We’re mere days away.
Katie Taylor will take on Anahi Esther Sanchez for the WBA title in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium this Saturday night.
The Olympic champion will be facing a dangerous Argentina opponent who has won nine of her 17 pro fights by knock-out. Taylor has four stoppages in his six victories since turning pro but this will be, by far, her toughest test to date.
If fans were apprehensive about how Taylor will fare this weekend, as part of the undercard to Anthony Joshua’s world title bout with Carlos Takam, then Joe Calzaghe’s words will surely put them at ease.
Previewing the fight for ‘JD Undisputed’, the former two-weight world champion [46-0] was effusive in his praise. He declared:
“She’s just a good fighter, you know. She fights like a guy. I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way… She’s basically transcended women’s boxing.
“To watch her fight, her skills are excellent. Her dedication… When I watched her back in the Olympics, in 2012, I thought, ‘She’s good’, but she’s kept going and has been dedicated in her sport. To fight the way she does, her combinations are just incredible. She’s a really, really top fighter and I’m looking forward to watching her box.”
The coverage of Taylor’s fight have been relatively scarce, given the enormity of the occasion, and it was something former WBF featherweight champion Paddy Hyland complained about ahead of this weekend’s contest:
I really don't get it again an Irish fighter @KatieTaylor is fighting for a WORLD TITLE and yet again fuck all coverage from Irish media🤔😤
— Patrick Hyland (@Pajpunisher) October 24, 2017
It is something we noted, last weekend, too but Thursday’s press conference and Friday’s weigh-ins should see Taylor back in front of the cameras and generate some further publicity and column inches.
Anthony Crolla, who was previewing the fights alongside Calzaghe, spoke about Taylor’s combinations too – her ‘punches in bunches’ – and predicted a late stoppage in the 10-round bout.
Calzaghe backed up that claim but would not be drawn on saying how it would all play out.
Taylor has certainly blazed a trail and claiming a world title would definitely raise her profile, and that of her sport, even more.
