Tag Archives: Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor Heaps Endless Praise On Amanda Serrano: “What An Amazing Champion Amanda Is, Phenomenal Fighter”
By: Hans Themistode
From the moment Amanda Serrano inked her name on the dotted line, Katie Taylor knew she was in for a rough outing. However, despite entrenching herself in a grueling eight-week training camp and regardless of her near 10-year experience at the highest of levels, Taylor was given everything she could handle.
In the main event slot at Madison Square Garden late last night, both Taylor and Serrano engaged in an all-out war. Initially, it appeared as though Taylor would have little to no trouble boxing the former seven division world titlist from the outside. Nevertheless, as the rounds began ticking by, Serrano began finding her rhythm.
With the roar of her Puerto Rican crowd, Serrano closed the gap on Taylor in the fourth. In the fifth, with the momentum in her corner, Serrano produced her best round yet. During the period, Serrano muscled Taylor against the ropes and landed pernicious shot after pernicious shot. Although Taylor attempt to clench and hold, Serrano was relentless in her assault.
Having cleared her head in the following round, Taylor bounced back nicely as she boxed when possible and brawled when needed. In the 10th and final round, Taylor pounded her gloves against one another and met Serrano in the middle of the ring. From there, the two threw countless blows. While Taylor’s legs seemed to buckle at various stages during the final exchange, the former Olympic gold medalist bit down on her mouthpiece and continued to give it her all.
In the end, an elated Taylor screamed in jubilation as she was handed a close split decision victory. With her moment in the sun officially arriving, Taylor opted against patting herself on the back. Instead, she willingly gave the spotlight to her unbelievable opponent.
“I had to dig deep in there tonight,” said Taylor to a group of reporters following her victory late last night. “I had to produce a career-defining performance to actually win. What an amazing champion Amanda is, phenomenal fighter. We definitely got the best out of each other for sure.”
As the months turned to weeks and the weeks into days, the anticipation for Taylor vs. Serrano only intensified. Nonetheless, while it was considered the greatest female fight beforehand, Taylor was unsure if it would usurp what she considers the greatest moment in her career.
In 2016, Taylor proudly represented Ireland in the Olympic Games. As she stood pridefully on the podium wearing her gold medal, Taylor always believed that her Olympic moment would be the crescendo of her career. Even as she eventually went on to win world titles and become an undisputed champion, Taylor refused to put any of her professional achievements above her Olympic moment.
However, considering the magnitude of her bout against Serrano, becoming the first female fighter’s to headline Madison Square Garden, and the nonstop action that ultimately ensued, Taylor’s fondest memory has just taken place.
“It was the best night of my career for sure. I wasn’t sure that if anything could reach my Olympic gold medal moment but tonight was absolutely the best night of my career.”
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Katie Taylor Ekes Out Split Decision Over Amanda Serrano In Firefight
By: Hans Themistode
For the better part of the past decade, both Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano separated themselves as the cream of the female boxing crop. Ultimately, considering their dominance, they were intrinsically linked to one another. Following years of speculation and built-up demand, they became the first women to headline a boxing event in Madison Square Garden’s famed halls.
While both were proud to break through women’s untold barriers, neither were satisfied with simply taking part, as they attempted to etch their names in female boxing history forever.
Desperate to defend her undisputed lightweight crown, Taylor asserted herself in the opening round. The former Olympic gold medalist boxed and moved, landing stinging right hands at will. Serrano, undaunted by Taylor’s firepower, pushed forward, planting her feet and firing. While she was relentless, Taylor often made her miss and subsequently made her pay.
In the second, it was much of the same from Taylor. She bounced up and down on her toes and darted in and out quickly, making Serrano miss with her looping right hand. With fans of Taylor cheering in approval, Serrano quieted the noise at the end of the second with a flurry.
While still lively, Taylor began slowing down in the fourth thanks to a number of shots to her midsection. Witnessing her opponent weakening, Serrano upped her aggression in the fifth. The moment the bell rang, the former seven division world titlist charged at Taylor, pinning her up against the ropes and unloading.
