Another giant leap on Katie’s journey to boxing immortality

New York

Katie Taylor has never been one for braggadocio but things have felt a little bit different during this, her fourth straight fight week on America’s east coast. In long-reigning WBC champion Delfine Persoon, Taylor will finally face a professional opponent who truly believes she is capable of beating women’s boxing’s trailblazer-in-chief.

Even so, Taylor starts as a heavy favourite with the oddsmakers and there are still those who expect a procession for the WBO, IBF, and WBA lightweight champion when she gets her chance to unify under that ancient Madison Square Garden roof. But the 32-year-old from Bray, who now spends most of her life up the road from New York in Connecticut, knows true greatness will only really be achieved by beating other perceived greats.

And, having already dealt with every other champion in the division while barely losing a round, Persoon is the person expected to push Taylor harder than she’s ever been pushed before. Although she insists her training has felt much the same, there is every chance her fire has burned that little bit brighter during the past 10 weeks or so.

In that period, the excellent super-middleweight from Flint, Michigan Claressa Shields unified her division in only her ninth fight with a unanimous decision victory over Christina Hammer in April. Shields, unlike Taylor, loves to talk about her achievements and she has no problem anointing herself the GWOAT: The Greatest Woman Of All Time.

Ready to light up @TheGarden on @DAZN_USA and @SkySportsBoxing. pic.twitter.com/jcFWzd6x2P

— Katie Taylor (@KatieTaylor) May 31, 2019

That it is even a debate shows how far women’s boxing has come since both Taylor and Shields won gold at London 2012, when women’s boxing was allowed at a modern Olympics for the first time.

Taylor’s promoter Eddie Hearn said this week that there is no question that Taylor is the ‘GWOAT’ already but she insists she still has work to do on that front. It is why unifying against Persoon is not her Everest but merely a foothill on the hike to boxing immortality.

“I feel like this is only the start for me,” said Taylor, after she was asked whether beating Persoon might be a triumph enough to bow out on. There are plenty of big, big fights out there for me to cement my legacy to go down as the best female boxer of all time.

“There are huge fights for me. You have to sacrifice big things to achieve big things but it’s more a privilege than a sacrifice to live this life. I feel like I’ve got plenty of years left in me. I’m 32 now but I don’t like mentioning my age a lot of the time.

“I feel very fresh and I’m not thinking about retiring any time soon, I want to make history in this sport. I’m in this sport for the long haul, that’s for sure.”

So is becoming the GWOAT what drives her?

“I definitely want to be considered the best ever,” adds Taylor, who will meet Person on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title defence against Andy Ruiz Jr. I want to be at the top of the pound for pound rankings but that’s not for me to say. That’s for others to say.”

The argument in her favour will be strengthened with victory tonight, which would not only secure the WBC belt, but the very first Ring Magazine title in the history of the women’s lightweight division too.

But police officer Persoon knows she will come into the conversation if she can make Taylor her 44th win as a professional. None of her previous victories, however, have come on a stage anywhere near this big.

All but one of her fights have taken place in Belgium, mostly on shows she has promoted herself. So a fight in Manhattan, when she will become the first boxer from her country to box at Madison Square Garden, might come as a shock to the system.

Particularly when she was forced to change hotels early in the week because of what was described as an order from Taylor, who apparently did not want to stay in the same building as her opponent.

This claim was dismissed wholeheartedly by Taylor’s team but Persoon still had to up sticks for another hotel.

“Will she be overawed by the occasion? I don’t know,” Taylor said. “I don’t care to be honest. But this is obviously the biggest night of her career as well. This is the best fighting the best, champion against champion. This is what boxing needs, never mind women’s boxing.”

The fight will be shown live on Sky Sports Box Office (€24.95) with Taylor expected in the ring at 1.30am (approximately) Irish time.