Jake Paul has challenged Katie Taylor to drop down to featherweight for the highly anticipated re-match with Amanda Serrano.
The two fighters broke all kinds of boxing records at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York last April as Taylor retained her undisputed lightweight world title, securing a split decision victory over the Paul-promoter fighter.
Naturally, Paul disputed the decision and has claimed that the reason the planned Croke Park re-match did not take place was a condition of his fighter retaining her two featherweight world titles.
And now the YouTube star, who is fighting in his third professional bout in New York next weekend, is attempting to lure the Bray superstar to take on Serrano at 126 pounds in her more natural featherweight division.
Taylor has fought her entire professional career at the lightweight limit of 135lbs, except for one bout where she became a two-weight world champion, beating Christina Linardatou at junior welterweight (140lbs).
As a result, it appears unlikely that Taylor would be willing, or perhaps able, to drop two weight divisions for such a bout, however, it may also be a ploy to make the fight at a catch-weight somewhere between the two, which could offer Serrano a better chance of exacting revenge.
Paul is offering Taylor €2million to make the fight, however, it must also be noted that the timing of his outburst brings his own promotion into the spotlight, as Serrano is also boxing on the 6 August card, defending her WBO and WBC featherweight crowns against Brenda Karen Carabajal – Paul headlines the show against Hasim Rahman Jr.
Irish OIympian Joe Ward is also boxing on the Madison Square Garden card as he looks to improve his professional record and maintain his impressive winning streak of seven since a debut loss when he suffered a serious knee injury.
"The only reason [the re-match is not happening] is that Amanda wants to keep her belts at 126lbs so she is the unified champion there, and they said they were going to strip her belts if she didn't defend them right now," said Paul, speaking to fight broadcaster DAZN.
"So she’s going to defend them, keep all her belts at 126, and the money is cool and all, but that doesn’t mean anything to Amanda Serrano, she wants to be the unified champ at 126lbs."
"We have money for Katie Taylor too," he continued. "We have $2m for Katie Taylor to come down to 126, let’s see who really is the pound-for-pound best is.
"I think Amanda Serrano won that fight, everyone thinks Amanda Serrano won that fight.
"Katie Taylor, I know you’re watching, why don’t you come down to 126, go against Amanda Serrano in that weight class because she came up nine pounds to fight you. She didn’t look like she was in the same weight class as you that night."
Taylor maintained her 100% record in the professional game that night in New York, stretching her unbeaten streat to 21-0, and while fight number 22 has yet to be scheduled, there are some very big fights to be made either side of the lightweight division with Chantelle Cameron holding three of the junior welterweight belts, and Mikaela Mayer in possession of a trio of super featherweight straps.
