Undisputed welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill wants a rematch with Katie Taylor after watching the Olympic champion beat Delfine Persoon for a second time on Saturday.
Unbeaten Taylor earned a unanimous decision over the Belgian after a 10-round slug-fest to retain her IBF/WBA/WBO/WBC lightweight titles in Essex, England.
The win improves the Bray boxer to 16 straight victories.
Chicago-fighter McCaskill unified the welterweight division after beaten Cecilia Braekhus in Tulsa earlier this month. The win put paid to Braekhus’ ambition of beating Joe Louis’ record of 25 successful world title defences.
McCaskill met Taylor in London in 2017 but lost a unanimous decision – although she asked some serious questions for the Irish sensation.
“I want Katie to win,” said McCaskill before Saturday’s meeting between Taylor and Persoon.
“Katie is one of the biggest fights for me outside of a Cecilia rematch. We just have to go to the drawing board and figure it out.
“I hope to fight before the end of the year, but we have to see how Katie gets out of this fight. If she’s cut or anything like that, it will take longer with suspensions, but I’d love to fight before the end of the year. I am already back in the gym, so I am staying ready.
“I almost knocked Katie out with a left hook. I felt that I was on the world-class level, and I proved it. If Katie had lost that fight to me, I don’t think Eddie (Hearn) would have kept pouring money into women’s boxing the way he has.
“He was so invested in Katie, and he still is. So I am OK with the outcome. We have both led successful career paths from there, and I think there should be a rematch.
“Something like Wembley Stadium where there are 100,000 fans, if that’s even possible in the times that we are in right now, then of course, that is something we wouldn’t pass up.”
McCaskill added: “Our preference is to have the fight in the States since the first fight was in the UK.
“If it were in Chicago, it would be insanity. It would be massive. It’s funny because when you ask those questions, you just ask yourself, ‘where are the numbers for COVID-19 at?’ I’d love for it to be in Chicago, but it doesn’t need to be in Chicago.
“So many people travel to see these fights – they travel to see Katie, they travel to see me. New York would be the hub for that. I was at her fight with Delfine in New York, and I met so many fans from Canada, Australia, the UK.”
“Sometimes with boxing, they wait too long and the opportunity is gone for one reason or another. I don’t think waiting is the answer. If we don’t have fans, we don’t have fans. We both have experience with fighting without fans now.
“I don’t think it will be an issue. I love my fans, and I’d love to have them there with me, but then again, I think everyone has DAZN (sports channel) by now.”
