In a recent interview with Sky Sports, BOXXER’s CEO Ben Shalom expressed that Katie Taylor “has no intention” of returning to the 135-pound division. Shalom stated that the Irish champion would not be interested in defending her lightweight titles.
At the same time, he indicated that this could open an opportunity for Caroline Dubois, who is currently positioned as the mandatory challenger for the WBC lightweight title. Dubois earned this spot after a decisive victory over Maira Moneo.
Taylor has not shown interest in defending her titles, creating uncertainty in the division. Taylor hasn’t fought in the lightweight category since October 2022. Although she is the current WBC and IBF champion, she has been focused on other divisions.
Currently, Taylor is scheduled to face Amanda Serrano this Friday for the undisputed super lightweight titles at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight will serve as the co-main event on the card headlined by the bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
Now, there is a possibility that Katie Taylor will vacate her belts after her fight against Serrano. According to promoter Ben Shalom, Taylor’s decision not to return to the lightweight division will allow Caroline Dubois to fight for the title.
“Katie Taylor’s holding two of the belts in her weight division, and we believe there’s absolutely no intention or possibility that she’ll ever go back to that weight,” Shalom declared to Sky Sports News.
“It’s frustrating for the division and probably isn’t the right thing for the division, but that’s maybe a matter of politics holding that up,” Shalom noted.
Ben Shalom assures that, after the November 16 fight between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, the decision to vacate the lightweight titles will be made official.
This would allow Dubois to compete for the WBC belt and possibly become a world champion. The promoter stated that he has received “assurances” that the belts will be vacated after Taylor’s fight.
“I expect after November 16, when Katie Taylor fights Serrano, it becomes clear that she will not be returning to the 135 division and that both those belts become vacant,” said Shalom.
“We’ll see Caroline become world champion, fight for the WBC title, and we’ve had assurances that that will be the case,” Shalom confirmed.
If the lightweight belts are vacated, Dubois could focus on a fight with Terri Harper. Harper, who recently won the WBO lightweight title by defeating Rhiannon Dixon, would be a potential opponent for Dubois in 2025.
The promoter also mentioned that they have made an offer to Matchroom to finalize the matchup with Harper. Ben Shalom expressed his excitement for Dubois’ return to the ring and confirmed that the official date will be announced soon.
“We’re about to announce a fight for Caroline. She will box, I believe, for a world title next,” Shalom stated.
“We hope that in February or March next year, she can be boxing Terri Harper, and we have put an offer in to Matchroom for that,” Shalom revealed.
“We should be able to announce that date in the next week or so,” Shalom concluded.
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