Appearing to be more concerned with playing defense, Taylor attempted to roll with many of Serrano’s shots. However, at the halfway point of the round, Serrano connected on a clean left hand. The force of the blow left Taylor on unsteady legs, forcing her to hold for the duration of the round.
With the momentum in Serrano’s corner, Taylor returned to her boxing pedigree. She pranced around the ring, making Serrano miss wildly before connecting on several shots of her own. As Taylor continued to regain her legs, Irish flags around the arena rose in unison. Taylor, unsurprisingly, obliged her undying supporters by fighting Serrano in the middle of the ring. A smiling Serrano welcomed Taylor’s aggression with her own, landing uppercuts on the inside and forcing the unified champion back.
At times, Serrano appeared to be the fresher fighter and attempted to impose her will on the former Olympic gold medalist. Seemingly running on fumes in the 10th and final round, Taylor and Serrano sauntered to the middle of the ring and began fighting with reckless abadon. Though both fighters were clearly wobbled, neither were willing to give an inch as they through hellacious blow after hellacious blow.
As the final few precious seconds ticked off the clock, both women embraced – bloody, bruised, and exhausted. The normally deafening crowd quieted as the scorecards were slowly announced. Although their contest was ultimately close, Taylor retained her undisputed crown, winning via split decision.
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Amanda Serrano Believes She Will “Shine” Against Katie Taylor
By: Hans Themistode
At one point, Amanda Serrano was convinced that this moment would never come.
Following years of stalled negotiation talks, the former seven division world titlist believed that unless a massive payday was floated in her direction, a showdown against Katie Taylor would simply never happen.
Ultimately, to her enjoyment, Serrano was proven wrong. Now, in just a few short hours, both females will look to thrill the New York crowd as they become the first female boxers to headline Madison Square Garden.
Admittedly, with huge expectations come even bigger nerves. On numerous occasions, Serrano has fought in the much smaller Hulu Theater, not only as a professional but also as an amateur, winning the Golden Gloves nearly two decades ago in that same arena. Never, however, has she competed in the big room.
Although a jam-packed crowd of over 18,000 thousand is expected in attendance, Serrano reveals that despite her ever-growing nerves, she believes she was built for this very moment.
“I shine under pressure,” said Serrano during a recent press conference. “I’m just excited to go out there.”
Taylor, a former Olympic gold medalist who will put both her undefeated record and her IBF, WBO, WBA, and WBC lightweight titles on the line, is currently viewed as a slight betting underdog.
Regardless of the betting market, Taylor is coming off one of the more active and successful years of her career. In addition to emerging victoriously in all three of her ring appearances, Taylor dominated the competition. The 2016 gold medalist began her pugilistic year by handing Miriam Gutierrez the first defeat of her career. Taylor would then follow up that victory with one-sided showings against Natasha Jonas and Jennifer Han.
Not to be outdone, Serrano produced a banner year of her own. The former seven-division world titlist pounded Daniela Romina Bermudez, resulting in a ninth-round stoppage victory. To close out her year, she dominated former Taylor opponent, Miriam Gutierrez.
As Serrano now retreats to her room, she anxiously watches the clock. While she looks forward to sauntering to the ring and taking part in the biggest fight in female boxing history, Serrano is even more eager for Sunday morning to arrive.
For the 33-year-old, she has already envisioned her victory come fight night. However, once Sunday morning appears and the Puerto Rican native rolls over in her grandiose bed, she believes she’ll be greeted by her four newly won titles.
“I’m so looking forward to Sunday and being undisputed champion.”
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Eddie Hearn Has High Expectations For Taylor Vs. Serrano: “This Is Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao For Women’s Boxing”
By: Hans Themistode
The moment it was originally announced that Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao would officially square off, the boxing world salivated as countless consumers began anxiously emptying their bank accounts in order to buy tickets.
For years, both Mayweather and Pacquiao were considered the best fighters in the sport of boxing. However, fans would continually fulminate over the possible outcome. Following years of failed negotiations, the two ended their rivalry in 2015. While the pent-up demand resulted in 4.6 million pay-per-view buys, the fight itself was a bit of a disappointment in Eddie Hearn’s opinion.
