Katie Taylor beats Karen Elizabeth Carabajal to remain undisputed lightweight world champion

Katie Taylor has present won each 22 of her nonrecreational bouts

Ireland's Katie Taylor retained her IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO satellite lightweight titles with a broad points triumph against Karen Elizabeth Carabajal.

But this was a much regular defence against her brave Argentine opponent.

The combat went the distance, but Taylor got the triumph 100-91, 99-91, 98-92.

Carabajal, a erstwhile nationalist and South American champion, was warring retired of Argentina for the archetypal clip and the 32-year-old came to London with a grounds of 19 wins from 19 bouts, though lone 2 of those victories had been wrong the distance.

She talked up her chances of causing a daze triumph and taking the belts backmost to Argentina with her but Taylor, cheered connected by a raucous and passionate assemblage successful London, rapidly stamped her authorization connected the fight.

Taylor, backed by the bookmakers astatine likelihood of 1-25 earlier the contention started, instantly showed her class, velocity and power, taking the centre of the ringing arsenic Carabajal was caught by jabs and struggled to onshore thing meaningful successful the archetypal of the 10 two-minute rounds.

The Argentine made an attacking commencement astatine the opening of the second, but arsenic the circular went connected recovered herself being picked disconnected by overhand lefts and rights, a signifier that continued successful the 3rd with the superior question from Taylor making her hard to hit.

In the fourth, Taylor had Carabajal pinned successful the corner, with the brace furiously trading blows and the Argentine doing excellently to flight what had looked a hard moment.

Carabajal, chopped underneath her close oculus successful the fifth, was brave, attacking and afloat committed but was starting to instrumentality immoderate punishment arsenic Taylor pushed for what would person been her archetypal triumph wrong the region successful 9 bouts.

An awesome overhand near from Taylor landed successful the seventh, but, knowing she had banked the earlier rounds, she was blessed to hold and not instrumentality immoderate unnecessary risks.

Carabajal, chopped again astir her close eye, had shown large quality to inactive beryllium successful determination for the last circular and pushed for a immense upset, but Taylor stayed retired of information earlier the judges confirmed the win.

Taylor said: "She had everything to gain, I deliberation I boxed smartly, I was a spot unfastened astatine times but conscionable blessed to get the victory."

Katie Taylor won Olympic golden for Ireland successful 2012 but has ne'er fought professionally there

'We tin make a nighttime of boxing Ireland volition ne'er forget'

The triumph extends Taylor's unbeaten grounds to 22 wins from 22 bouts pursuing her determination to crook nonrecreational successful 2016 aft winning Olympic golden astatine London 2012 and past reaching the quarter-finals astatine the Rio Games 4 years later.

She was backmost astatine the country of her nonrecreational debut - successful which she had stopped Poland's Karina Szmalenberg successful the 3rd circular astatine Wembley Arena backmost successful November 2016 - and what a travel it has been for Taylor since then.

This was her 16th successive satellite rubric combat and she is simply a two-weight satellite champion, having moved up a value - winning a WBO loop astatine light-welterweight successful 2019 - earlier returning to lightweight.

However, 14 of her 22 nonrecreational fights person present been successful England, with 1 successful Wales and 7 successful the United States and to combat successful her location state remains 1 of her targets successful her trailblazing career.

After a thrilling combat with Serrano successful 1 of the champion bouts of the twelvemonth successful New York, Taylor wants a rematch successful beforehand of 80,000 fans astatine Dublin's Croke Park - and some she and promoter Eddie Hearn talked up that combat instantly afterwards.

"Amanda Serrano, bash you privation the combat astatine Croke Park with 80,000 people? It would beryllium the biggest lawsuit successful women's boxing history," Taylor said.

To immense cheers from the fans, Hearn added: "It is clip to instrumentality to Ireland now.

"Whoever it is, wherever it is, Ireland has to beryllium next. The Irish fans are incredible, they person travelled everyplace and it's clip to springiness Ireland a sporting lawsuit they volition ne'er forget.

"We anticipation it's Amanda Serrano but it does not substance who it is, it has to beryllium Ireland. We tin make a nighttime of boxing Ireland volition ne'er hide and no-one deserves it much than Katie Taylor.

"Six years agone we were present and radical were laughing astatine us. Katie Taylor has been treading paths for others to travel down. She is simply a fable successful this sport."

More to follow.