Team Taylor deny Persoon’s hotel eviction accusations

Team Taylor have denied they had undisputed opponent Delfine Persoon removed from her hotel this week.

Persoon and her coach told Belgian press on Tuesday that the WBA, IBF and WBO world champion had them removed from the Renaissance Manhattan hotel not long after the checked in on Monday.

Whilst WBC champion Persoon seemed relatively relaxed about the situation her coach was extremely upset and laid the blame at the feet of the Bray native.

“Delfine is the number one in the world, Taylor the number three – that they tell her to move. Apparently it was in Taylor’s contract that she could demand that – I think it’s small. Just as we were settled in and found our way, we had to leave in the evening in a hurry. We are now fifteen minutes away. We now also have to sleep in a single room, in the previous hotel we had our double room,” Feilipe Tampere told Belgian media. 

However, Taylor’s manager Brian Peters claims neither he nor Taylor had anything to do with the change in temporary living arrangements for the 34-year-old police inspector.

Peters claims Matchroom look after that end of things and also points out that it’s industry standard for fighters to populate seperate hotels.

The42’s Gavan Casey is on the ground in New York and was able to catch up with the experienced manager.

“I heard that they were complaining but I don’t know much about it. Matchroom would have made that decision — they have 33 people here working on the show, putting the whole show together, that Katie wouldn’t even know. They organise that. Katie didn’t know that any of this was going on,” Peters explained.

“It’s standard industry practice for fighters to stay in separate hotels. That would be done across the board. So it’s not unusual.

“I’m told they’re staying in the same hotel as Anthony Joshua and his people, now. They’re actually staying in a nicer hotel.”