Vacated? Confusion over Katie Taylor World title status

Confusion has sprung up regarding the world title status of Katie Taylor with suggestions that the Bray fighter has vacated the WBO light welterweight crown just last month.

The organisation still lists Taylor as their champion but, yesterday, a title fight between Christina Linardatou, who the Irishwoman dethroned, and French fighter Prisca Viscot.

Members of Viscot’s team would insist that the bout was for the WBO title which Taylor won in Manchester to join Steve Collins and Carl Frampton as the only ever Irish fighters to boast two weight world title status.

However, as the story developed, it has been suggested that it is in fact the lightly-regarded IBO title which will be on the line when Viscot and Linardatou meet on February 8th in Gary, Indiana

Clarification on the situation is awaited.

Taylor is currently back in Ireland enjoying a prolonged break from the sport.

She will return to Vernon, Connecticut in the new year ahead of some big fights in 2020 – top of the list, following Delfine Persoon’s return to the amateurs, is a clash with controversial Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano.

Taylor still holds all four major belts at lightweight – where a Serrano fight is likeliest.