Tonight Katie Taylor will make the first defence of her WBA lightweight title against America’s Jessica McCaskill at London’s York Hall.
Ever since making her professional debut just over a year ago the Republic of Ireland fighter has gone from strength to strength negotiating the various challenges with ease.
Standing in her way of signing off 2017 on a high is an opponent that is more than used to being the underdog.
After losing her second fight it would’ve been easy for McCaskill’s confidence to be knocked but she deserves a lot of credit for bouncing back and stringing together four successive victories.
Power is an asset she has in abundance and that is something Taylor will definitely need to be wary of when stepping into the ring.
The Chicago-born boxer might be taking part in a 10-round contest for the first time but expect her to try and find the stoppage early on in the match.
McCaskill has admitted she is in in high spirits going into the clash after Taylor’s last fight, in which she became the new WBA lightweight world champion.
The amount of mistakes Taylor, 31, made against Argentina’s Anahi Sanchez at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium is something which fills McCaskill with a lot of hope.
Taylor was caught too often but still looked a class above the former champion, demonstrating that she is more than comfortable of going the distance.
Stepping into the ring with a seasoned opponent like Sanchez can sometimes be a daunting prospect for less experienced fighters but Taylor went about the contest with extreme focus and determination.
Becoming just the third woman in 20 fights to beat Sanchez was also a sign of her excellent potential since joining the professional ranks.
This bout, as her promoter Eddie Hearn warned is all about not being complacent, after the high of that impressive victory over Sanchez.
Making sure she works every little advantage to her favour will be key. One of those will be the fact McCaskill is fighting outside of America for the first time in her career.
Turning up to box away from her home crowd may well bring about extra nerves for McCaskill which Taylor should look to exploit.
Whilst the past year suggests Taylor should secure an eighth successive victory she has to show the same kind of application and aggression which has seen her dominate opponents. This is no time for the Bray fighter to rest on her laurels.
