Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KATIE TOO MUCH FOR SHARIPOVA
KATIE TAYLOR took her professional record to 20-0 with a unanimous decision win against Kazakhstan’s Firuza Sharipova in Liverpool last night.
It was far from the Bray fighter’s best performance but she did enough for all three judges to score the bout in her favour 98-92, 97-92, 96-93.
It was quite a scrappy contest, with Sharipova trying her best to stop the champion from fighting the way she wanted to.
Taylor did show her class at times, landing some nice combinations, but it had a similar feel to her bouts against Delfine Persoon.
Sharipova’s eye was cut badly midway through the bout but she put in a performance her corner was clearly proud of as they cheered at the final bell with the Kazakhstani fighter punching the air.
But as Fairytale of New York rang around the
M&S Arena, Taylor could smile and look forward to Christmas at home with her family before regrouping and going again in 2022.
The win looks set to lead to a massive showdown between
Taylor and unified world featherweight champion Amanda Serrano, who has held nine world titles across seven different weight classes. A bout between the pair was scheduled to take place in May last year but was cancelled due to Covid and efforts to rearrange it failed due to issues around the fight purse offered to Serrano.
The Puerto Rican faces Miriam Gutierrez, who Taylor previously defeated impressively in London, next weekend in Florida and a fight between her and the 2012 Olympic gold medallist could be announced early next year if Serrano wins.
Fans are hopeful that the fight could take place on St Patrick’s Day, with Michael Conlan possibly fighting for a world title on the same card after Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom won the rights for the Belfast man’s featherweight title bout with Leigh Wood.
Meanwhile, earlier last night in Liverpool, Belfast man Caoimhin Agyarko took his professional record to 10-0 when beating Noe Larios Jr to win the WBA International middleweight title.
The 25-year-old dominated the bout against his opponent, who brought very little to the contest, but did show incredible toughness to stay on his feet for so long.
Agyarko finally stopped him in the ninth round with a massive left, a shot which he landed time and time again throughout the fight.