Bray’s Katie Taylor registered her 60th consecutive win in all competitions, on Friday night when she overcame the challenge of Sweden’s Jelena Jelic (who is also qualified to box for Serbia) at the Mallow GAA complex in North Cork.
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It was a comprehensive victory by U/D over the younger Jelic who battled gamely to the end but it was Taylor who took command right from the opening bell against an opponent who had recently recovered from surgery.
The Bray woman too had been out of action for much of 2015 and had not had a competitive bout between winning the inaugural European Games Gold in Baku and the Irish Elite championships where she became 60kg titleholder at the expense of Clonmel’s Shauna O’Keeffe.
Taylor took the opening rounds with something in hand and later changed tactics, occasionally switching to southpaw but continued to dominate the fight. After the fight Katie said:
“I’m delighted with the result, delighted to get another win. I would like to thank Jelena for taking the fight and everyone for their fantastic support in Cork tonight. It’s a big year ahead in international competition.”
Regarding the 2010 AIBA World’s in Barbados when Taylor had to fight back to win 18:16 albeit she was ill and suffered from illness in the days before the fight, this is what the Seattle boxer, said about that bout:
“I don’t look back at that fight, because that fight was then and this is now. A lot for me has changed in the last 6 years. I feel everything happens for a reason. But it does still bring a smile to my face when people mention it because it was a good one. This weekend the only plans I have is being the best me and giving a good fight for Ireland.”
Switching to tonight’s fight now, it is a busy weekend for Katie Taylor where she will fight back to back when she takes on American Queen Underwood.
Tonight she willthus gives Tralee fans the opportunity of paying tribute to both magnificent female boxers and despite wishing for another Taylor victory, I’m sure that many will take time to pay their own tribute to Queen Underwood a great servant of boxing over many years.
She will be missed in the ‘amateur’ ranks but hopefully a rewarding career as a pro lies ahead. No one deserves it more.
The show is hosted by the very go ahead Tralee BC who tell us that all tickets sold out several days ago. Taylor always gets a great reception in Cork and in Kerry and tonight is also an opportunity to see Queen Underwood in action so no surprise that tickets went so quickly.
Indeed the organisers have asked if anyone who had purchased tickets but cannot attend can contact them for a refund so others can take their place.
The bout is a repeat of the 2010 AIBA World semi-final which Taylor won ‘en route’ to claiming her third successive world gold in Barbados.
This is Seattle-native Underwood’s last amateur fight before turning Pro in March and she would like nothing better than to end her career with a win over the woman who has stood in her way for so many years.
Had Taylor not been round to dominate the lightweight scene it is quite conceivable that Underwood would have won Olympic Gold and World championship medals .
Of their previous meetings and on tonight’s bout, Queen had this to say:
“This weekend will not dictate my amateur career I’ve been fighting for a long time and came across numerous obstacles. Found victory and defeat, but above all I’ve given my Best and for me to end my career in Ireland with a true champion is indeed an honor.”
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