The cut Taylor sustained in an accidental clash of heads on Saturday was deemed not too severe to warrant a longer layoff for recovery, so she is back to work.
Eddie Hearn, owner of Matchroom, has already designated December 15th as the next event date that newly crowned WBA Lightweight Champion of the World, Katie Taylor (7-0, 4 KOs), is to return to the ring.
The UK venue for the show has not been set yet, but reports are trickling in that the opponent has been determined for this headlining bout.
The team of Jessica McCaskill (5-1, 3 KOs), of Chicago, has boasted that they are to face the new champ in December.
McCaskill has signed with Warriors Boxing and has been a mainstay on the local Chicago shows at the UIC Pavilion after making her debut in nearby Hammond, IN.
Team McCaskill has amplified their callouts of Taylor, citing that they were (as high as) #2 on the Boxrec World Rankings. But WBA (nor WBC, WBO, IBF) recognize her on their official rankings, some bodies with “na” listed in their open slots.
McCaskill has not exactly been tested yet, with her young career. Her biggest victory coming over a much smaller, lighter former WIBA champion Carla Torres and her only loss comes at the hands of former amateur National Champion Toni Fisher. Amongst those bouts, were matches against debut boxers and seeming to be retired boxers, one for a national sanctioning body’s Intercontinental Championship. [Hmmmmmmmm. Ponder how that works. Intercontinental national title.]
Taylor has handled all seven of her professional opponents well since leaving the amateur ranks only 11 months ago. Her transition from amateur to professional has been of prime notice and on such prestigious stages shared with elite athletes with grand audiences.
Can McCaskill stand tall to the speedy and precise hands of the new WBA Champion? We may well see, in about six and a half weeks.