Katie Taylor wants to make Boston a home from home as she defends world titles

By The Telegraph

Katie Taylor shares a joke with retired Irish professional boxer Kevin McBirde, following a public workout at Everybody Fights Gym in Boston CREDIT: STEPHEN MCCARTHY/SPORTSFILE VIA G

Katie Taylor, the WBA and IBF lightweight champion, wants to make the United States “a home from home” by producing another show-stealing performance in Boston’s TD Garden on Saturday night when she defends her titles against Puerto Rico’s Cindy Serrano.

The 32-year-old would like to match her popularity in Ireland on the US East Coast in her third outing there, having won two world titles in the last 12 months, both against Argentine opponents. The first of those was in October last year against Anahi Sanchez in Cardiff and she went on to defeat Victoria Bustos to add the IBF lightweight belt to her WBA one.

Serrano is a tough Brooklynite who previously challenged for world honours at welterweight and has not lost for the past six years.

With a documentary film about her, Katie, due for release in Ireland next week and having been named as her country’s ‘Most Admired Sports Personality’ in a survey earlier this month, Taylor’s quiet life and modest demeanour has not hindered her profile in this age of social media drawing the attention of a younger audience to fight stars.

“I know TD Garden is a huge venue over here. I can’t wait to fight there and feel the atmosphere,” said Taylor. “Everyone wants to be from Ireland over here.There’s going to be a huge Irish contingent there, I hope. It’s going to be like a home from home for me.”

“I love fighting in the US and this is a really big fight with a big name on a huge platform in Boston. These are the kinds of fights that I am in the sport for. It’s been an incredible journey so far. I am probably the highest paid female fighter in the world thanks to Eddie [Hearn] and Matchroom, I spoke to a lot of promoters before I spoke to Eddie and he really did have the same vision that I had.

Taylor’s fight with Serrano is part of a huge bill in Boston with three world title bouts on the card. Rhode Island’s Demetrius Andrade aims for two-weight world glory as he faces big-punching unbeaten Namibian Walter Kautondokwa for the vacant WBO Middleweight title. Also on the card, another Rhode Island fighter Toka Kahn Cleary faces Sheffield’s Kid Galahad in a final eliminator for the IBF world featherweight title, while the Freddie Roach-trained former world champion Scott Quigg returns to action on the bill.