THE meeting of 58-year-old Mike Tyson (who should never box again) and 27-year-old Jake Paul (who needs to stop picking on old guys) got all the hype and the majority of the attention, but once again Katie Taylor showcased her warrior heart in another pulsating battle against Amanda Serrano in Texas.
Taylor and Serrano’s first meeting in Madison Square Garden was a thrilling contest and the Bray woman’s hand was rightly raised at the end of the 10-round war.
The rivals took up from where they’d left off at the AT&T Stadium and Ireland’s heroine got the nod from the judges who scored another close bout 95-94 in her favour.
Serrano - and her corner - angrily disputed the verdict afterwards and the Puerto Rican claimed that Taylor intentionally headbutted her during their battle.
“She kept headbutting me and that’s something she has done before,” said Serrano.
“It’s not the first time. She did it to me, she did it to (Chantelle) Cameron. It is what it is. I’m a champion no matter what.”
However when the dust settled, Serrano took to social media to row back on her allegations.
“Congratulations to Katie Taylor on her decision win,” she wrote.
“Tempers are flared when you’re in the heat of battle and you say things you shouldn’t say.
“I’m not one to ever disrespect an opponent and these were never my intentions to Katie. She and I are cool outside the ring and the best dance partners in the ring. In no way should I ever had said she did it purposely, it’s her style that makes for them.
“I’m not perfect and though I try my hardest to be the nicest person I can be I’m human and being emotionally hurt can sometimes misguide you in what you say. I’m OK, I’m healthy a bit bruised and cut but still blessed beyond belief.
“We both came out with our health intact & that’s what I prayed for. Whenever our teams can agree on a trilogy I’ll be ready. I hope you guys all enjoyed women’s boxing at its highest level.”
Meanwhile, Taylor says she is open to a trilogy fight with Serrano. The first two have been in the USA so perhaps she will yet get the dream fight at Croke Park she craves.
Taylor is also open to a third fight against Serrano.
“Thank God I won that fight,” she said.
“Congratulations to Amanda - the triple is on.
“She’s a hard puncher and a tough warrior. I don’t care if the commentary team or the crowd disagree with the result. The only thing that matters is the judges.
“I didn’t agree with the point deduction and I certainly wasn’t fighting dirty. Sometimes it gets tough in there.”
THERE were obvious signs of improvement and development as Armagh super-featherweight Lee Gormley produced a career-best performance to move to 4-1 as a professional earlier this month.
Gormley has battled back impressively after a first career loss a year ago and after a frustrating spell on the sidelines the rangy super-feather has returned with back-to-back wins against Naeem Ali and, most recently, Jake Pollard.
He is still in the early stages of his career but, with five contests under his belt now, the box/fighter doesn’t intend to let the grass grow under his feet.
“It was great to get back out again so soon after my last one and keep the activity going,” he said.
“Staying busy is important, so it was brilliant to notch another win up before the end of the year.
“It was set as a six-rounder but it turned out it was only four. It was very frustrating and I was only made aware just 10 minutes before making my ring walk, which was far from ideal.
“That could’ve thrown a lot of fighters off but I stayed focused and got the job done with a shutout decision. It was the best I’ve ever felt and it was good to finally have the opportunity to fight at my normal weight of super-featherweight but I can go even lower for bigger fights next year.”
Journalism graduate Gormley has literally had to scrap for every opportunity in boxing and, like many fighters, he faces the challenge of juggling work and family commitments as he pushes on his career inside the ropes.
“It’s been a challenging few months balancing our new daughter and older son with work but I managed to get two wins under my belt in that time,” he said.
“The plan is to stay ready as always now the rest of this year then back out likely early February over six rounds, then push on for a Celtic title and more in 2025. I’m very excited for the future and enjoying every moment.”
SHANE McGuigan-trained Chris Billam-Smith lost his challenge for the WBA and WBO cruiserweight belts against Mexican Gilberto Ramirez defeated in Riyadh on Saturday night. Ramirez won 116-112, 116-112 and 116-113 on the scorecards and moved to 47-1 with his only professional defeat being by former light-heavyweight world champion Dmitry Bivol.
He dominated the majority of the fight in Saudi Arabia and out-gunned former Tommy McCarthy rival Billam-Smith who lost for the second time in his career.
“I guess there’s a bit of irony,” Billam-Smith said in the ring after the bout.
“My initials are obviously CBS, I say ‘consistency builds success’ and I think he had the consistency tonight. They deserved to come out with the win. I have a huge amount of respect for him.
“Next I will enjoy a rest, enjoy Christmas. We’ll have to go back and keep improving.”