The longtime promoter packed his bags and attended the event live in person. Although the hype surrounding the fight was at an all-time high, Hearn was displeased with the actual product.
Now, with Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano just a few hours away from taking place in New York’s Madison Square Garden, Hearn believes their upcoming clash bears several similarities to Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, albeit without the stench of what he maintains was an awful fight.
“This is Mayweather vs. Pacquiao for women’s boxing but at the right time,” said Hearn during an interview with FightHype.com. “That fight massively underdelivered on the night. I left there going, that was a bit shit. You ain’t gonna leave MSG on Saturday with that same feeling.”
Taylor, 35, has established herself over the years as one of the greatest fighters in female boxing history. In addition to her spotless record through 20 professional fights, Taylor grabbed Olympic gold in the 2016 Games. Presently, the Irish native will attempt to defend her undisputed lightweight crown when she faces Serrano, female boxing’s only seven division world titlist.
Considering that Hearn has been in Taylor’s corner from the very beginning and admitting that he’s watched and cheered for Serrano from a distance, Hearn believes that the hype surrounding this fight will live up to it.
“Just watch what you’re about to see. Every Katie Taylor fight is thrilling. Every Amanda Serrano fight is thrilling, vicious, and brutal. It can only be a cracker.”
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Shakur Stevenson Wants To Share The Spotlight With Amanda Serrano And Katie Taylor: “Let The Ladies Shine Too”
By: Hans Themistode
Shakur Stevenson is anxious to get his hands on more gold.
Following his 10th round stoppage victory over former WBO super featherweight champion Jamel Herring in October of 2021, the 24-year-old former Olympic silver medalist nabbed his second world title in as many weight classes.
With his newly won trinket now safely tucked underneath his arm, Stevenson is on the verge of adding even more hardware to his collection. According to promoter Bob Arum, both Stevenson and WBC titlist Oscar Valdez, have agreed to financial terms for a proposed bout. While the details of their showdown are still being worked upon, Arum revealed that their contest is being targeted for April 30th, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Although Stevenson believes his showdown against Valdez is one of the biggest in all of boxing, he also feels sympathetic for another high leverage contest that’s set to take place on the other coast.
In what many believe is the biggest fight in women’s boxing history between current undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor and former seven division titlist Amanda Serrano, Stevenson is uneasy about their contest taking place on the same date. Currently, Serrano vs. Taylor will also face off on April 30th, in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Considering the high stakes of both showdowns, Stevenson is hopeful that something can be worked out to allow everyone involved their moment in the sun.
“To be honest,” said Stevenson on his social media account. “I hope they can stagger the times for my unification with Valdez and Serrano vs. Taylor for April 30.”
Stevenson’s statement comes just a few days after the controversial comments made by Arum. The longtime promoter was originally unaware that Taylor vs. Serrano was set to take place on April 30th. However, when asked if he would be willing to move Stevenson’s unification showdown against Valdez to a later date to acquiesce Taylor vs. Serrano, Arum barked at the request.
“I mean, as good a fight as [Taylor-Serrano] is, come on,” said Arum to IFL TV. “You know, whatever reason it is, people don’t particularly pay attention to the women’s fights. The answer is ESPN made the schedule and they couldn’t care less. I don’t want to denigrate fights, I don’t want to be accused of being anti-women in sports, but I’m telling you, this is like the Premier League against women’s football.”
Since making those public comments, Arum has received pushback, including from Jake Paul, who, along with Eddie Hearn, will be promoting Taylor vs. Serrano.
“Men like this dinosaur r the reason women haven’t been given a fair shake in many parts of society,” said Paul on his social media.
While Stevenson hasn’t gone as far as to denigrate the character of his promoter, he has voiced his opinion and would like both his showdown and his female counterparts, to receive plenty of the spotlight.
“Let the ladies shine too and the fans watch both fights.”
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Katie Taylor Vs. Amanda Serrano Officially Set For April 30th Showdown
By: Hans Themistode
For the past several years, both Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor have reigned near the top of the female mountain top. Now, they’ll look to prove who’s the best female fighter in the world.
