Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Taylor’s Garden defence
KATIE TAYLOR will be aiming to bewitch and bewilder Finland’s Eva Wahlstrom for a third time at New York’s Madison Square Garden on December 15.
The Bray woman, who stopped
Wahlstrom in the 2006/2007 Witch Cup finals in Hungary, puts her IBF/WBA lightweight titles on the line against the Finn on the Saul Alvarez versus Ricky Fielding undercard.
Her Witch Cup stoppages of
Wahlstrom in the amateurs were under the old 15-point rule. Informally called the “mercy rule”, it stipulated that a fight is stopped when a boxer goes 15 points ahead.
Familiarity hasn’t bred compliancy for unbeaten Taylor, who has beaten the 38-year-old Helsinkinative five times in the amateurs and who will be on her third defence and targeting a 12th win in the Big Apple.
“Eva is someone I know very well from our time in the amateurs,” said Taylor. “I think this fight will really showcase the best that women’s boxing has to offer and I’m really looking forward to it.
“I’ve been lucky enough to fight in some iconic venues since turning pro two years ago but I’m not sure there’s any more iconic in a boxing sense than Madison Square Garden. To get the opportunity to defend my World titles there is really very exciting.”
Wahlstrom has won 22 and drawn 1 of her 23 outings and will be aiming to become a two-weight champion having won the WBC super-feather belt in April.
She said: “This is the ultimate, biggest and toughest fight anywhere and to have it in the Garden is a huge honour.”