Katie Taylor: One Last Dance

Katie Taylor: One Last Dance

Katie Taylor will turn 40 in July. That famous and overused quote life begins at 40 that originated from a 1932 best-selling book by Walter B. Pitkin. For Taylor, a new life will soon begin. Away from life as a professional prize fighter.

Taylor has announced that she will have one more fight and then retire. One last dance before that retirement call that has seemingly been coming for a number of years is finally made. The Irish legend wants that final dance in Ireland, and still dreams of Croke Park. In truth, it should have happened already. If it now comes, Taylor will need a dance partner to match the grand occasion. There lies one problem. The cost of putting on such an event is another. It’s been explored before with no end result. We might have the exact same conclusion if it is explored one last time. Unless Jake Paul can help. Again. Paul will dig a little deeper into his pockets than some. He has a roster and the money to help deliver Croke Park for Katie Taylor. Chantelle Cameron springs to mind. MVP have already offered up Cameron as a potential opponent. But will Taylor really want to go there again, even with the lure of her dream scenario? I have my doubts. Taylor vs. Cameron still has that ring of unfinished business. Selling out Croke Park isn’t easy. Making the numbers work is even more problematic. Cameron could be the perfect foil for Taylor in that regard. There is an edge to their rivalry. A good old-fashioned grudge match sells.

If Taylor wants Croke Park to tick off that one remaining box, the services of Paul and Cameron might be crucial to realising her long-standing dream.

Croke Park or not, Taylor does have plenty of other options available to her for her Ireland and boxing swansong. Sandy Ryan is in the running. Very much so. They share the same manager, Brian Peters. Ryan has that WBC 140 bauble. Taylor holds the rest of the super-lightweight world titles. Fighting Ryan gives Taylor the chance to leave the sport as an undisputed champion. But Ryan damaged her hand when she won that WBC title recently, so the timescale of her return is somewhat in doubt. That could potentially put the Derby fighter out of the picture. But if everything aligns, Ryan could certainly land the gig.

A fourth fight with Amanda Serrano has been mentioned, but why? After three fights, Serrano is 0-3 in their personal rivalry. Enough is enough.

In many ways, Mikaela Mayer is currently considering her options. A lucrative fight with Claressa Shields is very much in play. But Mayer has stated that she is willing to drop to 140 for the chance to fight Taylor. There are a lot of moving parts regarding Mayer, but if Taylor fancies a fresh challenge, Mayer might just get the call. Few would complain.

If Taylor wants a perceived ‘safer’ option, an old rival might get one last chance at defeating the Irish superstar. Natasha Jonas lost to Taylor in the London Olympics and again in 2021, when only one point separated them on two of the three scorecards when they clashed for the undisputed world lightweight titles in Manchester. ‘Miss GB’ hasn’t fought since losing to Lauren Price in March, but she has stated a fight with Taylor would tempt her back into the ring. They have history. Taylor and Jonas would get the opportunity to walk off into the sunset together. Everyone loves a fairytale ending. This would tick that box. And many others.

But whoever is next for Taylor, it will bring down the curtain of a truly trailblazing career. The 2012 Olympic champion, and she won five World amateur championships during eight years of dominance, starting with her first gold medal in India in 2006 through to her last in 2014.

Taylor turned professional in 2016, and amongst her other vast achievements in the pro ranks, the future Hall of Famer has gone undisputed at lightweight and super-lightweight. That supersonic rivalry and those incredible nights with Amanda Serrano will live long in the memory. Like Serrano, Delfine Persoon and Natasha Jonas came close to beating her, but Taylor found a way to win. Her resilience and toughness are often overlooked. Only Chantelle Cameron has managed to beat her, and Taylor avenged that defeat in the immediate rematch.

Women’s boxing has shown significant progress over the last decade, and Katie Taylor has played a major part in that rise. When that retirement call eventually arrives, the female side of the sport will miss her. In truth, boxing as a whole will miss her.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Dave Thompson/Matchroom Boxing