Katie Taylor emerged as a hero in her native Ireland after winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
She became an icon there as she became the face of women’s boxing around the world, setting a perfect 22-0 (6 KOs) record over her 6+ years of professional career.
That’s what makes her match against Chantelle Cameron on Saturday (DAZN) so special: It will be her first professional match in Ireland.
She has only fought in the larger markets of the UK and US, where she has lived and trained. Saturday’s fight will take place at 3Arena in Dublin, not far from her hometown of Bray.
“This is something I have wanted for a long time,” Taylor said GAME. “I have expressed my desire for many years to actually fight [at] house in Ireland. And because the games are all going to be in the UK or the US, I guess I got frustrated thinking that wasn’t going to happen.
“But now that we’re here, we’re ready for a big, very big battle and I’m grateful.”
And she didn’t choose an easy match for her homecoming, as Canelo Alvarez is said to have done when he chose to take on John Ryder recently in Mexico.
Taylor was originally scheduled to face rival Amanda Serrano, but Serrano withdrew due to injury. Cameron more or less saved the event by intervening.
And if Cameron (17-0.8 KOs) is a step back from Serrano, it’s a small step. She will defend her undisputed 140-pound championship. Taylor fought once at 140, winning a title in 2019, but she fought for the rest of her career at 135.
Taylor is considered a better boxer than Cameron, who is from the UK. However, the champion is of course a bigger, stronger boxer.
That’s why Taylor has only 1½-1 favorites to win. This is a real challenge for her.
Taylor’s brother, Peter, said: ‘She didn’t seem interested in fighting just for the sake of fighting. “You know what I mean. The fight has to show progress for her, and that’s just her personality. I think she’s always looking for progress, so I think she was nervous. in a few days.
“She knew she wanted someone really, really good. She wanted a big name.”
Taylor got both of her wishes. She will be performing at home for the first time since she was a teenage amateur. And it will be one of the most important matches of her career.
It could have been the biggest night of her life.
“This is really big for me,” Taylor said. “This is what I really wanted for a long time. For the first time in a long time, we’re bringing big boxing back to Ireland.”
