BANGKOK, Thailand – It’s not just about the finances or worldwide attention that stirs Katie Taylor regarding a potential fight with UFC great Ronda Rousey. It’s also about matching her fighting mind with another who has so dominated her sport.
In her first comments since Monday’s report by BoxingScene that Taylor’s and Rousey’s representatives are actively negotiating a fight being targeted for the summer as a Netflix presentation in Las Vegas, Taylor said the mental warfare makes the possibility of the bout riveting.
“[Rousey’s] an iconic figure herself in female sport,” the two-time undisputed champion told BoxingScene. “She has an amazing mentality. You don’t get to the position she’s in without a fantastic mind, without a fantastic mentality.
“It’s just a very interesting fight. Seeing all the headlines this morning, I was thinking, ‘OK, I’m up and ready for this fight.’”
Taylor, 39, is coming off a third consecutive victory over seven-division champion Amanda Serrano in July in a Netflix main event that generated 6,000,000 streams to shatter the tally of Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford for undisputed super-middleweight title on the streaming giant in September.
UFC hall of famer and WWE star Rousey dominated her circuit from 2012 to 2015 as bantamweight champion, when producing a strong of early arm-bar submissions that displayed her progress as she trained throughout in a boxing gym in Glendale, California.
Taylor said she believes Rousey, 38, has sufficient time to develop her stand-up fighting skills to make it a compelling match, given women’s bouts often become all-action affairs due to their two-minute rounds.
“Absolutely, it’s an interesting fight,” Taylor said while being honored throughout the WBC Convention in Thailand. “It’s a fight that will interest and capture the imagination of the fans and that’s what boxing needs. I’d be very, very happy to fight Ronda. I’m very open to these kinds of fights where all generations can sit down and watch boxing.
“I’m very, very open… to fighting Ronda Rousey. Absolutely open to it, for sure.”
Ireland’s former Olympic gold medalist, 25-1 (6KOs), has displayed uncompromised grit during rugged majority decision wins against Serrano, former junior-welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron, and former lightweight challenger Delfine Persoon. The quality of the matches took her and women’s boxing from “pretty much being nonexistent” at the time of her pro debut to, in 2025, “headlining cards at Madison Square Garden, making more money than we ever have,” Taylor said on Tuesday.
“I hope that progress continues.
“I consider it an absolute privilege to be in this position… Ronda Rousey makes sense.”
Taylor believes a bout with Rousey has the potential to surpass the success of her third with Serrano.
While some speculate Rousey’s struggles fighting in the striking pose in her final two UFC bouts against boxing hall of famer Holly Holm and UFC legend Amanda Nunes indicate she will struggle against the ever-punching Taylor, the boxing champion said she has deep respect for the preparation Rousey will commit to in the months leading to the showdown, making theirs a wildly intriguing match.
“[Rousey] has such a huge following,” Taylor said. “It would be an amazing privilege to step into the ring with such a legend – not just in UFC, but women’s sports as a whole. We’ll see what happens.”
And the clamor for the bout will guarantee Taylor is ready to perform to her high standard.
“Whoever I fight, I’m very motivated,” she said. “I love sport. I love training. But this one is so interesting.”
Of the potential financial earnings to be negotiated in private, Taylor said the timing is superb, because her 40th birthday is in July.
“This is a very, very short career,” she said. “We all want to make as much money as we can, build our legacy and be involved in these big fights while wanting the integrity of the sport to be there, as well. At the end of the day, I have to do what’s right for me and my family.”
Taylor’s fame rose through her participation on Jake Paul’s exhibition fight versus Mike Tyson, and she was asked about Paul’s looming professional bout against former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on December 19.
“[Paul] has a boxing and an entertainment background,” Taylor said. “Professional boxing is entertainment. That’s how he’s been able to get these fights over the line on Netflix
“This is a risky fight for both. I’d be surprised if Jake Paul doesn’t get knocked out. Anthony Joshua’s a huge puncher.
“This is crazy. I have the utmost respect for Jake Paul for taking the fight. This is one of the biggest punchers in the sport. I think this is insane that it’s happening, but I don’t have any problem with it because of the attention it’s bringing to boxing.”
That’s an asset that Taylor, too, knows how to display.
