Katie Taylor to fight Karen Elizabeth Carabajal on road to Amanda Serrano rematch

The Irishwoman puts her status as undisputed lightweight champion on the line in London

Katie Taylor will return to the ring on Saturday 29 October as she defends her lightweight titles against Karen Elizabeth Carabajal in London.

Irishwoman Taylor last competed in April, retaining her status as undisputed lightweight champion with a split-decision victory over unified featherweight title holder Amanda Serrano.

That fight, which took place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, is widely regarded as the biggest in women’s boxing history, and a rematch is expected to take place in 2023.

Firstly, however, Taylor must get past Carabajal at Wembley Arena, while Serrano is due to defend her own belts against Sarah Mahfoud this Saturday (24 September) on the undercard of Joe Joyce and Joseph Parker’s heavyweight clash in Manchester.

Thirty-six-year-old Taylor’s narrow win against Serrano, 33, kept the Irishwoman unbeaten at 21-0 (6 knockouts), while the Puerto Rican recorded the second loss of her professional career.

Argentina’s Carabajal, 32, will enter her title shot against Taylor undefeated at 19-0 (2 KOs), having last fought in April when she outpointed Lorena Edith Agoutborde.

Prior to turning pro, Taylor won gold for Ireland at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. As a professional, the 36-year-old collected her first lightweight belt in 2017 before earning undisputed status in 2019, and she previously held the WBO light-welterweight title in 2019.