Bellator president blesses Cris Cyborg world title boxing challenge with Katie Taylor;...

[ASFN Admin]

Featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has the blessing of Bellator MMA to fight Irish star Katie Taylor in a crossover boxing match as long as the unified lightweight champion from the square circle is prepared to take on the mixed martial artist in the cage in a return fight, the MMA fight league's president Scott Coker confirmed yesterday. Coker, announcing a broadcast deal with CBS Sports in the USA, an inaugural European event in Paris, another in Milan, both in October and Cyborg's next title defence, told The Telegraph: "I would be thrilled. This is a goal that is important to Cyborg. She told me a year ago when I signed her that she wanted to box and become a world champion in boxing." "We have been approached by three or four females to fight, but while having a boxing title under her belt is something she wants to do, my request is - win, lose, or draw - when the boxing match is done, they reciprocate and come and have an MMA fight in the next six months. Then, in my view, it's fair. If this is something she [Cyborg] wants to do, we are going to support her." The Cyborg-Taylor fight could be signed without complication given the relationship boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has with Taylor and DAZN. The digital broadcasters also have a deal with Bellator.

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