belt on Joshua’s New York undercard

Katie Taylor could get the chance to complete the set of lightweight world titles at Madison Square Garden on June 1 but she has no intention of winding down thereafter.

In fact, her promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that the 2012 Olympic champion is hoping to box on for as many as seven more years once her unification dream has been realised.

The Bray star is the incumbent of the IBF and WBA lightweight titles and gets the chance to clinch the WBO belt in Philadelphia on March 15 against the tough Brazilian Rose Volante.

Should Taylor succeed in adding that third strap to her collection, Hearn has revealed she may get the chance to fight for the fourth and final belt on June 1 in New York City on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight clash with Jarrell Miller.

Belgium’s Delfine Persoon is the WBC champion and has been since 2014. With a record of 47-1, the 34-year-old would represent the toughest fight of Taylor’s professional career.

Despite next month’s clash with Volante looming large for Taylor, Hearn has already opened talks with Persoon’s team about a potential four-belt unification in June.

“Katie has to get through Volante first but we want to try and have the undisputed fight for all four lightweight belts on the AJ card,” said Hearn.

“Persoon’s team want the fight to happen in Belgium, where she’s from, but I’m saying as a compromise let’s do it at Madison Square Garden.

It seems like they fancy the fight at MSG but now it’s just a case of agreeing the purse.

“You used to be able to get an opponent like that for around $30,000 but now it’s several hundred thousand instead.

“But Taylor against Persoon would be the perfect fight to put on this card and we’re determined to make this happen.

“Taylor is fighting March 15 and if she wins we want to be in a position where we can announce a fight for all four belts.

“I think that would give her 12 weeks to prepare and she’s raring to go.”

But even if Taylor does become the unified champion within just 14 professional fights, she has no intention of walking away.

Money-spinning encounters with the likes of Amanda Serrano and Cecilia Braekhus remain on her radar but Hearn says they could be looking for opponents until around 2026.

He added: “I said to her the other day that she might have another six or seven fights left, maybe another three years or so.

She gave me a look that I won’t be forgetting in a hurry — she’s talking about another six or seven years in the game.

“I would think she’s got another 10 fights but when I said that to her she really wasn’t happy.

“And you can see why really. When you look at it, she’s in her absolute prime and showing no signs of decline.

“She is the most driven fighter I’ve ever met.”