The money Katie Taylor was offered to have a rematch with Amanda Serrano was too good for Taylor to turn down, according to her promoter Eddie Hearn.
Taylor, 37, will defend her undisputed super lightweight title on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, when she perhaps would once have expected to next be fighting Chantelle Cameron instead.
It was in November when she earned a majority decision over Cameron to avenge her only defeat, and when they were again sufficiently evenly matched that demand existed for them to have a third fight. That rematch with Cameron was also being spoken of as potentially the last of Taylor’s decorated career, but she will unexpectedly fight Puerto Rico’s 35-year-old Serrano next.
“MVP got in touch with us,” explained her promoter, Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn. “We were talking about staging the fight somewhere, and then they came on and said they wanted to do it on that card, so we talked through the money, which was very good, and we felt it was the right offer for Katie to take.
“We then had to speak to [broadcasters] DAZN, who we thank a lot, because they are very good at allowing fighters these kinds of opportunities, and we accepted the offer. A one-fight deal, back after to DAZN, on Matchroom shows. I’m not involved in the promotion of the show. But obviously I’m with Katie. It’s just the right deal for her to take in this time in her career.
“Just, financially. It’s a lot more money than the Chantelle Cameron fight, and I think it’s a big stage – the AT&T Stadium in Texas. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of eyeballs on the event. She’ll fight anybody, but she’s done two fights in Ireland now. She can do this, then probably come back to Ireland after.
“They both punch very hard, and if you watch the first fight with Serrano, it shows you what kind of fights they can be. [There’s] more miles on the clock for Katie. Serrano hasn’t really been in many tough fights. Katie’s been in two wars with Chantelle Cameron. So, I think, like for like, really.”
Hearn was then asked if he expected the third fight with Cameron to eventually take place, and he said: “Yeah I do. She’ll fight everybody. She’s gonna have to fight Serrano; Cameron; [Alycia] Baumgardner. They’re really the only fights left.
“I’ve never really talked to her about how many she’s going to have before she retires – I don’t know what it could be. Four? Five? She’ll probably say another nine or 10. She just beat Chantelle Cameron in a rematch, so she feels great.
“[Maybe the Cameron rematch would have been her last fight] if she lost. I don’t know.”
Hearn was also then asked if he expected the proposed, ill-advised contest between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul to be granted the status of a licensed fight by the Texas Boxing Commission, and he responded: “Hopefully not.”
