Eddie Hearn has hinted that “fresh challenges” and “new offers” are behind the delay in agreeing a trilogy fight between Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron.
Taylor and Cameron went 1-1 against each other in 2023 with Taylor avenging her loss last May by beating the Northampton native for the Undisputed Super-Lightweight title in November.
A third fight between the pair was expected to take place in the Summer of 2024, with Hearn stating last month that a May date was being targeted and that Cameron was the most likely opponent. Since then, Cameron has issued a number of social media statements accusing Taylor of not agreeing to a third fight despite Cameron herself allegedly signing up for the contest.
READ MORE:Chantelle Cameron says she’s willing to accept reduced purse to make Katie Taylor trilogy happen
Cameron went one step further and claimed on Thursday that she had agreed to a reduced purse in order to make the fight happen and again pointed the finger of blame at Taylor for the fight not being made official.
Speaking to Boxing News on Friday, Hearn gave his take on what was causing the delay.
“Money. Timing. Other options that have appeared suddenly that might motivate Katie Taylor a little bit more. Fresh challenges. New offers. Lots of stuff,” said Hearn.
While the promoter’s comments hint at Taylor exploring other options, Hearn did confirm that a third fight would “100%” happen at some point in the future.
“You’ll 100% see the third one. It’s just whether you see it in May or not.”
With Cameron seemingly a non-runner for May, one name that has emerged as a contender to fight Taylor is Amanda Serrano. The pair famously fought at Madison Square Garden two years ago where the Bray Bomber emerged victorious in a classic contest.
Serrano was due to fight last weekend in Puerto Rico, but a freak eye injury caused by hair dye cancelled the fight at the 11th hour. When asked about the possibility of a rematch with Serrano, Hearn remained coy and replied “we’ll see.”
In the end, the choice of opponent could be taken out of Taylor and Hearn’s hands if a mandatory title defence is ordered by one of boxing’s organisations which Taylor holds the title in. Regardless, the 3Arena in Dublin is still expected to host the contest, with May 25th the date which Cameron last month claimed she had agreed to.
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This story first appeared on Radio Today