WBA AND IBF World lightweight champion Katie Taylor [9-0, 4KOS] is likely to face a mandatory challenger for one of her two title belts in July before throwing down with Heather Hardy in the latter’s hometown of Brooklyn on 22 September.
Tunisian-born German Ikram Kerwat [9-1, 5KOs] is the number-one ranked contender for Taylor’s WBA strap and could get her shot at both belts in London at the end of next month. The 34-year-old is trained by boxing icon and HBO pundit Roy Jones Jr, who described Taylor’s recent victory over Victoria Bustos on-air as “one of the best female fights I’ve seen in my whole career.”
Kirwat is also ranked #3 by the IBF, but as things stand a bout with either Austria’s Nicole Wesner [14-0, 6KOs] or American Kimberly Connor [13-3-2, 5KOs] would be more likely if Taylor was to make a mandatory defence of that strap specifically.
What’s almost certain is that Taylor’s preferred opponent for July, WBO World champion Rose Volante, is all but out of the reckoning: the Brazilian is intent on making a couple of defences of her new title before challenging the unified champion.
Ikram Kerwat (R) Boris Streubel
Boris Streubel
Should Taylor defend her titles as expected in London next month, she’ll return to Brooklyn for a fight of an altogether greater magnitude at Barclays Center on 22 September.
In her feature interview earlier this week, Irish-Brooklynite Heather Hardy told The42: “When I first saw Katie fighting in Brooklyn I started to get excited. I was like: ‘Wow, okay, perhaps this could actually build up to something huge down the line: two Irish girls in Brooklyn.’”
‘The Heat’, 19-0 in the ring but earning more money and recognition as a mixed martial artist with Bellator, claimed that a Taylor showdown is “one of the only fights that will get me back in the boxing ring,” before proclaiming that their prospective clash “would be tremendous – for women, for Brooklyn boxing, for Irish boxing.”
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The42 understands Hardy is the leading candidate to face Taylor in her home borough on what will be Eddie Hearn and Matchroom’s maiden U.S. show as part of their $1bn streaming deal with DAZN.
Hearn is expected to make an offer to Hardy’s team in the coming weeks which will dwarf her career-highest take-home to date of $12,000. Due to ‘The Heat”s sizable profile Stateside – not least in Brooklyn – and the watershed nature of the planned show at Barclays Center, Hardy will likely be offered something in the region of $70,000 to $100,000 to fight Taylor – an unprecedented fee for a female world-title challenger.
The 36-year-old is a natural featherweight (126lbs), and will be coming up to lightweight (135) should she accept her first ever shot at world honours.
Hardy’s fee will be larger even than that which undisputed World welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhaus received to defend all four of her belts live on HBO in April, but is understood to be a ‘one-time thing’ due to Taylor’s team’s willingness for the Bray woman to face off with a widely-recognised opponent on a landmark night in her career Stateside.
It’s hoped that the pair’s prospective Battle of Brooklyn will pave the way for a seismic showdown between Taylor and another local, six-weight world champion Amanda Serrano [34-1-1, 26KOs]. Like Hardy, the Puerto Rican all-time great is promoted by Lou DiBella.
Heather Hardy (L) Al Bello
Al Bello
Though Brooklyn seems likely to become Taylor’s base of operations as far as future fights go, her team still have one eye across the Atlantic. A fight with Liverpool’s Natasha Jonas [6-0, 5KOs] – next March being the optimal landing spot – remains a priority.
Taylor’s London 2012 rival – with whom she shares a promoter – will first pursue world titles at super-feather, though, where a defeat would likely scupper any future fight with Taylor up at lightweight.
The homecoming dream isn’t dead, yet, however: Cork has emerged as a wildcard option and might one day play host to a Taylor fight should the stars align.
Sky Sports’ Head of Boxing Adam Smith spends his summers in west Cork, and has raised The Rebel County to Taylor’s team and Hearn as a potential means of having Taylor fight professionally in her native country.
The Green Glens Arena in Millstreet would be the landing spot: the indoor venue has a capacity of over 8,000 and was the scene of Steve Collins’ famous first triumph over Chris Eubank – a fight broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Taylor’s manager, Brian Peters, was among those who worked on the promotion for that raucous night in north Cork, as was Barry Hearn – father of Eddie and founding chairman of Matchroom Sports. Their familiarity and fond memories of the venue, along with those of Smith, might see Taylor’s course temporarily diverted toward Leeside over the next couple of years.
A big night down south is still a long way off, but the door toward a Taylor homecoming remains at least slightly ajar for now.
July’s opponent and Heather Hardy will have other ideas, of course.
