Team Taylor to offer Delfine Persoon “several hundred thousand” for Undisputed clash

Eddie Hearn is determined to sell New York to Delfine Persoon [42(17)-1(1)] and is willing to give the WBC lightweight champion hundreds of thousands of reasons to fight in the Big Apple.

Providing Katie Taylor [12(5)-0] adds the WBO title to the IBF and WBA straps that already decorate her waist when she takes on Rose Volante on March 15th in Philadelphia, the Belgian will represent the final piece of the undisputed jigsaw the Bray fighter is trying to complete. 

However, while Persoon finally seems keen on a clash with the Irish sensation and her team has previously suggested that New York would be an acceptable location, the long-reigning champion is now back to wanting to fight for all the belts in her Belgium. 

Matchroom boss Hearn has other ideas, and it is widely known that he is eager to add the clash to a bumper undercard of the Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller heavyweight world title fight scheduled for the Madison Square Garden Arena on June 1st.

Taylor’s promoter sees the the fighter he has more than once labelled his ‘favourite’ as a perfect fit for the New York card but admits the venue isn’t Persoon’s first choice.

The promoter who works with DAZN in America and Sky in the UK also revealed he will have to pay six figures to lure Persoon to the States and suggests he wants a deal done before March 15th.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Hearn outlined how “Katie has to get through Volante first but we want to try and have the undisputed fight for all four lightweight belts on the AJ card.”

“Persoon’s team want the fight to happen in Belgium, where she’s from, but I’m saying as a compromise let’s do it at Madison Square Garden.”

“You used to be able to get an opponent like that for around $30,000 but now it’s several hundred thousand instead.”

“But Taylor against Persoon would be the perfect fight to put on this card and we’re determined to make this happen.

“Taylor is fighting March 15th and if she wins we want to be in a position where we can announce a fight for all four belts.”

Team Taylor had been in talks with Persoon previously, at the turn of the year, but location was a sticking point.

The Flemish fighter and her team were insistent on a fight for ‘all the marbles’ in Belgium and offered Taylor $170,000 to make the trip but this was flatly refused.

A mandatory defence against Melissa St Vil on March 9th was then called and, at last, Volante would accept a deal to put her pink strap on the line in Philly having fallen out of a December date.

The announcement of Joshua’s fight in New York, rather than his previously scheduled Wembley April date, had looked to be good news considering that Team Persoon had previously stated their willingness to put everything on the line on such a card but it seems as though work is still to be done.