Katie Taylor says she is delighted to have her rematch with Amanda Serrano on the same bill as former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson.
Undisputed light-welterweight champion Taylor will take on Serrano in Texas on 20 July in the co-feature contest while 57-year-old Tyson faces internet celebrity Jake Paul.
Taylor defeated Serrano on a split decision in a thrilling lightweight fight at Madison Square Garden in New York two years ago.
The Irish fighter goes up against the Puerto Rican again at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
“I got a phone call from my manager a few weeks ago saying I’m going on the same card as Mike Tyson and Jake Paul – this is a dream for me,” said the Irish fighter.
“The last time Amanda and I fought it was an incredible fight. We get to do it again, it’s amazing for the sport.
“Last year my family asked me if there was anything I wanted to do before I retired. One of the things I said was, ‘I’d love to meet Mike Tyson’ and here he is beside me.
“He’s just a legend and an icon of the sport. I grew up and fell in love with the sport in the 90s, and Mike Tyson was the biggest name in boxing during that time. He was ferocious, just super-exciting to watch.”
Tyson was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in 1987 but his reign as unified champion came to a shock end in 1990 as he was beaten by Buster Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Although he briefly regained the WBA and WBC titles in 1996, he then suffered back-to-back defeats to Evander Holyfield – the second ending as Tyson was disqualified for biting part of Holyfield’s ear off.
Tyson’s legal issues have included a rape conviction in 1992, serving three years of a six-year prison sentence, and in 1999 he served a third of a 12-month sentence, external for a road rage assault.
