Katie Taylor called for a trilogy fight against Chantelle Cameron at Croke Park after becoming a two-weight undisputed champion with a thrilling majority-decision victory in Dublin.
The Irish icon took Cameron’s super-lightweight belts and achieved redemption, after having her homecoming spoilt six months ago with the first loss of her professional career in a decision defeat in the Irish capital.
But a gripping rematch saw the 37-year-old show speed and tenacity to upset England’s Cameron by majority decision, with one card even at 95 points apiece and two other judges scoring it 98-92 and 96-94 to Taylor.
The win for Taylor opened up the potential for a trilogy between the pair, and the Irishwoman was vocal in her desire to have the bout at Croke Park - Ireland’s largest sporting stadium which is able to house over 80,000 fans.
“To have a trilogy would be iconic for the sport,” Taylor said after her fight. “Even better if we could have it at Croke Park, with 80,000 people. That’s the stadium we all wanted for the homecoming so that would be absolutely amazing if that happened.”
Eddie Hearn, who had initially tried to stage a rematch between Amanda Serrano and Taylor at Croke Park, echoed his fighter’s thoughts and suggested they would try to negotiate a third fight at the stadium for the middle of 2024.
“She deserves everything, she’s made you so proud tonight. A two-division undisputed world champion, the greatest night in her career,” he said.
“Croke Park has to happen, she’s done everything for the sport, she deserves it, next Spring and Summer, we’ll create an event.”
For now, though, Taylor can bask in her victory. For the first time in her professional career, the 37-year-old went into the fight as a betting underdog, but that doubt from others only served as fuel to the fire as she plotted the perfect retribution.
“I was nearly half offended that people were writing me off so much. It’s great to prove people wrong and I’m back on top again,” Taylor ended. “I had a lot of pressure going into this fight. It was the longest six months waiting for the rematch. I had sleepless nights thinking about the loss.
“It’s what dreams are made of. Two-weight undisputed champion, this is more than a dream.”
