Ireland’s Katie Taylor defended her undisputed junior-welterweight crown in controversial fashion on Friday with a unanimous points victory over bloodied Puerto Rican rival Amanda Serrano.Taylor, 38, looked to be heading for defeat against the relentless Serrano, who landed punches consistently in a ferocious battle at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.The 36-year-old Serrano, though, was rocked by a headbutt from Taylor in the early rounds which left her with a horrific one-inch gash above her right eye.Taylor was warned repeatedly about using her head during the fight, and was docked a point in the eighth round as Serrano somehow dug deep and continued to trouble the Irishwoman.Yet Serrano’s display was not enough to impress the judges who scored it 95-94 in favor of Taylor.The decision was greeted with loud boos from a large crowd estimated at 70,000 which packed the arena in anticipation of the main event, Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul later Friday.”She’s a hard puncher, a very tough warrior,” a relieved Taylor said afterwards, hitting back at suggestions from Serrano’s corner that she had deliberately used her head.”I didn’t agree with the point deduction and I certainly wasn’t fighting dirty,” Taylor said.”Sometimes it gets rough in there and you have to prepare for those moments.”Friday’s bout was a rematch of Taylor and Serrano’s epic 2022 fight at Madison Square Garden, won by Taylor with a split decision.Taylor said she was willing to sign up for a third fight against Serrano after her latest win.Serrano, meanwhile, hit out at the judge’s scoring and accused her opponent of headbutting her deliberately.”I knew it was going to be a little bit shady,” Serrano said of the scoring.Asked if she believed Taylor’s headbutts had been deliberate, she replied: “100 percent. She does this in every fight. “She kept headbutting me. But we knew that from the first fight because that’s what they do.”
Sat, 16 Nov 2024 04:41:18 GMT
