KATIE TAYLOR landed two-weight undisputed glory with a bloody revenge mission over Chantelle Cameron.
Six months after the Irish lightweight queen stepped up in weight and was convincingly beaten by the Northampton ace, they returned to Dublin for the identical re-run.
And Taylor was gritty and dirty at times – accidentally using her head to butt a gruesome gash into Cameron’s head – and spectacularly skilful at others as she dominated the bigger lady.
After 10 claret-soaked two-minute rounds the judges called it 95-95, 98-92 and 96-94 to the hometown heroine.
Taylor roared: “Two weigh undisputed sounds very nice – oh my God!
“That was the longest six months of my life waiting for that rematch,. This was my real homecoming tonight.
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“Whoever wrote me off doesn’t know me very well. Don’t ever doubt me.
“Let’s do the trilogy at Croke Park.”
Northampton’s defending champion had her entrance to the 3Arena booed by the partisan Dublin crowd that still idolises Taylor from her London 2012 win.
Both women jabbed well from the off before Taylor landed a left hook and Cameron replied with a right hand.
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Taylor then hit the deck, right on the seat of her shorts, but the referee ruled it a slip, did not count and Cameron did not protest.
Cameron kept marching forward throwing power shots in the second but Taylor’s hands were rapid and accurate, even off the backfoot.
Former kickboxer Cameron wanted to make the bout a war and she succeeded with the action even carrying on after the bell had rung to end the exciting session.
Taylor lured her nemesis onto an excellent third-round combination and then a clash of heads left a nasty gash high on Cameron’s forehead, thankfully away from her eyes and vision.
The referee ordered the doctor to examine the cut before the fourth started and he gave the deep wound the green light.
Cameron scored with a right hook into Taylor’s ribs but the Bray heroine replied with more peppering shots.
After five rounds Cameron was still not able to close down the distance without getting tagged by Taylor’s blurring blows.
Despite the open wound and bruising around her nose, Cameron never stopped launching herself into attacks but Taylor’s counter punching and movement were superior to the waves of aggression.
Cameron connected with a couple of uppercuts in the clinch but the veteran withstood the shots and happily stayed in the pocket and swapped slashing close-up punches.
There were violent and crappy exchanges in round seven that played into Cameron’s favour.
But Taylor seemed to love the high-risk action as she planted her feet and went punch-for-punch with the bigger and younger woman.
Taylor looked in deep trouble in the eighth when she suddenly aged and shrunk in the middle of the round.
Cameron was brutish and bullying, driving in uppercuts and whipping in hooks.
Taylor looked exhausted or hurt – or both – and clung on to her opponent until the bell saved her from more punishment.
And that minute break proved crucial as Taylor reemerged re-energised and scored with a handful of precise flurries that Cameron could not block or dodge.
And the packed arena roared ‘KT, KT’ to inspire their superstar over the line and into boxing folklore.
The final stanza was tight and bloody as Cameron’s cut burst open through the Vaseline.
But Taylor kept pinging out the precise combos and holding on to stem Cameron’s replies.
The bell ended all ten rounds of breathless action with Cameron caked in her own blood and Taylor looking relieved with her successful revenge mission.
Both women raised their arms as they waited for the scorecards to be read out.
After the fight, Taylor said: “It takes two to tango.
“Chantelle is a phenomenal fighter and a trilogy would be great for both of us.
“This could be the first great trilogy in women’s boxing.
“You learn most from your failures and losses, that’s where all the learning and growing happens. You just never give up.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
