Katie Taylor questions if women's boxing has 'strength and depth' for 3-minute rounds
Undisputed world lightweight champion Katie Taylor has questioned whether women's boxing has the “strength and depth” to move to three-minute rounds.
The Irish fighter will try to avenge the only loss of her professional career when she faces Chantelle Cameron this month in a rematch of their fight in May.
Some top fighters led by Amanda Serrano have been pushing for the choice to switch from the traditional 10 two-minute rounds to 12 three-minute rounds for title fights.
Cameron signed on to Serrano's statement a month ago calling for the change, arguing that it would put women on par with men and allow them to earn more money.
“I haven’t really got any preference either way,” the 37-year-old Taylor said. "The two-minute rounds are a real fast pace. They say the three-minute rounds will cause more knockouts, but I don’t think that’s true.
“I don't know if women’s boxing has the strength and depth to have three-minute rounds really. For me, I really don’t care whether it’s a two or three-minute round. I spar three-minute rounds all the time. There’s pros and cons to both really.”
The Taylor-Cameron fight — on Nov. 25 at the 3Arena in Dublin — will be 10 two-minute rounds like the first one.
Serrano defended her world featherweight belts two weeks ago with a unanimous decision over Danila Ramos in 12 three-minute rounds in Orlando, describing two-minute rounds as “a sprint” and with the extra minute “we get to showcase our skills.”
Taylor edged Serrano in a thriller at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in May 2022. It was the first time a women’s boxing match headlined at the famous venue.
A Taylor-Serrano rematch was in the works but the Puerto Rican fighter pulled out because of injury. Cameron then stepped in and ruined Taylor's homecoming, the judges scoring the Dublin fight 96-94, 96-94 and 95-95 for the Englishwoman.
Taylor (22-1) again is challenging for Cameron's world super-lightweight belts at 140 pounds. The 32-year-old Cameron is 18-0.
For Taylor, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, it was her first loss at any level since being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.
“Mentally and physically I feel a lot better going into this one,” said Taylor, who lives and trains in Connecticut. “I just had a bit of a flat night, just a flat performance. I certainly wasn't myself on the night, and I think everybody who watched the fight could see that."
Cameron threw nearly twice as many punches as Taylor in the first fight.
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