After years of pent-up demand from the fans, both Taylor and Serrano will finally lock horns on April 30th in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Taylor, who won Olympic gold in 2012, will place her undisputed lightweight titles on the line when she takes on the former seven division world champion. Since nabbing every piece of lightweight hardware in 2019, Taylor has defended her undisputed tag a total of five times. Most recently, Taylor took care of business against Firuza Sharapova, winning a wide unanimous decision in December of 2021.
With the victory, Taylor waited patiently for Serrano to hold up her end of the bargain, something she accomplished with ease. The Puerto Rican native dominated former title challenger Miriam Gutierrez one week after Taylor secured her victory.
Now, with arguably the biggest fight in women’s boxing set to take place, Serrano is excited to share the ring with another great fighter.
“This is a fight I’ve wanted for a long, long time,” said Taylor. “I’m just excited for it to finally take place because these are the kind of fights I’m in the sport for,” said Taylor. “People have been talking about this fight for years and there have been times I wondered if it was ever going to happen so I’m very grateful to Eddie Hearn, everyone at Matchroom, DAZN, and Madison Square Garden for getting it over the line.”
For the 33-year-old Serrano, a showdown against Taylor is one that she’s craved for years. Although the hard-hitting Puerto Rican has fought only once at 135 pounds since 2018, she proved that she has the power and overall skills to compete with much bigger fighters.
During her recent showdown against Gutierrez, which took place at 135 pounds, Serrano battered her throughout the night. With the biggest fight of her career now only months away from taking place, Serrano thinks back to all of the sacrifices that she made to get to this point. Ultimately, Serrano believes her years of hard work were well worth it.
“It is a dream come true to have the opportunity to headline Madison Square Garden and do so against one of the greatest boxers of all time in Katie Taylor,” said Serrano. “Since I was a young girl, my only boyfriend has been boxing. I have dedicated my life to him, and this event makes that commitment worth every minute. On April 30th I am going to make history for me, for my team, for my family, for Puerto Rico, for every Latina and Latino, and for all women worldwide.”
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Katie Taylor Makes It Look Easy Against Jennifer Han
By: Hans Themistode
As expected, Katie Taylor defended her titles with relative ease, comfortably outpointing Jennifer Han to retain her status as the undisputed lightweight champion.
Taylor controlled the center of the ring from the very beginning and landed several hard shots. Han, to her credit, took the punches well then attempted, to get her own offense going. In no mood to get hit, Taylor played defense flawlessly, making Han miss on several occasions.
As most of the early rounds ticked by, it was much of the same. Taylor boxed safely from the outside while putting on a clinic on defense. With everything going her way, Taylor began increasing her pressure incrementally.
The added pressure flustered Han, who was forced into the ropes on several occasions. From there, Taylor began letting her hands go, while moving just enough out of the way to avoid any big shots that were hurled in her direction.
As the midway point of their contest reached, Han attempted to hold her ground in the center of the ring. Although she did have moments, Taylor took charge and landed several hard right hands. In the seventh, Taylor had her best round yet. She connected on a flurry halfway through the round, before doing so again. This time, it resulted in a knockdown. A furious Han got up quickly and yelled in frustration as she claimed she tripped as opposed to a clean punching landing.
Her cries fell on deaf ears as the referee gave her a standing eight count. She never appeared hurt at any other point during their contest but Taylor tried on several occasions to close the show. With women’s boxing only given two minutes to work with, Taylor was never able to finish Han. Still, she cruised to a unanimous decision victory on the night.
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Katie Taylor Earns Difficult Victory Over Natasha Jonas
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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Katie Taylor Faces Natasha Jonas in Olympic Games Rematch
By: Hector Franco
The Ring Magazine pound-for-pound number one women’s boxer Katie Taylor (17-0, 6 KOs) will step in the ring for the first time in 2021 to defend her undisputed lightweight championship against the United Kingdom’s Natasha Jonas (9-1-1 7 KOs).
Taylor will be making the 10th defense overall of her lightweight titles and the third defense of her undisputed (WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF) lightweight championships that she won in 2019 against Belgium’s Delfine Persoon.
