Boxing great vs MMA great? Katie Taylor vs Cris Cyborg in the works
Decorated champions Katie Taylor and Cris Cyborg could face off in a crossover super fight.
Could we see a crossover super-fight between two of the most decorated female champions from MMA and boxing?
According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, negotiations are underway for a clash between top pound-for-pound boxer Katie Taylor and MMA champion Cris Cyborg. Not much details have been revealed, and there’s “no deal yet,” but the report states they’re targeting the super-fight to happen in December.
Taylor’s camp reportedly hopes to get the Cyborg bout done before setting up a lucrative rematch with Amanda Serrano in Ireland next spring.
Cyborg previously asked for this match up soon after Taylor beat Serrano, in what was the biggest and highest paying women’s boxing fight ever. The long time featherweight champion stated last April that she wants the fight to happen at 143 lbs.
“I am ready to sit down and talk to Eddie whenever he is ready. Right now he has mentioned my name in the media a few times, but for me I am serious about getting into boxing and if he is serious about being my promoter then I would love to talk to him,” Cyborg told the Irish Mirror. “I have told my management I am ready to sign a contract for my first professional boxing fight, the time is now.”
“To make it interesting for the fans, (Katie Taylor) would have to be willing to do what Floyd Mayweather did against Conor McGregor and she would have to come up in weight a little bit to give the fans the biggest fight that can be made in women’s boxing,” Cyborg said. “Realistically I think the fight would have to happen at 143 lbs. but I think it would be a great fight for both of us and we could share a part of our soul with the crowd that night.”
Taylor is considered as one of the greatest female boxers of all time. She has held titles in two divisions and is currently one of the very few undisputed champions in boxing, with several defenses of her WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring lightweight (135 lbs.) titles. Prior to her pro career, she was also a 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist and five-time world champion.
The 35-year-old Irish boxer has competed as high as 140 lbs, with her winning the WBO junior welterweight title in 2019.
Cyborg, on the other hand, is probably the closest MMA equivalent of a grand slam champion, after winning belts from just about every major promotion that has her 145 lb division. A champion since 2009, the 36-year-old has repeatedly won and defended featherweight championships in the UFC, Bellator, Invicta, and Strikeforce.
Cyborg found some success crossing over to other sports such as Muay Thai and Jiujitsu in the past, but she doesn’t have any pro-boxing experience. Even with her size advantage, she will likely be a pretty big underdog in a pure boxing match against Taylor. She could get a sizable payday out of this though.
Taylor and Serrano both got guaranteed seven figure paydays in a landmark event for Women’s Boxing. If negotiations go well, this crossover super fight could also net huge paydays for the two combat sports stars.