Boxing
Katie Taylor wary of Miriam Gutierrez's power ahead of historic card
Katie Taylor has beaten all comers so far in her professional career and is being linked with a host of dream fights across different weight classes and even different sports, but the Irishwoman is well aware of the threat posed by her mandatory challenger, Miriam Gutierrez, on Saturday.
Taylor vs. Gutierrez for the former's undisputed lightweight championship main events the Nov. 14 card at the SSE Arena, Wembley, topped by a total of three women's world title bouts.
The headline attraction between two undefeated fighters could well be the latest in a scorching series of bouts Taylor has participated in, having recently outpointed Delfine Persoon in their absorbing August rematch.
"She's obviously very, very dangerous," Taylor told Sky Sports. "No easy fights at this stage. She's coming into this fight unbeaten as well. Two unbeaten fighters putting everything on the line tomorrow night.
"She is big, she is strong, she has a big punch, anything can happen I guess in professional boxing. I'm ready for a tough, 10 round battle. Ready to go into the trenches, if need be. I just can't wait to display those skills tomorrow night."
The gravitas and significance of the card are not lost on its star.
"This is absolutely huge for women's boxing," continued Taylor. "This is a huge opportunity for everyone on the card. We have the chance to display our skills to a new audience."
Terri Harper defends her WBC super-featherweight title against fellow unbeaten boxer Katharina Thanderz in chief support and revealed at the weigh-in that promoter Eddie Hearn expects her to put on a show.
"Eddie pulled me to one side and told me to stamp my authority," said Harper. "I need to get back to the old Terri, show them who is the world champion and no-one can take that away from me.
"Every fight is a tough fight, but that is what we train for."
And Rachel Ball's surprise win over Shannon Courtenay has propelled her into the title picture, where she will be much taller than her Saturday opponent for the vacant interim WBC super bantamweight title, Jorgelina Guanini.
"I'm so confident, I've trained so hard for this," said Ball.
"I'm going to walk away with that belt tomorrow night, it's going to happen."
The full card can be watched live on Sky Sports in the U.K., where it is free for all to view with or without a Sky Sports subscription, or on DAZN in all nine DAZN markets including the U.S.
