Katie Taylor: The Last Dance?

Katie Taylor: The Last Dance?

Katie Taylor is, without too much debate, the most important fighter in women’s boxing history. Without Taylor, the wait for her side of the sport to compete on the Olympic stage would likely have been much longer. If Taylor hadn’t turned professional following her early exit in the 2016 Olympics, the acceptance of women’s boxing wouldn’t have come so quickly. If at all. Even then, Taylor and many others had to fight apathy and much more just for the right to be seen under the bright lights. The importance of Katie Taylor for women’s boxing should never be forgotten. She has inspired a generation. But she has saved another.

In twenty-five fights, only Chantelle Cameron has managed to inflict a blemish on her resume. A two-weight undisputed world champion. A record that can boast a plethora of elite talent that she has faced and beaten. There have admittedly been some close calls along the way. Delfine Persoon could, maybe, should have got something from their two fights. Amanda Serrano can also quite rightly claim the same. But while Taylor has had a little luck on her long road to greatness, her quite incredible career will undoubtedly stand the test of time. With the one obvious exception, Taylor always finds a way to win.

But everything has a beginning, and ultimately, an end. For Katie Taylor, the final dance could come this Friday in New York.

Amanda Serrano will get a third and surely final opportunity to do what she couldn’t do in their previous two fights. Wafer-thin defeats in 2022 and 2024 left Serrano in the losing corner after giving so much and coming so close. The Puerto Rican had big moments in both fights. But Taylor survived those rocky moments to edge Serrano on the cards in both of their incredibly brutal wars. For Serrano, it is one final attempt at inflicting defeat on Taylor. For Taylor, win, lose, or draw, it could be the night when that incredible career finally ends.

But Taylor has been here before. Calls for her retirement have long been in the air. The whispers were there after Taylor and Serrano traded blows as if their life depended on it on that unforgettable night in Madison Square Garden over three years ago. When Cameron ruined her homecoming the following year, the whispers grew louder. But Taylor returned to Dublin to get her revenge on Cameron six months later. But at 39, the end is surely near.

There have been adjustments made in camp to ease the load on an ageing body. Sparring time has been reduced. But Katie Taylor is now more vulnerable than ever. Yes, she is still a formidable fighter, but there are clear signs of decline, certainly enough to make her more prone to defeat than ever before.

But Taylor is a fiercely determined competitor. When the body wants to wilt, the mind takes over. That almost untouchable and unbreakable self-belief has saved her on many a night. When the body was willing to tap, the mindset refused to submit.

Taylor will put her body and mind on the line again this Friday night. Another visit to that old theatre of boxing history. Taylor and Serrano will dance again at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York. Jake Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions have assembled the greatest all-female card we have ever seen. If this is the last time we see Katie Taylor inside a boxing ring, it is some stage to leave on. But will Taylor really wave goodbye?

At some point, it will end. Another ten hard, brutal rounds with Amanda Serrano might convince the current undisputed world super-lightweight champion that the time is right now. If Taylor beats Serrano again, that might be enough for Taylor to say what is there left for me to do now.

There are two fighters on the same card who will have more than one eye on the main event. Alycia Baumgardner has stated that she wants the winner. Chantelle Cameron has unfinished business with Taylor. One win apiece, can Taylor really leave it that way? Should she leave it that way? If Taylor wins in the Garden and does fight again, that surely is the fight to make. Cameron is the mandatory challenger for the WBC bauble, and whoever does leave New York the winner, Cameron shouldn’t be pushed aside again. She has waited long enough for her chance of redemption.

But Katie Taylor will decide her own future. She might know already. After so many big nights, only more of the same will tempt her to fight on. The temptation of Croke Park will still linger. Baumgardner and Cameron are proud members of the MVP family. Trust me, that will help. Big nights need big money. Jake Paul brings that.

Taylor has deserved all of her many plaudits. She has changed everything for her side of the sport. Even her rivals will acknowledge that. Women’s boxing owes her a great debt of gratitude. It might not last much longer. We should appreciate Katie Taylor while we still have her.

Photo Credit: Sarah Steir/Getty Images for Netflix)