Her opponent, Jonas, will be moving up from the super featherweight division. Jonas recently challenged for the WBC title in the weight class against Terri Harper last August in a fight that ended in a split draw.
In Taylor’s relatively short time as a professional, she has faced nine former world champions racking up victories against fighters like Cindy Serrano, Eva Wahlstrom, and even a win over current undisputed women’s welterweight champion, Jessica McCaskill.
Taylor also moved up to junior welterweight to win the WBO title against Christina Linardatou in November 2019.
While Taylor’s opponent, Jonas, feels like a stepping-stone or a pit stop before more significant fights in the future, she cannot be overlooked as a worthy opponent.
“We don’t take easy fights,” said Taylor at the final press conference on Thursday. “I’m in this sport to fight the best. We train for every fight as if it’s the hardest to date. My mindset and mentality doesn’t change from fight to fight. I’m looking forward to a great fight on Saturday.”
Much like Taylor herself, Jonas has an extensive amateur pedigree winning the gold medal at the 2009 Women’s European Union Amateur Boxing Championships and the 2010 GB Women’s Amateur Boxing Championships. She also won a Bronze Medal at the 2012 AIBA Women’s Amateur Boxing Championships.
Most notably, in 2012, she lost to Taylor in the summer Olympic games in the second round. Taylor would go on to win gold at those Olympics.
Taylor’s closest bouts as a professional were against Persoon, whom she won a hotly debated majority decision over in 2019, and another closely contested unanimous decision in 2020.
Jonas feels she has the power to take the fight out of the judge’s hands.
“In boxing, one punch changes everything,” Jonas stated at the final press conference. “I do believe I have power. I don’t like making predictions or disrespect anybody, but I do believe I have the power to stop her.”
With huge fights on the horizon, such as a possible rematch against McCaskill or a bout with seven-division women’s champion Amanda Serrano, Taylor will have her hands full against Jonas.
Katie Taylor-Natasha Jonas will take place at the AO Arena in Manchester this Saturday and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
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MatchRoom Boxing Results: Katie Taylor Ends Rivalry with Delfine Persoon With Unanimous Decision Victory
There may not have been a crowd to give both Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon an applause, but there is no doubt that the fans watching from home gave a standing ovation.
Taylor (16-0, 6 KOs) got the proverbial monkey off her back this afternoon. When the undisputed lightweight champion met Persoon (44-3, 18 KOs) last year, many were split on who won. This time around, Taylor left no doubt as she was the better boxer on the night.
Persoon, as always, came forward and created chaos for Taylor. To her credit though, she managed to avoid the big shots and land some of her own. It was clear that Taylor was in no mood for a firefight, yet she found herself in one during long stretches of their matchup.
Unlike their first contest however, Taylor dealt with the pressure like the champion that she is and walked away with her undefeated record intact.
The final scores were as followed: 98-93 and two scores of 96-94 all in favor of Taylor.
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Katie Taylor vs Delfine Persoon: Fight Preview
By: Hans Themistode
The words “you didn’t win,” has reverberated through the mind of Katie Taylor long enough.
The undisputed lightweight champion has heard the chatter surrounding her highly disputed win over Delfine Persoon for roughly one year.
Most of the crowd that packed into the pre COVID-19 Madison Square Garden arena in New York City, was incredulous when Taylor (15-0, 6 KOs) was handed the majority decision nod. The Ireland native was peppered with boo’s as she left the arena, and has been salivating to shut up her critics ever since.
Now, this coming Saturday night at promoter Eddie Hearn’s Fight Camp, Taylor will get a chance to do just that as the pair will face off one more time. The two will co main event the final fight series of MatchRoom Boxing’s backyard series.
A feeling of disappointment was plastered across the face of Taylor when she was given the bad news a few months ago. Her original opponent, seven division world champion Amanda Serrano, pulled out of their heavily anticipated showdown. Yet, when one door closes, another one opens. And in this case, Taylor got the fight she was looking for.
