Katie Taylor’s homecoming fight in Ireland on May 20 has a new opponent — undisputed junior welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron, a source told ESPN on Saturday.
Cameron, ESPN’s No. 7 pound-for-pound fighter, will now fight Taylor, the undisputed lightweight champion from Bray, Ireland, and ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, at the 3Arena in Dublin.
The fight is for Cameron’s undisputed junior welterweight titles, meaning Taylor will step up in weight.
Taylor had won the WBO junior welterweight title once before, in 2019, when she beat Christina Linardatou. Now she’s going up in weight again to fight Cameron after Amanda Serrano pulled out of the fight last month because of a hand injury.
Taylor and Cameron — who both are promoted by Matchroom Boxing — each posted about the possibility on Instagram last week, saying they wanted to fight and get a deal done. A little over a week later, it has been announced.
Taylor, 36, has never fought in Ireland as a professional after a standout amateur career including a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics. Taylor is one of Ireland’s biggest sports stars, but now resides in Connecticut to do her training.
