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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Gavin Quinn

Katie Taylor forced to relinquish one of her world titles

Katie Taylor was forced to give up her newly-won WBO junior-welterweight title shortly after winning the belt last month.

Taylor defeated Christina Linardatou in Manchester at the beginning of November to become a two-weight champ on top of being the undisputed lightweight queen.

But WBO regulations state that you can't hold more than one world title at the same time in their organisation - meaning that Taylor was forced to choose whether to relinquish her new belt or the lightweight strap.

Under the rules, Taylor was given ten days to decide which title to relinquish, meaning that she gave up the junior-welterweight belt in mid November to retain her status as the undisputed lightweight champion.

Bizarrely, Linardatou can now win back the belt without facing Taylor when she faces Prisca Viscot on February 8th.

Taylor is targeting a number of huge fights as she bids to make more history in 2020.

But she is already looking ahead to next year as she aims for fights with fellow champions Amanda Serrano and Cecilia Braekhus, as well as a rematch with Delfine Persoon.

Taylor told Sky Sports News: "I just want to be involved in big fights really and there's so many possible opponents out there for me.

"There's the likes of Amanda Serrano, who's a seven-weight world champion - that's probably one of the biggest fights in boxing right now.

"Obviously the rematch with Delfine Persoon and there's a possibility of stepping up another weight class and fighting Cecilia Braekhus, who's another undisputed champion.

Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon (©INPHO/Matchroom Boxing/Ed Mulholland)

"So you can imagine, undisputed champion against undisputed champion, these are history-making fights."

Norway's Braekhus is the undisputed welterweight champion and Taylor admits it could take time for the fight as she would need to bulk up for it.

Braekhus is also signed to Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing, so the fight shouldn't be difficult to make.

Taylor added: "Definitely an easy fight to make. She is a welterweight and it's a fight where I'm going to have to build myself up to I think.

"I'm obviously naturally a lightweight fighter, even though I stepped up to light-welterweight in the last fight, I make lightweight very, very comfortably, so it is a fight that's going to take time I think.

"But it is absolutely a history-making fight… undisputed champion against undisputed champion, I don't think that's ever been done before, so that will be a very, very special fight." 

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