No Dublin world title homecoming this year for Katie Taylor?

The hopes for a long-mooted Katie Taylor Dublin world title homecoming at the 3Arena this November look to be fading.

The Wicklow lightweight has had a perfect start to professional life and in her last fight, at Wembley Stadium on the Joshua-Klitschko undercard, she claimed the WBA Inter-Continental rankings belt. This put Taylor in line for a shot at Uruguayan WBA champ Cecilia Comunales [14(9)-1(0)], or indeed a vacant belt should the South American vacate to move up in weight as has been previously mooted.

The plan had always seemed to be for Taylor [5(3)-0] to make her U.S. debut this Summer, before returning to Ireland for a, perhaps one-off, world title challenge.

The proposed U.S. debut date was the Mikey Garcia-Adrien Broner undercard in New York on July 29th – however considering Sky’s involvement in the Mayweather-McGregor fight, and ‘The Notorious’s’ documented admiration of Taylor, a Las Vegas fight on August 26th also seems a possibility.

However, in terms of a Dublin fight date, the past month has seen talk quieten, and boxing whispers suggest that Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn is not keen to come to Dublin.

Firstly, following Ryan Burnett’s IBF bantamweight title win over Lee Haskins at the SSE Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Hearn noted the need to return to the Titanic City this year.

While obviously this is desirable for Irish and Belfast boxing, the feeling is that there therefore wont be two Irish dates by the end of the year – especially due to the cut suffered by Burnett that will force a delay to their intended September return date.

Indeed, at the post-fight press conference, Hearn remarked that he may bring the Bray boxer to Belfast for her ‘homecoming’ on the next Burnett card.

The 38 year old promoter said that “I might bring Katie here [Belfast]. I was thinking the other day to maybe come here in September, and bring Katie here in September and then maybe fight for the world title in November.”

“Now [with Burnett’s delay], would we go October Belfast, November Dublin? I don’t know.”

“What is it [Belfast], an hour and a half from Dublin? Does Katie sell in Belfast? I don’t see why not.”

“She’ll definitely fight for a world title this year.”

Hearn then yesterday gave a rough outline of the cards he plans to run in the first half of the ‘new season’ [September-December]. Neither Dublin nor Taylor was mentioned in this, admittedly brief, roadmap.

The English promoter detailed to IFL TV how “September 2nd was a potential date here at the O2 [London], but I’m not sure about that, because we need to get the right fight, which we’ve been working on, but I’m not sure we’re going to get that.”

“September the 16th, possibly, in Sheffield.”

“September 30th in Liverpool.”

“October we’re looking to go to Newcastle, probably Belfast.”

“Monte Carlo on November 4th.”

“Joshua-Klitschko could be the 11th or the 18th [of November].”

“Then moving into December you’ve got Haye-Bellew potentially.”

Watch Eddie Hearn’s interview with IFL TV in full below: