Katie Taylor has been granted an extension by the WBO to decide which of her titles she wants to vacate. Following her victory over Chantelle Cameron on November 25th, Taylor now holds four world titles in two different weight classes (eight in total), prompting the WBO to instruct Taylor to willingly relinquish one of her WBO titles or face being stripped of a title of their choosing.
The WBO granted Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KO’s) this extension after a representative of hers and Matchroom requested this privilege.
“On December 4, 2023, this Committee confirmed receipt of email correspondence by Mr. Tom Dallas, on behalf of Matchroom Boxing and Katie Taylor, requesting an additional 30-day extension to decide on whether the referenced fighter wishes to keep the WBO Lightweight or Jr. Welterweight Championship as per the notice letter issued in writing by the WBO on November 27, 2023,” The WBO stated in a letter to Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn.
“Having considered Matchroom’s petition, this Committee hereby grants Katie Taylor a 15-day extension, effective immediately. Therefore, a final decision must be confirmed in writing by Team Taylor and/or Matchroom Boxing to the WBO no later than December 20, 2023, at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).
“Failure to comply with this order will result in Katie Taylor waiving all rights hereunder, and the Committee proceeding per WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests.“
As reported approximately a week ago, the WBO sent Taylor a message days after her undisputed win over Chantelle Cameron (18-1, 8 KO’s) to vacate one of her titles. A 10-day deadline was set from November 27th to December 7th to give Katie Taylor the time necessary to decide.
However, it now appears that Taylor has been allotted more time to decide on whether she’ll vacate her WBO lightweight or her WBO super lightweight title, which she recently won. She has been given an extra 15 days to make a decision, with the deadline not expiring until December 20, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
It should be noted that technically the deadline would end on December 22 if there were truly 15 extra days afforded to Taylor. There may have been an error made by the WBO in either the allotted time afforded to Taylor or the date of their deadline.
A failure to make a clear decision on which title to relinquish will result in the WBO stripping her of a title of their choosing. As fighters are not allowed to hold titles in more than one division, WBO appears to be at the forefront of enforcing this universal rule that all of the sanctioning bodies, minor or major, have strictly maintained over decades since the creation of the first sanctioning body.
The reasoning for Katie Taylor’s team seeking the extension was not revealed, but it is likely that the Irishwoman is debating on whom to fight next. While a rematch with Amanda Serrano was set to occur this year, Serrano suffered an untimely injury which resulted in Chantelle Cameron taking her place, thus allowing Taylor to fight for her super lightweight titles.
Regardless of whom Taylor chooses to face, she would still be faced with the decision to relinquish her titles at one weight class. The immediate concern for Katie Taylor will therefore be deciding which division she seeks to continue her career in and which division she considers disposable.
