Volante next up for Taylor
Chance to claim WBO title
BRAY’S Katie Taylor will get the opportunity to take another major step on her professional boxing voyage when she takes on Brazil’s Rose Volante in Philadelphia in March.
Victory against the Brazilian will allow the Co. Wicklow star to add the WBO lightweight belt to her collection and Taylor said recently that she will not be content until she has conquered the sport of women’s boxing.
And in great news for boxing fans, Taylor recently suggested she was eager to extend her sporting journey for years to come and could even follow in the footsteps of the legendary Bernard Hopkins, who continued to fight until his 51st birthday.
‘They often say boxing is a short career, but I feel I have plenty of years left in me,’ said the WBA and IBF title holder, whose documentary ‘Katie’ aired on RTE One last night (Tuesday).
‘I look after my body, I have great drive to achieve more in the sport and who knows, I could be the female version of Bernard Hopkins fighting well into my 40s. I feel fresh, I feel good, I train smart and the people around me look after me to ensure I can have the best career possible.’
BoxRec, the sport’s official record keeper, installed Taylor as the best pound-for-pound female professional in the world last week.
‘When I first sat down with my manager and we decided to turn professional, the aim was to try and become a unified champion and to top the pound-for-pound rankings,’ said Taylor.
The 32-year-old is 12-0 as a professional and already has the WBA and IBF belts in her locker and is eager to join Ryan Burnett and Carl Frampton as the third Irish boxer to accomplish the feat of unifying her division.
WBO champion Volante has been in Taylor’s sights for some time and, up until now, she had been frustrated in her efforts to line up a fight against either the Brazilian or WBC belt holder Delfine Persoon.
Volante has held the WBO title since December 2017, however, all but one of her 14 professional fights have taken place in her home country, Brazil.
Taylor called out both Volante and Persoon last month, saying: ‘To call themselves world champions, they have to fight the best. It’s their responsibility as professional fighters to fight the best.
‘(Rose) Valente has a WBO belt and Delfine Persoon has a WBC belt.
‘The only fights that really make sense for me is one of them next. I want to become the undisputed champion.’
The brilliant ‘Katie’ aired on RTE One last night (Tuesday) at 10.15pm and is available to stream right now.