Katie Taylor retained her four lightweight titles on Saturday night, beating Firuza Sharipova via unanimous decision.
After 10 rounds of boxing at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, the scorecards read 98-92, 97-92, 96-93 in favour of the Irishwoman, who remains undefeated at 20-0. Eyeing a monumental meeting with featherweight queen Amanda Serrano, there was no room for error for Taylor as she took on an opponent who had previously lost just once – in her professional debut in 2016. Indeed, Sharipova was gutsy and looked to make things rough throughout – even being docked a point for a punch off the break – but the Kazakhstani could not match Taylor’s hand speed, superior footwork and head movement.
“She definitely wasn’t tougher than expected, we were well aware of the challenge,” Taylor said of Sharipova after being announced as the winner – and still undisputed lightweight champion. “We were prepared for a tough fight. She was very scrappy inside, it was hard to get [punches] off. Still undisputed, still undefeated, so I can’t complain.” The former Olympic, world and European amateur champion also acknowledged a possible showdown with Serrano, who fights next weekend, as “the biggest fight in female boxing”. The victory capped off a fine 2021 for Taylor, who has also beaten Natasha Jonas and Jennifer Han this year.
Follow the fallout from Taylor vs Sharipova below.
