By: Sean Crose
While it’s true there have been numerous women boxers who have have contributed to this Golden Age of female boxing, it would be impossible to talk about the rise of women in the world of the sweet science without bringing up Katie Taylor, who, according to reports, is about to have her swan song when she faces Floa Pili. Taylor is unquestionably a legend in the sport. She’s won eight world titles after all, and been in some of the most thrilling matches one can find..among male boxers as well as female boxers. In short, Taylor has helped to do what some might have thought impossible. And that’s make women’s boxing must-see TV.
I remember seeing Taylor fight live at Boston Garden some time ago. It was the only occasion in which I saw Taylor be aggravated. Her opponent simply wouldn’t engage and it was clear that Taylor was irked. This was Boston after all with a huge Irish crowd. Even Conor McGregor was there. Taylor wanted to impress and she wasn’t being allowed to due to her opponent’s lack of activity. Yet she didn’t mock her opponent that night nor did she drag out her aggravation. She simply held up a hand, showed her exasperation and carried on taking care of business. Then she won the bout.
It was Taylor’s ‘s epic trilogy against Amanda Serrano however, which truly proved to be the Irish native’s standout moment. I had both the first Taylor-Serrano fight and the second Taylor- Serrano fight marked as fights of the year for Boxing Insider. They were that good. Indeed, there were moments in these fights that it actually reminded me of Hagler-Hearns. That my friends is high praise from anyone, especially a fight fan from back in the day.
It’s rare that you see two fighters give it their all the way these two women did in those three fights. They were bloody, bruising, high octane affairs, the sort of sporting events that make you wonder how much further each combatant is going to dig. And yet they kept on digging. Digging. While it’s true the third fight wasn’t as thrilling as the first two, those first two battles should be watched for as long as boxing is watched. They really were that good. In truth, the first two fights could have gone any way. Although Serrano never got a win over Taylor, there is no doubt she very well could have. And it’s likely Taylor wouldn’t have complained.
That’s because Taylor is a true sportsman. She respects the sport. She respects her opponents, and she’s grounded in reality. There’s too little of this in contemporary boxing and it will be missed once Taylor exits the ring. Still the woman deserves her retirement. She’s earned every dime she’s got in the bank, every title she’s won, and every accolade she’s been given. Slavishly honoring someone is one thing, but giving genuine well-deserved praise is quite another.
It’s almost amazing that a 39 years old Taylor has fought for as long as she has. She’s had a raw high energy talent that that was smoothed out into an icy effective style. She was, bottom line, very fun to watch. And she probably will be fun to watch in her final fight as well. After that, here’s hoping she enjoys her time outside of the ring. She certainly deserves the rest and relaxation she’s going to try to get. There’s other great fighters of course, male as well as female, but when somebody’s left the mark that Taylor leaves, it’s time to give credit where credit’s due. She’ll be missed.
aylor would have complained.
