Katie Taylor took her professional record to 20-0 with a unanimous decision win against Kazakhstan's Firuza Sharipova in Liverpool on Saturday 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 in that she was dragged into the type of fight she didn't want.
Sharipova's eye was cut fairly badly midway through the bout, but she put in a performance her corner was clearly proud of as they cheered at the final bell as the Kazakhstani fighter punched 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 2020, but was cancelled due to Covid and efforts to rearrange it for later that year 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.
Meanwhile, earlier on Saturday night in Liverpool Belfast native 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.
Damage started to show on Larios Jr as he rounds went on, with Agyarko hurting him on numerous occassions with the jab, which he often followed up with body shots and a monsterous left hook.
Agyarko, the victim of a brutal knife attack four years ago, is aiming for a big 2022 as he hopes to continue on the path to achieving his dream of becoming Ireland's first ever black world champion.
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