Katie Taylor cemented her place among Ireland's greatest sports people of all time last night as she secured her first ever pro world title, securing a unanimous victory over Anahi Sanchez at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Taylor was emphatic in her victory, reducing the durable Sanchez to her knees in the second with a thundering body shot and her comprehensive performance has made waves worldwide.
ESPN's Nick Parkinson felt throughout "the fight seemed firmly in the Irishwoman's hands" and was full of praise for a dominant Taylor:
For most of the fight, only Taylor looked like winning it.
Taylor (7-0, 4 KOs), 31, was razor sharp from the start and in the second dropped Sanchez (17-3, 9 KOs) with a wicked left to the body.
Over in the UK, Kevin Mitchell was at the fight for The Guardian and credited Taylor's Argentine opponent for showing "considerable pluck" in the face of prolonged pressure.
Katie Taylor, the most decorated boxer in the history of women’s boxing, added the WBA lightweight title to her heaving sideboard of trophies with a flawed but hectic points win.
News.com.au were more complimentary of Taylor, calling it a "stunning victory" on a night the Bray women made "history."
A left hook to the body from Taylor skittled Sanchez in the second round, leaving the Argentine off balance to set up a blow to the face. But Sanchez was able to recover, turning the fight into a brawl by the end of the final round.
The fight went the distance but was threatened to be stopped by a savage right hand from Taylor late in the piece, forcing referee Steve Gray to step in and take a look at the damage to Sanchez.
Luke Reddy of the BBC:
The Bray fighter never looked in danger of suffering stage fright. She strutted into the ring with confidence and started quickly, landing several right hands in the opening two-minute round.
Reddy also made note of Taylor's ability to withstand.
two rapid-fire right hands in the fifth summed up all that Taylor was about as she maintained exquisite accuracy, notably with the right hand.
The cut above her eye failed to deter her late on as a five-shot combination found the target in the ninth. She was simply quicker to the punch and, when the pair boxed at close quarters, Taylor always looked more willing to walk through punches and be the last of the two swinging.
A decent night's work for Katie all things considered.
She now has a number of avenues to explore as world champion, but we're hoping a Dublin homecoming will be top priority.
