By: Hans Themistode

In most circumstances, Katie Taylor had it easy. The former Olympic Gold medalist would dance circles around her opponent before cruising to a unanimous decision victory. And in the process, Taylor would walk away from a hard days work without a scratch. With that said, Natasha Jonas made her work. 

Taylor and Jonas met in the co main event slot at the AO Arena in the United Kingdom. The motivation for Taylor was to simply keep winning as she attempted to defend her undisputed lightweight titles. 

As for Jonas, winning all four major titles from Taylor would be a dream come true but with Taylor ending her Olympic dreams in 2012, defeating her on points in the second round, Jonas had revenge on her mind. 

Taylor was in clear control early on. The multiple division champion was the faster of the two and landed shots at will. Jonas appeared taken aback, yet, she was still game. Although Taylor proved to be slippery on the defensive end, Jonas began finding her groove at the midway point of their contest. 

With the seemingly endless pressure coming from Jonas, Taylor was forced to stand and fight. It was the e act fight Jonas was hoping for as she began getting the better of the exchanges. 

As things began to tighten up, Taylor picked things up offensively. She slightly out worked Jonas down the stretch as both women let their hands fly for the final stretch. 

Following ten grueling rounds, Taylor was given the close decision win by scores of 96-95, 96-94 and 96-95.

It may have come as a surprise to most to see Taylor in a back and forth war as opposed to a more tactical boxing match but considering their history, Taylor wasn’t shocked at all. 

“What a fight,” said Taylor following the win. “Every time myself and Natasha have fought it has been like that. It is top-quality boxing. You have skill, you have heart, you have grit, you have everything you need for an absolutely thrilling fight.”

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