Katie Taylor has drawn up a shortlist of three opponents for her next boxing fight which includes Amanda Serrano and MMA stars Holly Holm and Cris Cyborg.
Taylor defeated Amanda Serrano in an epic battle to retain her undisputed lightweight title last month. The Irish star confirmed she would hold talks over any second meeting but would like to stage it on home shores at Croke Park in Ireland.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that the star has received an approach at government level to stage a homecoming fight. "There are three fights for Katie Taylor next," Hearn told iFL TV. "There is Cris Cyborg, there's Holly Holm or there's Amanda Serrano. We have had approaches from (the) government level in Ireland, they want to do Croke Park, and it would be an incredible moment for Katie Taylor. Those three names would be fine to do that. For me, I would like the Amanda Serrano rematch.
"It's such a great fight, and we are talking to Jake Paul and Nakisa [Bidarian] about that rematch. If we can agree on terms, we'd love to go straight into the rematch and do it again and create an event that will be remembered even beyond Madison Square Garden."
Taylor's duel with Serrano made history with 1.5 million viewers tuning in to watch the event. Holm is in the running to face Taylor next but it would be conditional on the star being free to negotiate a fight outside of the UFC.
She was defeated by Ketlen Viera last weekend after returning to the Octagon following a lengthy two-year lay-off. However, she declared her interest in making a return to boxing after her controversial loss. "I fought at 140, 147, and 154. I've never fought at 135 in boxing. That's mostly been my MMA career," Holm said.
Who do you think Katie Taylor should fight next? Let us know in the comments section below
"So, it's like, am I supposed to go back and fight at a fourth weight and get a title in a fourth weight division and not only that but fight against the best in the world. To be able to show that I can go back and compete at the highest level and still get a belt, does that intrigue me? Yes. So that kind of sparks some of that passion that hasn't been there."
Meanwhile, Cyborg has put together a five-fight win streak since signing for MMA promotion Bellator following her departure from the UFC. The 36-year-old has only suffered two defeats in her career in MMA and was ringside for Taylor's recent victory over Serrano.
Taylor has previously suggested she would be open to meeting Cyborg at a catchweight. "Obviously Cris is one of the biggest names in MMA," Taylor admitted. "It’d probably have to be at a catchweight, and I hope the fight isn't going to happen in a cage and it is going to happen in the ring. But it’s something I’m very interested in doing."
