Katie Taylor is never one to overlook an opponent but she knows an emphatic victory in Boston tonight will make a particularly big impact on one ringside observer.
Taylor faces the toughest test of her career to date at the TD Garden as she puts her WBA and IBF lightweight titles on the line against former world champion Cindy Serrano.
But, despite her credentials, the 36-year-old New Yorker is not even the best in her family, as kid sister Amanda has won world titles in six different weight classes.
The younger half of the fighting sisters is one of the most iconic female boxers of her generation and therefore a top target for Taylor. She will also be front and centre at ringside tonight.
Serrano’s recent move to the world of mixed martial arts, however, has badly damaged Taylor’s chances of ever getting her hands on the 30-year-old but she believes a destructive performance over Cindy may lure Amanda back to the ring.
“I’ve got perform well on Saturday night and I’m not overlooking Cindy,” Taylor said. “She’s a fantastic fighter too. But Amanda’s been fighting in MMA. It’s a strange in my opinion to go into that now because of all the big fights available to her at the moment.
“There is a lot of money to be made in boxing and a lot of big fights to be involved in.
“It is a strange time for her to switch over, but she can’t get away from a fight with me.
“The public will demand a fight between me and Amanda if all goes well against her sister.”
Famous Puerto Rico-born sisters aside, perhaps the most high-profile fight available for Taylor would come against the current unified welterweight champion Cecilia Braekhus.
The self-styled ‘First Lady’ of boxing is the only female in history to hold the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO belts consecutively at any weight and is considered the No.1 pound-for-pound star in women’s boxing.
And Braekhus recently revealed she would happily drop down to 140lbs to help make a catchweight contest with Taylor, the current champion at 135lbs.
The pair, according to the Colombia-born Norwegian, have history, having shared sparring sessions more than a decade ago. But Taylor, who will make her debut on streaming service DAZN against Serrano, said: “I read that she remembers sparring me but I honestly can’t remember at all.
I must not have realised who she was at the time — I was just sparring and trying to do my best every time.
“It would be a huge fight for women’s boxing but right now I want to win all four belts at lightweight. I have said that for a long time and I have two of them so far so I am halfway down.
“I’d be happy to fight Cecilia but it would have to be the right time. I don’t like talking about a fight like that because I’ve got such a big fight on the horizon and I can’t take my eye off the ball.
“Cindy Serrano is very tough and experienced, she has been a pro for 15 years so I won’t be overlooking her.
On the prospect of agreeing a showdown between Taylor and Braekhus, the Bray star’s promoter Eddie Hearn said: “It’s probably the first ever superfight in women’s boxing.
“Taylor would have to go up a weight, Braekhus down one and she has said she’d be willing to drop down a few pounds. Even so it’s a tough fight — she’s a big girl and Katie is a lightweight.”