Katie Taylor to make first defence of world title on December 15

The 31-year-old, who became a world champion for the first time on Saturday with her unanimous points decision win against Anahi Sanchez as part of the Anthony Joshua undercard in Cardiff, was not expected to fight again until 2018 after suffering a cut eye.

However, the injury she sustained against Sanchez is not as serious as initially thought and she is set for a quick return to the ring with a fight scheduled for December 15.

An opponent and venue have yet to be confirmed but her promoter Eddie Hearn said on Tuesday that ABO American champion Jessica McCaskill was his preferred opponent for Taylor, who hopes to unify the division in a homecoming fight in Dublin next year.

"It's going to be a great end to the year, I hope," Taylor told BBC Sport.

"I'm really excited - it's been absolutely phenomenal boxing in the UK these last 11 months.

"But it was always in the pipeline to box at home in Dublin at some stage. I can't wait for that homecoming fight.

"When I first turned pro I wanted to unify the division. Next year in Dublin we plan on unifying the belts and it's something I've always dreamed of."