Boxing is set to be without one of its undisputed champions for a while following a recent update.
We recently saw a new undisputed titleholder join the pack after Terence Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez to conquer his third weight class.
While there has been a lot of talk about what will be next for ‘Bud’ after this monumental victory, we do know the next steps of several fighters who have also achieved dominance in their weight class.
Naoya Inoue is set to be back in action before the end of the year as he shares the ‘Ring V: Night of the Samurai’ card with Junto Nakatani.
However, one of the top fighters in the sport has instead chosen to take some time away after already accomplishing nearly every goal in mind.
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Katie Taylor says fighting at Croke Park would be the ‘icing on the cake’ of her career after announcing time off
On Thursday, the WBC announced that Katie Taylor has been named their ‘champion in recess’.
The World Boxing Council has declared the Irish superstar their ‘Emeritus Champion’ after she informed them that she would be taking some time away from the sport.
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman announced that Taylor revealed her plans to take a break in order to “attend to personal matters”.
Chantelle Cameron has been named as Taylor’s mandatory challenger for the belt shortly after her record-breaking trilogy bout with Amanda Serrano in July.
Many had questioned after this fight whether the 39-year-old would ever return to the ring after already accomplishing so much in her career.
In a recent interview with Matchoom Boxing on ‘Flash Knockdown’, Taylor named the one goal that she still hopes to tick off before hanging the gloves up for good.
“The one fight that I really, really want is to go to Croke Park for a fight. I think that would top off my career so well. Our most iconic stadium, this is the fight that I’ve always wanted. Obviously there’s so much talk about that recently over the last few years.
“We haven’t been able to do it yet but I’m still hopeful and still clinging on to that, on to the hope that one day I will fight there. That would be just the icing on the cake I think for me.”
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Katie Taylor’s former rival who could be her final opponent will now fight for the vacant title
While Croke Park may be the last dream goal for Katie Taylor, if there’s one chapter of her career that remains incomplete at this stage, it’s her rivalry with Chantelle Cameron.
They met in back-to-back undisputed super lightweight bouts in 2023, where in their first meeting, Cameron became the first opponent to defeat the Irish star.
| Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron | Date | Result |
| First fight | 20 May, 2023 | Cameron via majority decision |
| Second fight | 25 November, 2023 | Taylor via majority decision |
The WBC is now ordering that Cameron will face Sandy Ryan for the title that is now vacant due to Taylor’s new status as Emeritus Champion.
Should Taylor choose to return to the ring, she will be instantly declared as the next challenger in line to fight for the belt, which could set up a huge trilogy bout with Cameron in the future.