KATIE TAYLOR proved she is worth every penny as much as boxing’s biggest earning men with a pound-for-pound stellar performance.
The 34-year-old headlined a groundbreaking Wembley show against Miriam Gutierrez, with two other female fights at the top of the bill.
Katie Taylor remains the undisputed world champCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd
Katie Taylor dominated Miriam Gutierrez from start to finishCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd
And, during fight week, the London 2012 Olympic hero insisted she will always fight for the sports brave women to earn parity with the big-money men.
The undisputed lightweight queen – and WBO super-light champ – utterly dominated rock-hard Spaniard Gutierrez to put an exclamation mark on her bold bank statement.
And, after Gutierrez climbed off the floor at the end of the fourth to hear the final bell, the judges scored it: 100-89, 100-90 and 99-91.
After her resounding victory, Taylor said: “I am very satisfied, I thought that was a great performance.
The Irish fighter was far too good for her previously undefeated opponentCredit: ©Mark Robinson Ltd
“She was very durable and kept firing back so I just couldn’t get her out of there but I felt that it was a great performance.
“She was heavy handed and could punch so I am just very happy today.
“I felt I hurt her in the first 30 seconds and thought I would get her out early, how wrong I was!”
Taylor almost had the Wembley show wrapped up in the first ten seconds.
The Irish icon raced across the ring and unloaded a vicious volley into the visitor who was still trying to offer her gloved fist as a friendly greeting when the blows started raining down on here.
But the 37-year-old survived the early assault and heard the second bell.
Taylor needed twenty rounds and two controversial decisions to see off the two challengers from Delfine Persoon.
And it looked like she was desperate to keep this mandatory defence out of the judges’ hands in her second behind-closed-doors fight.
A ripper of a right hand thumped into Gutierrez’s skull and was followed up with a left hook.
The 13-0 challenger was well out of her depth and Taylor looked eager to drown her in the third. A thunderous left hook rocked Gutierrez to her boots and buckled her legs.
Taylor piled in and a right hand cracked into the wounded underdog again. But Gutierrez showed freakish resilience by absorbing the blows and staying upright.
Every jab Gutierrez dared to throw was either slipped or maliciously countered and Taylor dropped her right on the bell at the end of the fourth with a mean right hand.
Gutierrez was little more than a punchbag by the fifth, flailing wild shots that Taylor dodged for fun.
In the sixth Taylor had her prey pinned on the ropes and pummelled her but heroic Gutierrez refused to wilt and her corner should really have thrown in the towel.
In the seventh and eighth, Gutierrez was whacked and tagged repeatedly but she kept willing the 2012 Olympic hero on.
The last four rounds were hard to watch as Gutierrez clung to life like a fish out of water.
Taylor was free to showcase all of her skills, without showboating, and always with an evil intent.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