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Hardy first in line to face Taylor in Brooklyn while Cork fight emerges as wildcard future option
WBA AND IBF World lightweight champion Katie Taylor [9-0, 4KOS] is likely to face a mandatory challenger for one of her two title belts in July before throwing down with Heather Hardy in the latter’s hometown of Brooklyn on 22 September.
Tunisian-born German Ikram Kerwat [9-1, 5KOs] is the number-one ranked contender for Taylor’s WBA strap and could get her shot at both belts in London at the end of next month. The 34-year-old is trained by boxing icon and HBO pundit Roy Jones Jr, who described Taylor’s recent victory over Victoria Bustos on-air as “one of the best female fights I’ve seen in my whole career.”
Kirwat is also ranked #3 by the IBF, but as things stand a bout with either Austria’s Nicole Wesner [14-0, 6KOs] or American Kimberly Connor [13-3-2, 5KOs] would be more likely if Taylor was to make a mandatory defence of that strap specifically.
What’s almost certain is that Taylor’s preferred opponent for July, WBO World champion Rose Volante, is all but out of the reckoning: the Brazilian is intent on making a couple of defences of her new title before challenging the unified champion.
Should Taylor defend her titles as expected in London next month, she’ll return to Brooklyn for a fight of an altogether greater magnitude at Barclays Center on 22 September.
In her feature interview earlier this week, Irish-Brooklynite Heather Hardy told The42: “When I first saw Katie fighting in Brooklyn I started to get excited. I was like: ‘Wow, okay, perhaps this could actually build up to something huge down the line: two Irish girls in Brooklyn.’”
‘The Heat’, 19-0 in the ring but earning more money and recognition as a mixed martial artist with Bellator, claimed that a Taylor showdown is “one of the only fights that will get me back in the boxing ring,” before proclaiming that their prospective clash “would be tremendous – for women, for Brooklyn boxing, for Irish boxing.”
The42 understands Hardy is the leading candidate to face Taylor in her home borough on what will be Eddie Hearn and Matchroom’s maiden U.S. show as part of their $1bn streaming deal with DAZN.
Hearn is expected to make an offer to Hardy’s team in the coming weeks which will dwarf her career-highest take-home to date of $12,000. Due to ‘The Heat”s sizable profile Stateside – not least in Brooklyn – and the watershed nature of the planned show at Barclays Center, Hardy will likely be offered something in the region of $70,000 to $100,000 to fight Taylor – an unprecedented fee for a female world-title challenger.
The 36-year-old is a natural featherweight (126lbs), and will be coming up to lightweight (135) should she accept her first ever shot at world honours.
Hardy’s fee will be larger even than that which undisputed World welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhaus received to defend all four of her belts live on HBO in April, but is understood to be a ‘one-time thing’ due to Taylor’s team’s willingness for the Bray woman to face off with a widely-recognised opponent on a landmark night in her career Stateside.
It’s hoped that the pair’s prospective Battle of Brooklyn will pave the way for a seismic showdown between Taylor and another local, six-weight world champion Amanda Serrano [34-1-1, 26KOs]. Like Hardy, the Puerto Rican all-time great is promoted by Lou DiBella.
Though Brooklyn seems likely to become Taylor’s base of operations as far as future fights go, her team still have one eye across the Atlantic. A fight with Liverpool’s Natasha Jonas [6-0, 5KOs] – next March being the optimal landing spot – remains a priority.
Taylor’s London 2012 rival – with whom she shares a promoter – will first pursue world titles at super-feather, though, where a defeat would likely scupper any future fight with Taylor up at lightweight.
Closer still to home, a Dublin fight is still off the table for the national sporting icon due to various, unrelated goings-on outside of the ring.
The homecoming dream isn’t dead, yet, however: Cork has emerged as a wildcard option and might one day play host to a Taylor fight should the stars align.
Sky Sports’ Head of Boxing Adam Smith spends his summers in west Cork, and has raised The Rebel County to Taylor’s team and Hearn as a potential means of having Taylor fight professionally in her native country.
The Green Glens Arena in Millstreet would be the landing spot: the indoor venue has a capacity of over 8,000 and was the scene of Steve Collins’ famous first triumph over Chris Eubank – a fight broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Taylor’s manager, Brian Peters, was among those who worked on the promotion for that raucous night in north Cork, as was Barry Hearn – father of Eddie and founding chairman of Matchroom Sports. Their familiarity and fond memories of the venue, along with those of Smith, might see Taylor’s course temporarily diverted toward Leeside over the next couple of years.
A big night down south is still a long way off, but the door toward a Taylor homecoming remains at least slightly ajar for now.
July’s opponent and Heather Hardy will have other ideas, of course.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
‘A fight with Katie Taylor is one of the only fights that will get me back in the boxing ring’
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Boxing Bray vs Brooklyn Heather Hardy Irish Boxing Katie Taylor