Undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor has hit back at rival Delfine Persoon’s claims she ‘ran’ in their first fight by suggesting the Belgian needs to ‘learn how to box’ before their rematch next Saturday.

Taylor controversially beat Persoon by majority decision in New York last year, a fight many felt the Irish star lost.

After their first fight, Persoon turned her attention towards qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics as professionals are now allowed to attend the amateur event.

But she was stunned at a qualification event and will now not go the the delayed Games next summer.

And Taylor, who is an Olympic gold medallist, has mocked her August 22 opponent’s boxing prowess.

"She needs to learn how to box," she told Sky Sports. "That's probably why she lost in the Olympic qualifier against an unranked amateur fighter.

"She's the type who would say Floyd Mayweather runs as well, but he's the best boxer of his generation.

"It's called the sweet science."

Persoon had previously criticised Taylor by saying: "In the first fight, there was a lot of holding, holding, holding. In another country, they would tell you: 'Don't hold' then take away a point. But they never spoke about her holding me. In the fourth round, her trainer said: 'Grab her arms!'

"Is she going to run and grab me? For the people, that is not a good fight. Ten rounds of running with one or two punches is not a fight that people want to see. Take the first punch, answer, jab, come in, go out. Katie throws one shot, runs away, then grabs.

"I hope she wants a nice fight - two boxers to go for it, and the best boxer wins. Let's show that two women can have a spectacular fight.

"But I don't think she will."

Taylor-Persoon II is the main undercard fight on Matchroom Boxing’s pay-per-view show at ‘Fight Camp’ in Essex headlined by heavyweights Dillian Whyte and Alexander Povetkin.