Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Sport chairman and promoter of undisputed female lightweight champion of the world Katie Taylor wants her to lock horns against MMA stalwarts Holly Holm or Cris Cyborg in the squared circle.
In combat sports, crossover fights are always epic and often turn out to be the biggest fights of the year- from the historic Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, to the spectacular Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor. And now, we might soon be treated with the best of both worlds from women’s combat sports.
The current number one pound for pound female boxer, Katie Taylor had already expressed her desire to go after Holly Holm and Cris Cyborg in December last year. Holm and Cyborg have also responded with similar intentions.
Before launching herself into the top hierarchy of women’s MMA, Holly Holm enjoyed a decorated pro boxing career, having won titles across three weight classes and being the only fighter ever to have been world champions in both boxing and mixed martial arts, and the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion is nearing the end to her current UFC contract.
Cris Cyborg, on the other hand, may not have donned the boxing gloves professionally, but she is one of the hardest hitting MMA fighters ever. A former UFC, Strikeforce, and Invicta FC World Featherweight Champion, Cyborg currently holds the Bellator Women’s Featherweight and without a doubt, has the ability to stand her ground in the squared circle.
It’s something different and Katie Taylor has earned the right: Eddie Hearn
Speaking on The MMA Hour, Eddie Hearn said he’s willing to match Taylor against Holm or Cyborg.
“There’s two fights that I find really interesting — one is Holly Holm and one is Cris Cyborg. Holly Holm is a very good boxer. Cyborg can also box, has great power, doesn’t quite have the boxing résumé of Holly Holm, but they’re big crossover fights. I think Holly Holm has a fight left with the UFC, which would make that difficult to do. Cyborg I think has a Bellator agreement, but it doesn’t cross over into boxing. So just some friendly chats — she was at the show at Madison Square Garden — but no real negotiations. But definitely a fight that I would be interested in for a number of different reasons,” said Hearn.
“Something different and fun. You get to Katie Taylor’s stage in her career and you start looking at other fights and it’s like, what can you do now? So it’s like, is it Holly Holm in Vegas or Cyborg in Vegas, or something in Dublin?” the British promoter went on, “The thing I don’t like about the Cyborg fight is she’s big and strong. Katie would have to go up. She would have to fight above 140, which she can’t really do, but Cyborg has a massive problem fighting Taylor because — she doesn’t mind, but in terms of the fight itself, you’re talking about a pound-for-pound great.”
“Katie has a problem because of the strength of Cyborg. That’s what makes that fight interesting. … She’s going to be 20 pounds heavier, or close to it, on the night [of the fight]. I just think it’s something different and Katie’s earned the right. It’s not an exhibition, it’s not like we’re just having a joke fight. These are dangerous females and it just brings a new fan base to the sport,” Hearn added. [H/T Boxingscene.com]
Would you pick Holly Holm or Cris Cyborg to face Katie Taylor in a boxing match? Let us know in the comment section below.