“This is the first fight that I’ve always wanted,” explained Taylor during a recent press conference. “I was looking forward to the fight with Serrano so I was disappointed at first. But the rematch with Persoon is the fight I’ve always wanted.”
While Taylor will receive the chance to leave no doubt the second time around, Persoon (44-2, 18 KOs) on the other hand, has a chance to rewrite history to her liking.
With a win over Helen Joseph in her last ring appearance, it’s easy to forget just how dominant Persoon was a champion. For five years she fought challenger after challenger and never seemed to break a sweat in defending her belt.
She’ll look to not only win back the WBC title that she forked over to Taylor one year ago, but she’s also hoping to add more hardware to her mantle in taking the remaining three major titles.
The book on Persoon is already out. She has an aggressive come forward style who enjoys brawling as opposed to boxing. Her game plan during their first matchup worked to perfection. Taylor may have left the ring with the victory intact, but she was bloodied and bruised more than usual. The Belgium born star will look to create even more chaos this Saturday night. The brand of violence that she’ll bring to the ring is something that she hopes Taylor engages in.
“If it is a war, it’s good for me,” said Persoon during a recent virtual press conference. “If it is a war, I like it. For me, it’s not bad if it is a war. She may give me a war. No problem for me. I like wars.”
Whether or not Persoon will get the rated R fight that she is looking for is unclear. But both women appear ready to close the chapter on an expected rivalry.
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Katie Taylor: “I Feel Like I Have a Bit Of Unfinished Business”
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.”
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Katie Taylor on Delfine Persoon Rematch: “She Was The Toughest Challenge That I Ever Faced”
By: Hans Themistode
It’s all been easy for undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor. Maybe even too easy.
From her amateur career that she capped off with a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics, to her run as an undefeated professional for four years, it’s been entirely too easy for Taylor.
To be fair, Taylor knows that her skills have far exceeded anyone that she stepped into the ring with. But when she stood across from former WBC lightweight champion Delfine Persoon in June of 2019, she immediately realized that this was not going to be a walk in the park.
“I knew going into that fight that it was going to be a tough fight,” said Taylor to promoter Eddie Hearn during a recent virtual press conference. “I realized that from the get go that she was the toughest challenge that I ever faced.”
The slick in and out boxing, the side to side movement and the usual bewildered look on the face of her opponents were all absent. Fans sat in their seats at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and wondered what the hell was going on? But while everyone seemed shocked at how difficult Persoon made Taylor’s night, the former Olympic gold medalist saw this night coming from the moment the contract was signed.
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised at all. I wanted the challenge and I came out victorious and deservedly so. I will be ready again on August 22nd and again, it will be the same results.”
Becoming a fan favorite can do funny things to a fighter. The smooth boxing skills of Taylor were replaced with a rough and rugged style during their first matchup. The constant cheers of her name coupled with the drunken high fives whenever she would land a punch may have motivated Taylor to squeak by with a close majority decision win, but it also may have altered the way she normally conducts herself in the ring.
It was a flat out mistake to fight Persoon’s sort of fight. But with no crowd for their rematch on August 22nd, Taylor believes she won’t be suckered into another fire fight this time around.
“Yeah possibly,” said Taylor when asked if the crowd may have effected her. “I’m going to fight the right fight for me at the end of the day. It’s called boxing at the end of day and the sweet science for a reason. People over the last few years have been saying that I fought a Mayweather round but he was an actual genius in the ring. It is called boxing and that’s what I’m best at.”
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Katie Taylor vs Delfine Persoon Rematch Co Main Events on Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin Card on August 22nd
By: Hans Themistode
For much of Katie Taylor’s professional career she has cruised by her opposition. However, there was one night that left the fans watching at home wondering whether or not she was the better fighter.
When Taylor and Delfine Persoon matched up against one another in a 2019 lightweight unification, it was assumed to be an easy night’s work for Taylor. Yet after 12 grueling rounds, the thought of who actually won their contest came into question.
Taylor’s fanbase was left in disbelief when the scorecards gave her the nod against Persoon on the night. Now, with the recent failed negotiations between Taylor and seven division world champion Amanda Serrano, Taylor has decided to settle some unfinished business.
