Despite the countdown to Christmas being upon us, the month of December sees a host of boxing match ups set to take place, including eight title fights.
Here at Bravose we are particularly excited to see how the Irish world champion Katie Taylor fares in her return to the ring.
Taylor will be defending her undisputed world lightweight title against Kazakhstan's Firuza Sharipova on Saturday 11 December at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.
In Taylor's last fight she took to the ring in Headingley, Leeds, to defeat the American Jennifer Han on points. The victory gave Taylor the 19th professional win of her career, with six of those coming in the form of KOs.
As for Taylor’s opponent, 27-year-old Sharipova has won 14 fights since a shock loss during her 2016 debut.
The WBA rank Sharipova at number one in the world at lightweight, however Taylor is a big bookies’ favourite for the bout, with victory for the Irish fighter enabling her to keep alive her dream of retiring undefeated.
A win would also help Taylor achieve her intention of fighting seven-weight world champion Amanda Serrano in spring 2022. Taylor should have taken on Serrano in May 2020, but the fight was called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Whatever happens during the rest of Taylor’s career, she will forever remain a hero in Ireland. She is one of – if not the – greatest female sports star ever produced by the Emerald Isle.
But it isn’t just her boxing skills and achievements in the ring that have helped her establish legend status – it is the impact she has had on the sport of female boxing.
When Taylor started boxing as a 10-year-old, females weren’t even allowed to take part in the sport in Ireland.
Talking to the BBC, Taylor said: ""When I started boxing there was a lot of obstacles. I feel that path is a lot easier for the female fighters growing up now. I see so many young girls in the gym now.
"They're absolutely flying and it's actually so exciting for me to see them on their journey. I want to be remembered as the person who opened the door for those young girls so they could walk through."
Here is the boxing schedule of major fights in December.
Saturday 4 December at Copper Box Arena, London, UK – Frank Warren’s Queensberry
- Anthony Yarde vs Lyndon Arthur II (Light-Heavyweight)
- Hamzah Sheeraz vs Bradley Skeete (Super-Welterweight)
Saturday 4 December at MGM Grand, Las Vegas, USA – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom
- Devin Haney vs Jojo Diaz (WBC Lightweight Title)
Sunday 5 December at Staples Center, LA, USA – Al Haymon’s PBC
- Gervonta Davis vs Isaac Cruz (WBA ‘Regular’ Lightweight Title)
Saturday 11 December at Liverpool, UK – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom
- Conor Benn vs Chris Algieri (Welterweight)
- Katie Taylor vs Firuza Sharapova (WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO Lightweight Titles)
Saturday 11 December at Dubai, UAE – Richard Schaefer’s Probellum
- Sunny Edwards vs Jayson Mama (IBF Flyweight Title)
Saturday 11 December at Yekaterinburg, Russia – World Of Boxing
- Dmitry Bivol vs Umar Salamov (WBA Light-Heavyweight Title)
Saturday 11 December at MSG, New York, USA – Bob Arum’s Top Rank
- Vasyl Lomachenko vs Richard Commey (Lightweight)
Saturday 11 December at Carson, California, USA – Al Haymon’s PBC
- Nonito Donaire vs Reymart Gaballo (WBC Bantamweight Title)
Tuesday 14 December at Tokyo, Japan – Hideyuki Ohashi’s Phoenix Promotions
- Naoya Inoue vs Aran Dipaen (WBA and IBF Bantamweight Titles)
Friday 17 December at Montreal, Canada – Bob Arum’s Top Rank
- Artur Beterbiev vs Marcus Browne (WBC and IBF Light-Heavyweight Titles)
Saturday 18 December at Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK – Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom
- Joseph Parker vs Derek Chisora II (Heavyweight)
Saturday 18 December at Tampa, Florida, USA – Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions
- Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley (192lbs Catchweight)
Saturday 18 December at San Antonio, Texas USA – Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy
- Gilberto Ramirez vs Yunieski Gonzalez (Light-Heavyweight)
