Katie Taylor has won her second professional bout in some style and ended what has been a difficult year on a positive note.
The Bray boxer crashed out of the Olympics in dramatic style back in August.
Arguably the greatest female boxer ever, and one of the best amateurs to ever represent Ireland, lost to Mira Potkonen of Finland at the quarter-final stage of the lightweight division, and missed out on her chance to retain Olympic gold.
Her tearful interview following the fight, in a half-empty arena in Rio, made some wonder whether she would ever return to the ring.
She decided to turn professional, and hasn’t looked back since.
Last month, at London’s Wembley Arena, she beat Karina Kopinska in debut professional bout thanks to a third-round knockout, and tonight she fought in front of her biggest crowd to date.
21,000 people have packed the Manchester Arena to see Anthony Joshua defend his IBF heavyweight title against Eric Molina, and a large number of them were there to see Taylor take-on Brazilian fighter Viviane Obenauf, who had a record of nine wins and one defeat before tonight.
The fight was also broadcast live on Sky Sports Box Office, and Showtime in the United States, and they were treated to a dominant performance from Taylor.
The 30-year-old showed her class from the opening bell, landing a series of accurate punches and combinations, and proving too fast in both of the opening rounds.
Obenauf came out swinging in the third, but once again, Taylor’s class shined through as she took control of the contest. Obenauf was left with a nasty cut after a clash of heads.
She bravely fought on…
But the Irish fighter had too much for her.
Taylor won by unanimous decision, 60-53, and continues on her path towards dominance of women’s professional boxing.
Diarmuid Connolly makes his long overdue GAA Hour debut and talks to Colm Parkinson about everything from the black card to his rivalry with Lee Keegan and how he honed the ability to kick accurately with either foot.
