Katie Taylor: My goal is to unify the lightweight titles

Katie Taylor has two of the four major world titles at 135 pounds, and the Irish superstar is going for a third when she faces Rose Volante on March 15 in Philadelphia.

Taylor (12-0, 5 KO) has the WBA and IBF titles in her possession already, and Brazil’s Volante (14-0, 8 KO) has the WBO title.

Taylor says her ultimate goal is to unify all the belts at lightweight:

“Ever since I won my first world title as a pro my goal has been to unify the lightweight titles, so this is obviously a massive step towards that. Volante is unbeaten so I’m expecting a tough fight, but that’s exactly the kind of challenge I want. I think the better the opponent and the bigger the challenge, the better I will perform.”

If Taylor is successful in March, that will leave just the WBC title, currently held by Belgium’s Delfine Persoon (42-1, 17 KO), one of the top fighters in the game.

That would be a huge fight for women’s boxing, and it could line up right, too, as Persoon is slated to fight on March 9, defending her title against Melissa St. Vil (11-3-4, 1 KO) at home in Belgium.

The March 15 card in Philadelphia is headlined by an IBF super featherweight title bout between hometown fighter Tevin Farmer and Irish challenger Jono Carroll.