After beating Amanda Serrano at MSG, Katie Taylor ranks out at Wembley, writes Declan Taylor
A FORTNIGHT after Claressa Shields, who calls herself the GWOAT, won her highly anticipated clash with Savannah Marshall, another arguably best woman in history once again taking the middle. heart.
Katie Taylor, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world amateur champion and undisputed No. 1 in professional lightweight, is back in action for the first time since she defeated Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden six months ago. .
That night was seen as a kick-off moment for the sport, with thousands of people gathering in the iconic venue for the showdown between two of the best of the pound, who surrounded each other for many years.
Taylor, 21-0, received the nod that night after walking through Hellfire – and nearly being stopped – by Serrano. It is a victory that will somewhat define her legacy when all is said and done. However, it looks like this weekend’s showdown at Wembley Arena won’t be of much help.
After their classic 10 rounds in New York, everyone had hoped for an immediate rematch between Taylor and Serrano but when that hadn’t happened, the pair had to make other plans. For Taylor, that means a challenge from Argentina’s Karen Elizabeth Carabajal, who trails 12/1.
The 32-year-old Buenos Aires resident arrives in London with a 19-0 record after nine years of playing professionally, however she has spent her entire career in the featherweight or superweight division and has never once boxed outside her native Argentina, and so is she. ever faced anyone with more than 10 wins.
She’s also only stopped twice in her 19s and has hit the box only once in the past 12 months – deciding six rounds ahead of Lorena Agoutborde 2-0-2, a woman ranked by Boxrec as the second best female super bantamweight. year in Argentina.
All of this suggests that Carabajal, aka Burbuja (Bubble), would be completely out of place for the greatest fighting woman in history. And if that’s the case, it means that Taylor – who is the favorite 1/25 – is in serious decline.
Carabajal is a decent boxer and has long limbs that facilitate a strong jab, but she can keep her arms low, which means that last time she had to transport a lot of fists to Agoutborde. She seems to have taken a pretty good shot but if she did the same with cross-trader Taylor, the bubble would burst.
That being said, Taylor hasn’t won a fight in the distance since she stopped Rose Volante in their ninth clash in March 2019. But 10 rounds at this level before one The champion has been established at Taylor for a long time. It would be a surprise if the Bray woman asked the jury.
Next month is six years since Taylor made her professional debut, which happens to be in the same location. That night, Karina Szmalenberg was defeated in three rounds as the Taylor era of female professional boxing began. Undoubtedly, it heralds a big change to the sport and many of her peers have already reaped the benefits. At 36, Taylor certainly still has big battles, sadly, this doesn’t look like one of them.
However, this card was bolstered by another female fight when Conor Benn’s unfavorable analysis forced the cancellation of his scheduled showdown against Chris Eubank Jnr earlier this month. Ellie Scotney was supposed to challenge Mary Romero for her super bantamweight title that night but she’ll do it at Wembley instead.
The 37-year-old Spaniard Romero lost two of his first three matches as a professional but arrived in England as European champion 8-2. In three of her last four fights, she has beaten previously undefeated opponents, including Southam’s Amy Timlin. But the Scotney, of Catford, seems to be a completely different breed and looks set for the ultimate sport. The 24-year-old from Catford is yet to score in her five wins so far and it’s likely she’ll need all 10 back here but should win comfortably.
The European title will also appear in the rest of the UK and Spain night competition; exciting clash in featherweight between Jordan Gill and Kiko Martinez. Chatteris man Gill hasn’t boxed since he beat his stunning KO against Karim Guerfi in February while Martinez’s final game was a make-up loss to Josh Warrington in Leeds.
Elche-born Martinez is now 36 years old and has been playing professionally for over 18 years. There’s no doubt he can still really punch (ask Kid Galahad) but Gill’s movements and skills could make this an uncomfortable evening for him. With eight KOs in 29 skirmishes, it doesn’t seem like Gill has enough power to end this bout early but a point decision seems possible.
Elsewhere on the bill, amusing Irishman Gary Cully will look to make his first fight statement since signing with Matchroom. Lightweight tennis player Naas, 26, stopped Miguel Vazquez in the fifth round of their clash in Nottingham in March on Matchroom’s Leigh Wood v Michael Conlan. The reward for his exciting performance was a long-term advertising contract with Eddie Hearn’s agency.
“I have always said that with the right support, I believe I can reach the top of the sport and become a big name in boxing,” he said. “I have big boxing dreams; I want to be in the biggest battles with the biggest names. I want people like Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and Devin Haney.”
But before any of that, his first assignment was the French Bombardier Marocain Jaouad Belmehdi. The guest is only 24 and undefeated but has drawn 3 of his 19 matches, in fact he won 7-0-3 in 10. That record shows what a nasty night can be for Cully but with 3 consecutive stops, he should get the job done here.
Another man who looked annoyed early one night was heavyweight ticket salesman Johnny Fisher. The famous Essex boxer, who was trained by Mark Tibbs, is famous for his legion of traveling fans, known as the ‘Bosh Army’. However, that small crowd probably won’t see their man in action for long on Saturday. Fisher’s opponent was Dominik Musil, who was last seen on these shores being stopped by David Adeleye for four games.
Fisher blocked 5 of his 6 opponents in 3 rounds, the other over 6 rounds. Chances are Musil will join the longer list of those early exits.
There is also a fight for the center zone lightweight title on the bill with current belt holder Mickey Ellison defending against Liverpool’s undefeated Thomas Whittaker Hart. Also at 175lbs, undefeated men’s John Hedges is back in action after six rounds while ‘The Wanderer’ Jordan Reynolds will go 4-0 as he hits the box for the first time in exactly a year.
THE VERDICT: Katie Taylor, the favorite in the one-horse race.
