Taylor: I cherish big fights against the home nation

KATIE Taylor is relishing the chance to fight home boxer Yana Alekseevna on her home patch this Friday.

The Olympic Champion and the Kazakhstan native go to battle for the right to fight for European Championship gold and Taylor has no qualms about being the away fighter.

Indeed, the Bray BC fighter says she cherish a hostile crowd.

“I’ve boxed many people in their own backyard plenty of times, in China I boxed a Chinese girl in the final of the World Championships and I’ve boxed Russians before in their home nation as well. I’m going to enjoy it, the atmosphere is going to be fantastic. It’s going to be such a tough contest, but these are the kind of fights that I cherish.”

Taylor has Alekseevna previous beating her in the most recent World lightweight final and expects a tough test tomorrow.

“I boxed her in the finals of the world championships last year and a few months ago. It was a very, very close contest then and I expect it to be another close one. She’s very clever and, as I said, these are the kind of fights that I love to box, such a big fight against the home nation. I’m really looking forward to it.”