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Eddie Hearn backs ‘game-changer’ Katie Taylor for 2020 Pay Per View success

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Katie Taylor could become a Pay Per View fighter as soon as 2020 suggests Eddie Hearn.

The Matchroom boss, who works closely with the Irish sporting sensation, revealed the trailblazer has increased substantially the size of female fight purses since she entered the game, with her opponents dwarfing their previous biggest pay days when they sign to face her.

The promoter with links to Sky Sports and DAZN believes the game-changing undisputed lightweight world champ can bring things to yet another level and possibly become the first female boxer to earn a million dollar purse.

Provided her bid to become a two-weight world champion is successful in Manchester tonight, Taylor looks likely to have mega fights with seven-weight world champion Amanda Serrano and undisputed welterweight Queen Cecilia Braekhus in 2020.

However, it’s the rematch with Delfine Persoon, that Hearn and Sky Sports see as having PPV potential. They believes that repeat could see both fighters earn record high paydays.

The promoter believes the controversy surrounding the first fight which played in MSG in June of this year would generate PPV interest.

“Although Serrano and Cecilia Braekhus are big names, Persoon does have that cross-over appeal because she boxed Katie Taylor and that fight had everything and it was a little controversial,” he added.

“So that maybe is the pay-per-view fight. I’m not saying it would do hundreds of thousands of buys, but I think there is an appetite from Sky to push women’s sport.”

Hearn did hint at ‘a special venue’ for a purposed Persoon rematch and there have been homecoming whispers, but the bout is more likely to play out in England with a Summer date being prefered.

If Taylor overcomes Christina Linardatou tonight, then it looks like Serrano will be the Spring opponent and all going well there it’s Persoon in the Summer.

Expanding further on how Taylor has changed the pro game, Hearn backed the Wicklow native to bring about male and female purse parity.

“What is the difference between Katie Taylor and another world male world champion in America? She is the same or a bigger draw. But you can bet your life the male champion is earning more money. And that is where we talk about equality of purses. The only reason it is not happening yet is because you are playing catch-up. It will happen.”

“She is the stand-out, there is nobody making money in women’s boxing like Katie Taylor. She is the queen. She deserves it because she is responsible for all of it.”

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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