Katie Taylor’s professional career is just 11 days old but, already, she’s making plenty of boxing aficionados sit up and take notice.
Following on from her third round TKO of Karina Kopinska in Wembley on November 26, the Bray boxer will aim to move to 2-0 without delay as she is due to step inside the squared circle for the second time as a pro this Saturday.
Taylor will take on Swiss lightweight Viviane Obenauf on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s upcoming IBF heavyweight title defence against Eric Molina in Manchester, where there will be even more eyes and expectation on the Irishwoman.
While Obenauf should offer more resistance than Kopinska for the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist, Taylor remains heavy favourite (1/66) to maintain her young, undefeated record.
And the man who will close out the card is predicting huge things from the 30-year-old further down the line.
“What do I make of Katie Taylor?” Joshua said while speaking to IFL TV. “Look at her personality, how she handles herself, look at what she’s done in the ring since the amateurs, unbelievable. And look at what she’s about to do as a pro.
“You can just see the angels of the boxing arena shining their light down on her, as cheesy as it may sound.
“She’s just phenomenal, and she’s one of the women who will take women’s boxing to the next level. I’ll give all credit to her and I wish her all the success that she deserves.”
The fact that Taylor has received the loyal backing of promoter Eddie Hearn is enough to tell you that she’s expected to go far on the professional circuit as he doesn’t speak so gushingly about many fighters.
With two fights under her belt in quick succession, Taylor’s biggest opportunity to date will take place next March as Hearn has claimed that she will feature on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin’s next fight in Madison Square Garden on what will be a monster weekend of boxing in New York City.
Huge opportunity indeed https://t.co/T6XTSTGeBk
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 22, 2016
“She’s a big asset to boxing,” Joshua added. “With my shows and Eddie’s shows, the show is for the public and it’s an event — right from the bottom all the way up. It’s not just about one fight.”
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