Katie set to reign but cloud hangs over bout

EDDIE HEARN last night insisted that Katie Taylor is destined for world domination, even though her title bout in Cardiff has hit a major snag. Taylor’s opponent for the WBA clash — defending champion Anahi Sanchez — failed to make the weight on two separate attempts. It means a shadow has been cast over what Taylor has called the biggest night of her career, as Sanchez had to vacate the belt yesterday after failing to make the 9st 9lb weight. However, the Bray boxer can still claim the world title by winning the fight. At yesterday’s weigh-in, where Taylor (left) tipped the scales at 9st 8.5lb, Sanchez was one pound over the limit. She was given two hours to shed that excess weight, but failed to do so. It means only Taylor can fight for the world title in tonight’s bout, but according to Hearn, the plan is to unify all four titles across the division, sometime in the future. ‘She is a star but not as big a star as she should be,’ promoter Hearn reckoned. ‘She is going to have to do a lot more than anyone else to become a star, because she is battling against

so many other things, whether that is perception or opportunity. ‘Winning a world title won’t even make people sit up because everyone expects her to be a world champion,’ Hearn said. ‘So what does she have to do to gain recognition? She has to unify the division, she has to headline her own shows for women’s boxing and transcend the sport that way, move up and win multiple world titles at multiple weights — it is going to be really difficult.’ However, Hearn (pictured) believes that Taylor has the best chance of anyone of making women’s professional boxing a mainstream sport. ‘When Katie Taylor fights, it is just as entertaining as men fighting. And people love watching her.’ Meanwhile, Ross Enamit, Taylor’s coach, says his fighter is not concerned by the high level of expectation that follows her whenever she fights. ‘She is training to win every fight. I don’t think she gets too wrapped up in what people are expecting of her,’ he said. ‘She has high expectations of herself, so that’s probably what she’s worried about more than anything. ‘She has to worry about what she wants to accomplish herself. ‘She’s got high aspirations obviously as far as winning this belt, unifying the division, so I think her expectations are really what matters. Not what someone else thinks of what she’s supposed to be or supposed to do for the sport.’ If Taylor does become WBA champion this evening, Enamit believes there are plenty of challengers on the horizon for her crown. ‘There are some real, legitimate fights out there against boxers who have got legitimate amateur experience. That’s what I think will be a real challenge. There is this new crop of fighters who are in the amateurs for a long time and they are coming up. It means that there is even more competition out there.’