Boxing
Katie Taylor's five signature wins as star reaches farewell bout
Taylor vs. Pili live on DAZN - TONIGHT
Katie Taylor has long circled Croke Park as the desired destination for her final fight.
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The legend’s wish comes true in her last dance tonight at the iconic Dublin venue where she’ll face undefeated French fighter Flora Pili, live on DAZN worldwide. At stake will be the undisputed super lightweight crown with Taylor’s unified WBA, WBO and IBF titles and the vacant WBC strap all on the line.
An Olympic gold medalist and two-weight undisputed world champion as part of a future lock Hall of Fame career, Taylor has elevated women’s boxing as a generational performer. Here, ahead of Taylor’s final hurrah, DAZN News looks back to five of the Irish superstar’s five most signature victories.
Leaving no doubts against Delfine Persoon 2; August 22, 2020
Katie Taylor attained undisputed lightweight glory by eking past Delfine Persoon via majority decision at Madison Square Garden on June 1, 2019 — the same venue and night Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked Anthony Joshua in one of boxing’s biggest upsets ever.
The Taylor win was controversial as many fans and critics thought Persoon did enough to have her hand raised. That said, the uncertainty paved the way for the two to run it back — this time in Essex.
The sequel had Taylor resorting to her sweet science skills and benefitting from landing the cleaner, harder shots. Judges scored it 98-93, 96-94 and 96-94 for a unanimous decision in Taylor’s favor as she retained her undisputed crown. The bout marked the first of a few high-profile rematches over the span of Taylor’s iconic career.
Renewing rivalry with Natasha Jonas; May 1, 2021
Katie Taylor and Natasha Jonas were rivals dating back to the 2012 London Olympics, so renewing hostilities in the pros added plenty of intrigue for their matchup in Manchester Arena. The bout was hard-fought with Taylor outpointing Jonas in a close unanimous decision (96-94, 96-95, 96-95) to retain her undisputed lightweight crown and emphatically close out another rivalry.
Headlining a sold-out Madison Square Garden in the most important fight in women’s boxing history; April 30, 2022
When Taylor and Amanda Serrano faced off and were receiving their final fight instructions in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden, the seven-division world champion told Taylor “this is crazy,” while smiling through her mouthguard. The bout marked the first time in combat sports that two female fighters headlined MSG in the 140-year history of ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena.’
The two produced an instant thriller that saw Taylor buzzed and nearly knocked out on her feet in the fifth round, before adequately rebounding to just nip Serrano by split-decision. After 10 breakneck rounds, judges in the ‘Mecca of Boxing’ scored it 96-94 for Serrano, 97-93 for Taylor and 96-93 for Taylor, giving the Irish superstar her biggest win to date.
Not only did Taylor retain her undisputed lightweight world titles, but she and Serrano pushed women’s boxing to another level with a historic fight for the ages.
Avenging her sole loss against Chantelle Cameron to enjoy a new undisputed reign; November 25, 2023
Just five months prior, Chantelle Cameron squeezed past Taylor in a majority decision at Dublin’s 3Arena. Well, Taylor made sure it was the sole blemish on her professional ledger, though it wasn’t easy.
After another 10 grueling rounds, which saw both fighters bloodied, yet another majority decision was reached. However, this one had two of the three judges scoring it for Taylor, 98-92 and 96-94, as the queen of the ring became the new undisputed super lightweight world champion, showing her ability to bounce back and outbox a rugged opponent. Claressa Shields is the only women's boxer to have enjoyed undisputed glory in three different divisions.
Edging her most-heated rival yet again; November 15, 2024
That Taylor and Amanda Serrano had to run it back was merely a formality after their classic at Madison Square Garden. After all, there were plenty of critics and fans alike who thought Serrano did enough to win the first fight, mandating the rivals meet again.
So, after more than two years removed from that memorable thriller, they’d clash on an even bigger stage at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. The sequel, like their initial fight, proved to be another heart-thumping, electric 10 rounds with plenty of give and take between the fighters and Taylor getting the razor-thin unanimous decision (95-94 across).
Again controversy swirled around the fight as Serrano had to fight through a deep gash over her right eye as a result of a headbutt — something her team complained about following the fight. The controversy didn’t take away from the fact that when these rivals share a ring, sweet science fireworks always seem to ensue.
They’d meet for a trilogy back at MSG the following July with Taylor shrewdly boxing her gameplan and winning by majority decision, effectively sweeping the best rivalry in women’s boxing history.
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