Taylor and Persoon will meet on August 22nd as the co main event of Dillian Whyte vs Alexander Povetkin. News of their agreement left promoter Eddie Hearn jumping out of his seat.
“Wow! What a fight – what a night! To be honest I can’t quite believe this fight has been made, I can’t give enough credit to Katie and Delfine for agreeing to do it again,” said Hearn in a recent press release. “Since their epic Fight of the Year contender at MSG last year, everyone has wanted to see this once again and now we have it. I’m very proud to stage this fight especially at such a critical time for our sport – along with Whyte vs. Povetkin August 22 will be one not to forget.”
For Taylor, her contest against Serrano was discussed as possibly the biggest fight in women’s boxing history. Yet with things falling apart, she could have easily stepped into the ring on August 22nd, against both a lesser known opponent and one who presented fewer dangers. But there would have been no fun in facing someone who most expected her to beat. So instead, Taylor is aiming to take down Persoon once again and clear up any doubt from their previous contest.
“With Amanda Serrano not taking the fight I wanted the biggest fight possible in August. I think a second Persoon fight is one that everyone wants to see,” said Taylor on a recent press release. “I’ve been looking forward to a rematch ever since the first fight and I’m delighted it’s been made. It was definitely very close the first time around, but I felt I deserved the win and I intend to leave no doubts in the rematch.”
Persoon sulked on the night of their first matchup. She believed that she had done more than enough and at the moment, should hold all four Lightweight world titles over her shoulders. Regardless of her loss the first time around though, she’s prepared to hand Taylor the first defeat of her career.
“I am ready to get the victory following the injustice last June in New York,” said Persoon on a recent press release. “Not by words but in the ring – I am ready!”
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Katie Taylor vs Delfine Persoon Could Co Main Event on Whyte vs Povetkin According to Eddie Hearn
By: Hans Themistode
Unified Lightweight champion Katie Taylor had been preparing for the fight of life. The undefeated Olympic gold medalist was set to take on seven division world champion Amanda Serrano in what was being called the biggest fight in women’s boxing history.
Making big fights however, has never been easy in the sport of boxing, and with COVID-19 still rampaging through most of the world, Taylor vs Serrano became one of its latest casualties.
Still, even with the deadly virus throwing a monkey wrench in Taylor’s plans, promoter Eddie Hearn is hard at work for a more than worthy replacement.
“We are working hard on the Taylor versus Persoon rematch for August 22,” Hearn told Sky Sports. “Katie wants the biggest fights out there and when Serrano pulled out, Katie immediately asked about the Persoon rematch.”
Throughout Taylor’s four year career, she has been perfect inside of the ring. 15 fighters have stepped up to the plate to face her, but all have fallen short. In the case of her bout against Delfine Persoon however, Taylor was anything but perfect.
Forget about losing fights, Taylor was becoming unfamiliar with losing rounds inside of the squared circle. When she wasn’t scoring highlight reel level knockouts, then she was simply boxing circles around her opponents. Yet, during her 2019 matchup with Person, Taylor found herself in a dog fight. The unified champion was consistently backed up against the ropes for long stretches and outworked.
Taylor’s customarily easy night at the office was anything but that as she bit down on her mouthpiece and fought fire with fire. The end results were the same for Taylor as the judges ruled it unanimously in her favor, but the majority of the crowd inside of Madison Square Garden in New York City, believed that her title reign should have been truncated on the night.
Question marks of whether or not Persoon is the better fighter arose, and now, Hearn is looking to put those thoughts to bed for good.
Taylor vs Persoon is a significant match up, but their proposed rematch date is important as well.
On August 22nd, former multiple time heavyweight title challenger Alexander Povetkin is set to headline a Matchroom card against WBC interim titlist Dillian Whyte.
The notion of two high level fights on the same card has motivated Hearn to make it happen. With that being said though, the fight isn’t a done deal just yet.
“The first fight was one of the best I’ve ever seen live and as a fan. I would love to see it again. Whyte versus Povetkin and Taylor versus Persoon 2 is an epic double header. Let’s see if we can get it done.”
