Shauna O'Keeffe on sparring with Katie Taylor as Tipperary boxer targets London win
Having helped Katie Taylor prepare for her rematch with Amanda Serrano, Shauna O'Keeffe is eyeing up her own big victory in the ring this month.
The Tipperary boxer has visited Taylor's training camp in Connecticut a number of times over recent months to fulfil the role of sparring partner for the undisputed super-lightweight champion.
And O'Keeffe is backing the 2012 Olympic champion to produce another stunning performance to get the win at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the Mike Tyson v Jake Paul card this Friday.
READ MORE:Watch: Katie Taylor delivers Amanda Serrano fight warning as boxers come face-to-face
O'Keeffe reports that Taylor is in "unreal shape" ahead of the rematch of her 2022 Madison Square Garden epic with Serrano.
"I believe we will see the best version of Katie Taylor on Friday," said O'Keeffe. "The work was unbelievable. She's boxing fantastic and feels really strong.
"The sparring has been an unbelievable experience. You couldn't get better. A massive thanks to Katie and Ross (Enamait, Taylor's trainer) for having me out there.
"I would love to be in Texas and I 100% would have been there if I didn't have my own fight to prepare for."
Katie Taylor and Shauna O'Keeffe
The Clonmel fighter is preparing for a big bout of her own next week in London as she aims to end the year on a high.
O'Keeffe faces Poland's Bojana Libiszewska (7-67) as she aims to produce a performance that will land her a deal with Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions, with Taylor recently backing her to do big things in the sport.
"She's a real workhorse, she's a very, very hard worker," said Taylor. "It's great to be around those types of people, but yeah, I thought the work between me and her was fantastic.
"Shauna's a great girl, a great fighter, a great worker and I think she's going to do great things in the sport."
A deal with one of the biggest boxing promoters would top off an unbelievable year for O'Keeffe, who took her pro record to 3-0 at the 3Arena in September with a savage knockout.
O'Keeffe defeated Iceland's Valgerdur Gudsteinsdottir on Callum Walsh's homecoming card months after stopping Angelika Oles of Poland back in Galway on St Patrick's weekend.
Shauna O'Keefe and Valgerdur Gudsteinsdottir
(Image: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)
The 30-year-old only returned to boxing in 2022 after taking six years out of the sport following an amateur defeat to Kellie Harrington as she worked running gyms.
She won eight fights within four months and was crowned National Elite Champion at 63kg before turning professional towards the end of 2023. She previously fought Taylor as an amateur and defeated Amy Broadhurst.
"My aim is to become a world champion and Katie said to me that is achievable within a few more fights," stated O'Keeffe. "I'm going to give this my all for the next few years until I'm between 36 and 38.
"I'm not going to go looking for the knockout in my next fight, if it comes, it comes and if it doesn't, it doesn't. Queensberry usually have a show early in the year around the end of January/ start of February and I want to me on that.
"I don't mind skipping Christmas dinner if I have to if it means getting out again early in 2025.
Shauna O'Keefe and Valgerdur Gudsteinsdottir
(Image: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)
"A deal with Queensberry is exactly what I'm after and Frank Warren doesn't have a lightweight women's boxer so it's perfect.
"It's a stacked division and there's so many great fights that can be made in it."
Taylor still holds the WBA and WBC belts at lightweight but was forced to relinquish the others due to her staying at 140lbs.
England's Terri Harper is the WBO champion at 135lbs, while, Beatriz Ferreira, who Kellie Harrington defeated to reach this year's Olympic final three years after beating her to win gold, holds the IBF strap.
Caroline Dubois, the sister of IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel, is the interim champion to Taylor's WBC title.
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