Jessica McCaskill and Cecilia Braekhus could be headed toward a rematch.
McCaskill is reportedly is contractually obliged to give Braekhus a second fight after defeating her by a majority decision to become undisputed welterweight champ Saturday in Tulsa, Okla. And her promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he was told by Braekhus’ advisor that she interested in another shot at McCaskill.
Hearn said on a virtual news conference to promote the Katie Taylor-Delfine Persoon rematch this Saturday in England that McCaskill (9-2, 3 KOs) and Braekhus (36-1, 9 KOs) could do it again before the end of the year.
Hearn believes Braekhus earned another opportunity in a close fight. McCaskill won 97-94, 97-93 and 95-95.
“I thought it was a very tight fight,” Hearn said. “You know, I think it depends what you like. I thought the crisper punching came from Braekhus in that fight. But as always, the work rate came from Jessica McCaskill. She’s absolutely relentless, and I think you can definitely argue she deserved the victory.
“So, it was a big shock, I think, to the wider audience. I think to people in boxing that know both fighters, you know, Cecilia was the favorite. But Jessica was certainly not out of the race there.”
McCaskill could also end up fighting the winner of the Taylor-Delfine fight, as was the plan before he upset Braekhus.
“You know, there’s so much on the line for Katie on Saturday, as a team we haven’t talked too much about what’s next,” Hearn said. “The focus is on winning on Saturday, and making sure she remains the undisputed [lightweight] champion.
“Because you saw last Saturday everybody talking about Braekhus against Taylor, and all of a sudden, the wheels came off. So, it’s very important to stay focused on the task at hand this weekend.”