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P4P #1 status up for grabs when Katie Taylor meets Amanda Serrano

Most suggest Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor are in a continuous battle for Pound for Pound top spot with the longevity and achievement of Cecila Braekhaus allowing her to be part of if not front runner in the race.

However, undisputed lightweight champion, Taylor claims her clash with Amanda Serrano is a straight shootout for the ‘best woman boxer on the planet’ status.

The Bray native believes there is more than her four titles on the line when she faces the seven weight world champion, the winner of the postponed clash will be Pound for Pound #1 and as a result quite possibly the GOAT.

“This is the best fighting the best, a fight that everybody wants to see,” Taylor said. “This is a very exciting fight not just for women’s boxing but for boxing as a whole. This is a fight that people want to see.

“It is a dangerous fight for both of us, and career-changing for both of us. Whoever wins this fight is cemented at No 1 in women’s boxing.”

Sheilds would certainly argue otherwise. The two time Olympic gold medal winner and three weight world champion has argued her case quite strongly, but if Taylor beats the much decorated Serrano she would have the best win of the two on her record.

Taylor will also then be afforded the chance to trade leather with Braekhaus, potentially scalp another big name and make history as two undisputed champions meet.

The Matchroom fighter is also in a weight class that looks likely to produce big name rivals over the coming years, while Shields is calling out MMA names and Laila Ali.

Speaking about a potential fight with the ‘First Lady’, a bout that looks certain to take place if the lightweights come through clashes with Serrano and Jessica McCaskil respectively Taylor said : “”I want to be involved in the biggest fights and I can’t look past Serrano but, if I do come through, the fight with Braekhus is history-making. Undisputed champion vs undisputed champion – has that ever happened before?”

“We could do a catchweight at 142lbs but I can’t go above 140lbs too much,” Taylor said. “I walk around at maybe 142lbs or 143lbs at most. We could do a catchweight and that would be a super fight.”

If the fight was to be made it would mean back to back super fights for the Olympic gold medal winner.

Although the fact Serrano is keen to talk and has proved a good fight builder there may be more hype around her bout with the Brooklyn based Puerto Rican.

Taylor, who is currently training in Connecticut for a fight that was first scheduled for May, but is now penciled in for July, expects some trash talk but has vowed not to get involved.

“I go into every fight with the same mindset, nothing has changed. She obviously does an awful lot of talking and it will be the same for this fight. But I don’t get involved in anything like that.”

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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