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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Kevin Taylor

What next for Katie Taylor? Potential fights after Delfine Persoon rematch win

Katie Taylor has the world at her feet after defending her undisputed lightweight world title with a unanimous decision win over Delfine Persoon last night.

The 34-year-old has a whole host of options on the table for her next fight including a Jessica McCaskill rematch, an eagerly anticipated Amanda Serrano showdown, a Delfine Persoon trilogy bout or even a shock move into the lucrative UFC ranks.

Here's a look at what may be next for Taylor.

Jessica McCaskill

This one could provide a real treat for fight fans as the pair served up a classic when they first met in 2017.

American McCaskill became the undisputed welterweight champion last week with a shock win over Cecilia Braekhus - meaning Taylor would become a three-weight world champion and the undisputed queen of two weight classes if she steps up in weight to fight McCaskill and defeats her again.

Taylor hinted in an interview with Sky Sports that this could be her most appealing option.

Amanda Serrano

The pair had been due to fight in May before the pandemic put paid to their Manchester clash.

Serrano is considered one of the all-time greats of women's pro boxing and while Taylor has already cemented her legacy as a legend of the sport, a win over Puerto Rican Serrano would put the icing on the cake.

Negotiations over a rearranged scrap in Eddie Hearn's fight camp fell through controversially and this one may be put on the back-burner for the time being.

Amanda Serrano (Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Delfine Persoon trilogy

The Belgian veteran gave Taylor a scare in their first fight and put in another all-action, dogged performance at Eddie Hearn's Fight Camp yesterday.

She had no complaints about the result this time and it may be hard to make the case for a third fight after the rematch win came by unanimous decision.

Persoon admitted that she struggled to pile on the weight needed for this fight and is likely to step back down the weight classes for her next challenge.

Katie Taylor celebrates winning against Delfine Persoon (©INPHO/Matchroom Boxing/Mark Robinson)

Other boxing options

English fighter Natasha Jonas is an old foe of Taylor's who she beat in the first round of the 2012 Olympics and could be a potential opponent.

Chantelle Cameron - another English fighter - is currently the mandatory challenger.

Natasha Jonas (Getty Images)

MMA switch

A shock crossover into mixed martial arts would land Taylor another bumper payday and expose her to a whole new audience in the UFC or another promotion.

Whether Taylor is interested in moving into the MMA spotlight is unclear.

Her promoter Hearn did suggest earlier this month, however, that she would like a crack at MMA legend Cris Cyborg, who is Bellator Women's Featherweight champion.

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