Katie Taylor: I've Got Two Belts, Two More To Go
By Elliot Foster
Katie Taylor isn’t finished yet -- and she still wants more.
The Bray woman retained her WBA and IBF lightweight world titles on Saturday night.
Taylor, 32, stopped mandatory challenger Kimberly Connor inside three rounds at the O2 Arena in London.
The fight followed a similar pattern to her previous few, as part of the supporting cast to Dillian Whyte’s crunch heavyweight showdown against former WBO world champion Joseph Parker, but she managed to get a stoppage for the first time since last July as, with a swelling under her right eye, she had too much for the 15-year veteran American, who was stopped on her feet by referee Steve Gray after one minute and 42 seconds of the third round to successfully retain her WBA and IBF female lightweight world titles.
Taylor, 32, now moves forward to take on Cindy Serrano on October 6 in Chicago, as part of Eddie Hearn’s first Matchroom USA card.
The bill will be topped by Lincoln’s Callum Johnson as he challenges IBF light-heavyweight king Artur Beterbiev for the world title and will be screened exclusively live on Sky Sports in the UK as well as on the DAZN platform Stateside.
And though she already has her next fight booked, she is determined to become the undisputed champion by winning the other global honours.
"I've got two belts and I’ve got two more to go,” Taylor said. "Kimberly was tough. I happened to catch her with a good shot, stayed composed, and got a good finish.”
Rose Volante holds the WBO crown, while Delfine Persoon is the WBC champion.
But Taylor’s promoter Eddie Hearn outlined the challenges that face him when trying to match the amateur sensation.
"It's hard to get people to fight her, she's vicious,” he said. "She's a worldwide star who will box in the US next. She'll take a lot of stopping and eventually we'll have to move up weights to get a proper challenge."
