Jake Paul is throwing his money about again; or the fighter/promoter is offering up a big sum of dough. Speaking on the DAZN Boxing Show, Paul challenged Katie Taylor to box a return fight with his fighter Amanda Serrano, down at 126 pounds.
Taylor, who retained her unified lightweight titles in a thrilling battle with Serrano in the summer, seems to be simply too big to get down to 126 – this a potentially very debilitating drop of nine pounds – to be able to take Paul’s offer.
Yet Paul – who has his own big fight on August 6, against Hasim Rahman Jr, with Serrano also on the card – says it is only fair for Taylor to drop down, as Serrano went up to 135 in the New York clash. Paul says Serrano now wishes to keep her 126 pound belts and that the rematch has to be at that weight.
Paul, who says “everyone thinks Serrano won that [first] fight,” spoke directly to Irish superstar Taylor through the camera, challenging Taylor to take the fight at 126, this so as to “see who really is the pound-for-pound best.”
“Katie, I know you’re listening, come down 9 pounds the way Amanda Serrano went up 9 pounds in the fight with you,” Paul said. “Serrano didn’t look like she was in the same weight class as you.”
It was a close and great fight when Taylor and Puerto Rico’s Serrano took centre stage, and fans everywhere were calling for a rematch almost as soon as the decision was read out inside a buzzing Madison Square Garden. But as much as 135 was a step too high for Serrano, 126 is almost certainly a weight too low for Taylor (who once fought up at 140 pounds).
Maybe these two great fighters could forget all about belts and get it on again at a catch-weight? It would be a shame if there was no return clash between these two women – both of whom are nothing but a credit to their sport.