A December Stepping Stone For Katie Taylor

With the announcement that Katie Taylor will return to the ring in December being made, there is one pertinent question that remains and with nobody lined up in terms of an opponent at the time of writing, it allows plenty of speculation in a bid to find the answer.

An answer that although is important, is not as important as what could potentially follow and if the Irish fighter can clear whatever hurdle will soon be in her way, it has the ability to unlock something big in 2022.

Or should that be someone big – at least in relative terms, because if the unnamed opponent is dealt with as expected, it should mean that all roads should then lead to a meeting with Amanda Serrano next year.

A fight that would undoubtedly have the online betting community interested and for those who compile the betting odds on behalf of the sportsbooks, it might be a difficult contest to then price accordingly.

If only because these two female fighters have a rich and more importantly winning pedigree in the ring and with the same December date being previously earmarked for a clash between the two, it seems the small matter of Jake Paul has got in the way.

With Serrano now fighting under the promotional wing of Jake Paul’s boxing activity, it means the best laid plans have been disrupted for now and with the 33-year-old now set to face Miriam Gutierrez instead, the lie of the land has got just a little more complicated.

Complicated but that does not mean getting the two women in question in the ring together is impossible and with a willingness for both parties to still want to square off against the other, the hope is that such a meeting has only been delayed.

Which will mean good news for the 35-year-old Taylor and after getting the better of Jennifer Han in September it means that she is still in possession of the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring female lightweight titles.

A quintet of belts that were first accumulated back in June 2019, when Taylor got the better of Belgian Delfine Persoon and doing so, added the WBA, IBF and WBO titles to the WBC and The Ring versions that she already possessed.

Since then, four multi-title defences have taken place, with Persoon losing for a second time in August 2020 and just three months later, Miriam Gutierrez was added to the list of names that had been vanquished by Taylor.

Of course, Gutierrez could play a pivotal part in the plans of the fighter she meets next month and the fighter who got the better of her last year and if only if the Spanish roadblock can be cleared, can the plans of both Taylor and Serrano be fulfilled.

With the Spaniard currently considered the fifth best female fighter in the world, there is every chance that she could act as a spoiler in all of this, and if she comes out on top during the fight on the Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury undercard, then the best land plans may well be disrupted.

Plans that have already been scuppered in 2020, as a previously scheduled bout was scrapped due to COVID-19 restrictions and although both ladies picked up wins elsewhere soon after, the boxing world would be considered the losers.

Because this is a fight that has been anticipated for the best part of two years, perhaps even more and with recently it looking like it may be contested on this side of the upcoming New Year’s Celebrations, another delay of a couple more months will only add to the anticipation.

Anticipation that should hopefully be converted into realisation come April of 2022 and with that being the date that is earmarked for Taylor and Serrano to finally get it on, both fighters will need to clear their December duels first.

One fighter that was in the mix for a meeting with the Bray Bomber before Christmas was Jessica McCaskill, although with the upcoming fight needing to be a mandatory bout, it subsequently ruled out the American from the picture.

With McCaskill now the dominant force at welterweight, there was not the scope for her to be slotted into the Liverpool fight card and although a rematch could not be scheduled this time around, that is not to say that it may not materialise further down the line.

If that is to be the case, it may also be a case of join the queue and with the 37-year-old now in possession of the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring female welterweight titles, her own personal schedule could be rather busy for the next few months and beyond.

Then again, it will only give Katie Taylor something else to look forward to and if she can win her next two fights – assuming the second is against Amanda Serrano, then a meeting with Jessica McCaskill may follow at the tail end of 2022.