This Saturday, Wembley Arena will see current champion, Katie Taylor, and Karen Carabajal battle in a bout for the undisputed Lightweight championship.
Women Leading the Way
Women’s sport is in the ascendency, and at the forefront of that rise is boxing. Recently, a mammoth event of women’s boxing captured the attention of a global audience.
From the build up to the co and main event, there was clear animosity between the fighters that the public find so absorbing.
A packed O2 Arena saw Mikaela Mayer and Alycia Baumgardner serve up a scrap that needed a split decision to determine the victor. Alycia ‘The Bomb’ became the undisputed Super Featherweight champion.
Capping off an evening of fantastic fights was a match-up between Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields. Putting on a boxing clinic and cementing self-proclaimed ‘GWOAT’ status, the American came to Marshall’s country and took home all the Middleweight belts.
A Living Legend
At the heart of making history is Katie Taylor. The Olympic gold medallist is at the epicentre of the elevation of women’s boxing.
The Irishwoman has been in multiple high-profile fights against elite opposition, yet still holds a perfect record from her 21 fights.
In 2019, at the hallowed Madison Square Garden, Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon went toe-to-toe to unify the Lightweight division. It was a close encounter, some pundits questioned the result, but ultimately, through majority decision, Taylor emerged victorious.
Repeat, Not Revenge
Such was the divide of opinion in their first contest, a rematch was warranted. Leaving nothing to doubt and proving her supremacy, Taylor again bested the Belgian, this time with a unanimous decision.
Following that, the world number one successfully defended her titles against Miriam Gutierrez. A stiffer test would come against Natasha Jonas. The now World Super Welterweight champion couldn’t overcome Taylor’s technical ability, another unanimous win was added to Taylor’s resume.
One Serrano Sister Dealt With…
After successful defences against Jennifer Han and Firuza Sharipova, Taylor found herself in arguably the biggest fight in women’s boxing history against her toughest opponent yet; Amanda Serrano.
It was the first time that women would headline an event on boxing’s most iconic stage, Madison Square Garden. Testament to her pedigree, Serrano has held nine world titles across seven different weight classes.
Going into this fight, the Puerto Rican had an outstanding record of 41 fights with only one loss. Of those 41 fights, 30 of them ended in a knockout, Serrano really is ‘The Real Deal’.
A Fight For the Ages
Unfazed by the assortment of accolades, Taylor went the distance with Serrano, treating the world to a classic. Both fighters proved why this fight deserved to be a headline event, they proved why it deserved to be billed as ‘For History’, and proved their grit and ability.
Dragged into the trenches, Taylor retained her titles and unbeaten record with a split decision win. The boxer from Bray will be hoping for an easier evening against her next opponent, Karen Carabajal.
Unbeaten vs Unbeaten
Fighting out of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carabajal will enter the ring with a perfect record of 19 wins with two knockouts.
Carabajal mightn’t be a routine night for Taylor. A former WBC Latino, South American and Argentinian Super-Featherweight champion, ‘Burbuja’ evidently has class that could harm the champion.
Oozing confidence, she said, “I’m not thinking for a second about giving Katie a win. All the belts will come back to Argentina with me”. Echoing that belief is a man who knows a thing or two about world title fights, boxing legend and manager, Marcos Maidana.
Will there be an upset? Or will Katie Taylor extend her unbeaten streak and remain the undisputed Lightweight champion of the world? The ring walk is scheduled for 10:00pm, and to get you in the mood, there’s a stacked undercard.
The Undercard
In a fight that promises fireworks, Jordan Gill takes on former world champion Kiko Martinez’ for the European Featherweight title. Ellie Scotney looks to add another win to her unblemished record against Mary Romero. Someone’s 0 might go as Gary Cully and Jaouad Belmehdi face off, and exciting heavyweight prospect Johnny Fisher features, too.
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