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By: Hans Themistode
Picking up the win has always been the main goal for undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor.
No matter if she scored a one punch knockout or cruised to a unanimous decision win–as long as she left the ring with her hand raised in victory then she was perfectly alright with that.
With that being said, Taylor knows that one of her wins is severely tainted.
“The first fight has kind of been hanging over my head for about a year,” explained Taylor as she reminisced about her first matchup with Delfine Persoon. “I feel like I have a bit of unfinished business. I have a chance to clear everything up on Saturday night.”
Persoon, a former five year lightweight title holder, walked into Taylor’s home away from home in Madison Square Garden in New York City in mid 2019 and gave the overwhelming favorite the fight of her life.
The cheers of Taylor’s name that filled the arena throughout their matchup, quickly turned to chants of Persoon, Persoon, Persoon.
The Belgium native fed off her new fans and seemingly pulled off the upset. Yet, when Taylor was given the majority decision nod, Persoon could do nothing but walk away with her head down in defeat.
Since that loss, both fans and media members alike have been split down the middle on who actually won. It’s a fair reaction given how close their first encounter was. Nevertheless, Taylor doesn’t expect any confusions the second time around.
“A lot of people had her winning the fight and a lot of people had me winning the fight. I was delighted that the fight went my way but I will look to win the fight a lot more convincingly. We knew that there was going to be a rematch eventually. We’re just happy that it’s happening now.”
With the two set to settle the score this upcoming weekend at Eddie Hearn’s Fight Camp, Taylor won’t be suckered into another war.
Getting into a dog fight has never been the style of Taylor. The multiple division champion would much rather stay on the outside and out box her opponents. Yet, when she matched up with Persoon, Taylor was dragged into a firefight. It may have been entertaining for those in attendance and watching from home, but expect their rematch to be less fan friendly.
“I think I have to fight a bit smarter than I did before. I do love to fight but that’s probably my problem sometimes. Obviously that’s not the smartest option at times, but in this fight I’m going to have to be more disciplined.”
