Katie Taylor retains WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight belts with a unanimous decision victory over Miriam Gutierrez at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Sunday 15 November 2020 12:22, UK
Katie Taylor produced a masterful points victory over Miriam Gutierrez to remain the undisputed world lightweight champion.
The Irish star showed her superiority from the opening bell, flooring Gutierrez in the fourth round, and Taylor threatened a stoppage throughout as she eventually settled for a unanimous decision with scores of 100-89, 100-90 and 99-91 at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
Taylor retained her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO belts after easily overcoming her WBA mandatory challenger and can look ahead to more legacy building fights against the likes of Amanda Serrano or Jessica McCaskill.
In a whirlwind start, Taylor trapped Gutierrez in the corner with a blurring combination as she took command from the opening bell.
Gutierrez backed away unsteadily in the second round, struggling to cope with the hand speed of Taylor, who nearly overpowered her outclassed opponent in the third.
A fiery combination left Gutierrez on unsteady legs, lurching from a flurry of punches, and her defiant grin fooled no one in the fourth as Taylor dumped her to the canvas in the closing seconds.
Gutierrez tried to stand her ground in the fifth, but her crude punches failed to trouble Taylor, who expertly weaved away before delivering sharp counters in the sixth.
Stepping up her assault, Taylor ripped in right hands in the seventh, while Gutierrez grimaced following another spiteful cluster of shots in the eighth.
Taylor was trying to deliver the stoppage, ripping punches from head to body in the ninth, but Gutierrez grimly hung on to hear the final bell.
