Katie Taylor believes Tiah-Mai Ayton is the world’s best... is the teenager destined for superstardom?

Tiah-Mai Ayton returns to action for her third fight in five months tonight, live on DAZN - but how far can the teenage superstar go?

A world champion across multiple sports as an amateur, Ayton is chasing even higher levels of glory in the paid pugilism ranks.

On the undercard of Kieron Conway and George Liddard’s fight at York Hall this evening , Ayton takes on Argentinian Laura Belen Valdebenito, a fighter 13 years her senior.

If that fight goes the way of her first two pro bouts, then fans will see the talents that could make Ayton one of the biggest names in women’s boxing.

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Tiah-Mai Ayton’s fighting pedigree

Still only 19, Ayton already turned heads before joining the professional ranks due to her impressive record as an amateur. In 21 bouts in the unpaid code Ayton ended up the victor each time, winning multiple national titles and the Haringey Box Cup in 2024, before ending her stint in the amateurs as champion of the Golden Girl tournament and World Under-19 Championships.

However, Ayton’s fighting education goes beyond the sweet science, having had hundreds of bouts in other combat sports such as Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, and jiu-jitsu. A kickboxing world champion aged 10, the Bristolian certainly knows how to fight, but now she has her sights set solely on boxing.

Huge expectations for Tiah-Mai Ayton - from herself and others

Already a world champion in other disciplines, Ayton has made it clear that she expects to conquer the globe in professional boxing. In fact, she set out her stall ahead of her second professional fight, stating that she intended to be the youngest woman to claim undisputed status in a single division.

She'll have to conquer all four titles at bantamweight before she turns 22 to beat Gabriela Fundora , the American who still reigns as undisputed at flyweight.

But her goals do not end there. Instead, she has named the four divisions she expects to conquer. In September she told the BBC : "I want to be undisputed in bantamweight and super-bantamweight and then it goes featherweight and super-featherweight.

"I want to do those four categories, and I want to be undisputed in all four. It's high expectations but I think I can do it."

Ayton certainly knows how to make her dreams come true. In May she signed her first professional contract with Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn - fulfilling an ambition of hers.

She told BBC Sport: "I've always wanted to turn pro with Eddie Hearn since I was a little girl.

"I think he's got a message from me from like three or four years ago where I asked, 'one day can you sign me?' Today is the day I'm signed with him.”

Hearn was delighted to have signed the teenager, stating that Ayton would be the "next superstar of women's boxing".

He told the BBC: "Tiah could have waited for the Olympic Games but she believes she will become a multi-weight World Champion, so there was no point in delaying.

"This is going to be an incredibly exciting journey, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for her."

What have top fighters said about Tiah-Mai Ayton?

Of course, it is in a promoter’s best interests to big up their fighters, but Hearn is not the only person in boxing shouting Ayton’s name from the rooftops.

In fact, some of the best boxers in the women’s game have already recognised Ayton as one for the future.

Katie Taylor , who has a strong claim to being the best women’s boxer of all time, was ringside as Ayton blew away Lydie Bialic inside four rounds back in September.

Speaking after that bout, the Irishwoman told DAZN: “I don’t think we’ve seen a talent like this in a long time.

“This is the best female boxer in the world right here. This is the future right here. It’s a privilege to watch such a talent.

“I can’t believe she’s just turned 19 years of age. This is scary. She’s like a seasoned pro in there. I learned from watching her fight – amazing performance.”

And Taylor is not the only world champion to have recognised Ayton’s star power. Former featherweight titlist, Skye Nicolson, had similar praise, earmarking the teenager for big things.

Nicolson told She Kicks: “She's just turned 19 years old, and she is probably the best female boxer I've ever seen, Tiah-Mai Ayton. Remember the name.

“She's going to do big things in the sport, a very smart fighter, heavy handed, exciting, has that killer instinct but can box as well. She's the full package.”

In fact, it was the sparring sessions with Nicolson that first put Ayton on the radar of Matchroom and Hearn. Ayton was signed just two months after impressing in training against Nicolson, as the Aussie prepared for an ultimately unsuccessful defence of her WBC featherweight crown against Tiara Brown in March.

Tiah-Mai Ayton enjoys using her surprising knockout power

Knockouts can be rare in women’s boxing, just as they are less common in the amateur version of the sport. That didn’t stop Ayton from picking up nine stoppages in her 21 amateur fights, not far off a 50% KO ratio (42%).

In fact, Ayton’s desire to end fights early was a deciding factor in her turning professional, as she rejected the chance to join Team GB and go for Olympic glory.

She told the BBC: "I had the opportunity to go with GB but I'm a family person and I love being with my family. I didn't want to move away and move up to Sheffield.

"I feel like the whole style of amateur just didn't suit me. I just like getting in there and fighting.

"I like stopping people."

Ayton told The Ring that she starts to become annoyed at herself when she doesn’t find a stoppage, explaining: "Every single time I go into a fight, I don't think about doing the rounds, I want to stop them and when I don't stop them, I get all aggy with myself.

"Me and my dad would make bets on what round I could stop people in. Even when I was younger, we'd be like, 'Oh, try and do it in this round' and I'd be like, ‘Yeah, alright’."

So far in the paid ranks Ayton has a perfect record when it comes to ending fights early, securing back-to-back technical knockout victories. She knocked down both opponents twice, demonstrating her punching ability.

Her upcoming opponent Valdebenito has only been stopped once in 15 fights (8-6-1, 2 KOs), but Ayton will fancy her chances of stopping the 32-year-old.

What does the future hold for Tiah-Mai Ayton?

Of course, Ayton will not be allowed to sweep through the divisions and achieve her goals unopposed. Becoming undisputed at bantamweight could be as simple as winning one fight - as Kiwi Cherneka Johnson currently holds all four belts at 118lbs.

Ayton will have to win a few more fights before getting a shot at the champion, but a lack of depth in some divisions means prospects can quickly become contenders. For example, Johnson lost her IBF super bantamweight title to Ayton's fellow Brit, Ellie Scotney, in what was just the challenger's seventh professional fight.

If Ayton manages to become undisputed at bantamweight, that could set up a mouth-watering fight at super bantamweight - against Scotney. The 27-year-old Scotney is slowly bringing all the belts together at 122lbs, with just the WBA title currently out of her grasp. An undisputed-versus-undisputed match-up could be on the cards if both fighters continue on their current trajectories.

Ayton has already stated that featherweight is a division she has her sights set on, perhaps teeing up a proper fight with former sparring partner Nicolson. Depending on how long it takes Ayton to move up the weight classes, fights with big names such as Amanda Serrano (WBA and WBO featherweight champion) and Alycia Baumgardner (WBA, WBO, and IBF super featherweight title holder) could be made, especially if they hold belts Ayton desires.

Ayton is still in the infancy of her journey but the hype is building. Should she deliver on her early promise, the teenager could become the next superstar of women's boxing.

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