(MARCH 11) The more that Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor progress in their careers, the closer the boxing world gets to watch them contest a world title fight that will shake the very ground we stand on. There are, however, many obstacles to overcome before we see this fight given the go-ahead. Anyone who thinks it will happen without a great deal of give-and-take on both sides, has misunderstood the complexities of this potential bout.

So close but so far

First things first, let's start with the biggest hurdle in making this fight happen and that is the two fighters' weight disparities. Shields fights two weight classes above Taylor, and is the light-middleweight champion, Taylor meanwhile is the current lightweight champion.

Encouragingly, both of these fighters have shown a willingness to move up and down a division when a good enough challenge presents itself. Shields has held multiple world titles in three different weight divisions, whilst Taylor has won world title belts in two separate weight divisions. With this in mind, it seems like this is a problem that could be overcome, and right now we’re hearing from both camps that a possible 147 lbs would be an appropriate place to meet at.

If anything, though, and this is an important point, it has been Shields’ agent that has been far more vocal about a potential match-up. Speaking after Shields' recent win Shields' recent win against Marie-Eve Dicaire, her promoter, Dmitriy Salita, reminded the world of his client's burning ambition to beat the very best by saying that, "Claressa told me to make the biggest and best fights, a fight with Katie Taylor is definitely a possibility."

So, from this, we can gather that there is a greater desire from one side of the Atlantic to get this fight set up, whilst we’re yet to hear much from Taylor about her willingness. Perhaps, though, this was the nudge that was needed to get this ball rolling, and it will be interesting to watch what Taylor's promoter, Eddie Hearn, does in the following months.

Can Hearn work his magic?

Hearn is one of the most successful boxing promoters of all time, and will be acutely aware that the narrative of this fight writes itself; given that these two have both won Olympics gold medals as well. When you also consider that Shields' last fight was the first time since 2001 that a women’s bout headlined a pay-per-view event, you can see how lucrative this fight would be and, in reality, how hard the promoters will work to ensure they get a deal over the line.

Coincidentally, the last women’s fight to headline a pay-per-view event was Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, who are the daughters of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, when they fought at the Turning Stone Casino in Wisconsin twenty years ago.

Could the fight be held in the Middle East?

There’s every possibility that, should this fight happen, it could take place a lot further away from the Badger State and, head to the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is becoming a popular location for the world’s biggest fights; as we saw when Anthony Joshua fought Andy Ruiz Jr. for the heavyweight championship of the world.

The Middle East is certainly becoming a regular stop-off on the boxing calendar, and punters around the world shouldn’t be surprised to see this fight take place there. Although, as previously stated, there is a lot of work to be done to make the biggest fight in the history of women’s boxing happen.

Everyone in the boxing world will be holding their breath over the next few months as both camps look to thrash out a deal.