Tonight, Katie Taylor bids to make history as she takes on Brazil’s Rose Volante at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Victory would see Taylor become the first-ever Irish boxer to hold three of the four major belts simultaneously.
The Bray native, who has won all twelve of her professional fights to date, is due to put her WBA and IBF titles on the line against WBO champion Volante. Taylor won the WBA title last April against Victoria Bustos and has since defended both titles on three occasions, stopping Kimberly Connor in three rounds in July, before defeating against Cindy Serrano in October and beating Eva Wahlstrom in New York last December.
Taylor’s opponent Rose Volante, is the current holder of the WBO title and boasts an undefeated professional record of fourteen straight wins, eight of which have come by knockout. Promoter Eddie Hearn believes this will be Taylor’s toughest bout yet, with the Brazilian ruthlessly stopping her two opponents since winning her WBO belt in December 2017.
"Rose Volante, the champion from Brazil, undefeated, very strong, very tough. By far the toughest fight of Katie Taylor's career so far. "If she wins this, she's one belt away from being the undisputed lightweight champion of the world.
Should Taylor overcome Volante on Friday, she will face the formidable WBC champion Delfine Persoon, in New York on 1 June – setting up one of the biggest fights in the history of women’s professional boxing.
The winner of this potential clash, will become only the fourth active boxer (male or female) to hold all four major belts in the division – officially crowning the winner as the undisputed lightweight world champion.
Delfine Persoon defended her WBC title in Belgium on Saturday, extending her professional record to an impressive forty-three wins and one loss. Taylor however is unfazed and has had her eye on creating history ever since she turned professional.
“Ever since I won my first World title as a pro, my goal has been to unify the Lightweight titles so this is obviously a massive step towards that,” said Taylor.
As of now, no opponent has proved to be a match for Taylor’s blurring hand-speed and devastating power. Taylor had a hugely successful amateur career amassing an astonishing five World Championship gold medals, five European Championship gold medals and an unforgettable gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics. At the weigh-in, Taylor tipped the scales at 133.9lbs, while her Brazilian opponent weighed in at 133.2lbs.
KO POWER! @KatieTaylor says she definitely isn't taking undefeated WBO champ Rose Volante lightly and will have to be at her very best tonight #TaylorVolante pic.twitter.com/QYNsSZyBiA
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 15, 2019
Since turning professional, Taylor has broken boundaries for women in boxing as she continues to attract record viewing numbers. Having dedicated her whole life to boxing, Taylor has consistently produced a decade of achievements on the world stage that is, without doubt, unparalleled in Irish sport.
Taylor can take another huge step to achieving her dream and solidifying her status as one of the finest boxers the world has ever seen.
The fight takes place at the 10,000 seater Liacouras Center at Temple University, Philadelphia. Depending on the results in the earlier fights, Taylor’s bout may end up taking place in the early hours of Saturday morning. To make sure you don’t miss a thing, tune Sky Sports Action from 11pm, when the coverage begins.
