WBA AND IBF World lightweight champion Katie Taylor will defend her titles against American Kimberly Connor at London’s O2 Arena next month.
Taylor-Connor will feature on the undercard of Dillian Whyte’s Sky Sports Box Office heavyweight clash with former WBO World champion Joshua Parker on 28 July.
The 37-year-old Connor, who hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, and boasts a decent professional record of 13-3-2 (5KOs), is ranked third in the world at lightweight by both the WBA and IBF, and so satisfies both governing bodies as a defence of their respective baubles.
She and Taylor share two past opponents, and Connor faced each of them in her last two outings: she earned a unanimous-decision win over Jasmine Clarkson – whom Taylor stopped inside three rounds on her U.S. debut – last July, but four months prior was beaten on points by then-champion Victoria Bustos, whom Taylor recently relieved of the IBF World lightweight title.
In her only other world title contest to date, Connor was stopped in two rounds by all-time women’s boxing great Amanda Serrano, the five-weight world champion against whom Taylor intends to square off in the next 12 months.
Should Taylor prevail over Connor as expected, she’s likely to first face Irish-American star Heather Hardy in the latter’s hometown of Brooklyn on 22 September.
We want this fight for @HeatherHardyBox. At 21-0 she deserves a payday for her dedication to #boxing. Heather & @KatieTaylor consistently give more to fans than most male fighters. It’s time!
— Dan Hill (@hillimpact) June 3, 2018
Let’s make it happen @EddieHearn @loudibella
🇺🇸🥊🇮🇪https://t.co/qZsZL9919u
Yes please!
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) June 3, 2018
Hardy, who recently told The42 that a Taylor fight would be one of the only reasons for her to abandon her recent venture into MMA and return to the ring, could earn between $70,000 and $100,000 should she face Taylor on Matchroom’s inaugural show as part of their $1bn streaming deal with DAZN.
Everything you ever wanted to know about me (and some things you might not). How I plan to finish my career, how i feel about the state of women’s boxing... and other ramblings. https://t.co/bEzYUXilgu
— Heather Heat Hardy (@HeatherHardyBox) May 30, 2018
