The making of a superfight: How Taylor v Serrano came to be

When Katie Taylor was looking to move from amateur to the professional ranks, the Bray native had five world titles, an Olympic gold medal and a whole host of other international victories under her belt.

In the men's game, promoters would have been forming a disorderly queue behind the prize fighter, looking to secure the signature to bring them through the paid ranks and onwards along the rocky road towards world title glory.

Yet Taylor had to make her own approach to the promoter that she felt could help her negotiate the oft-tricky waters of the pro game.

From a young age, Taylor was blazing a trail for female fighters, gradually building the profile that would come to fruition when women’s boxing was eventually accepted into the Olympics; it was apt that she took the gold medal at the inaugural event at the London 2012 Games.

It would be four more years before Katie walked away from the sport that turned her into a worldwide sports star, and a phenomenon back home in Ireland, remarkably reaching the summit, staying there for a decade, but leaving on a low following the disappointment of Rio 2016.

Yet within four months of that Olympic agony, suffering a shock defeat to Mira Potkonen, Katie was walking out on her professional debut at Wembley Arena in London, on a card that featured British prospects like Ohara Davies, Ted Cheeseman and Martin Ward, as well as compatriot JJ McDonagh.

It all came from a phone call and a follow-up chat between Taylor and renowned promoter Eddie Hearn, who admitted that he felt compelled to help the Irish champion on her voyage to become world champion.

And so began the juggernaut journey, as that opening-night facile win over Karina Szmalenberg was soon followed up with a bout on a