KATIE TAYLOR produced a dominant display to defeat Miriam Gutierrez in London and extend her unbeaten professional record to 17-0.
The Bray Bomber came into the fight as the resounding favourite and did not disappoint with an imperious performance at Wembley Arena.
Despite failing to land a knockout blow on Gutierrez, the result was never in doubt with Taylor attack right from the off in a dazzling first round display.
While some of that initial energy subsided as the contest continued, the Irish fighter continued to land good punches throughout, with her Spanish opponent earning plenty of credit for simply staying in the bout.
A right-left combination of hefty blows to the body and face had Gutierrez down in the fourth round but she continued on, despite it being largely one-way traffic.
The Spaniard was back on the ropes in the sixth round after facing a raft of body shots and was similarly up against it in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th rounds.
By the time the bell rang at the end of the fight, the result was a foregone conclusion and the judges’ scores reflected that with scores of 100-89, 100-90 and 99-91 in Taylor's favour.
"There is no shortage of big fights. It's all about legacy. I want to make history and to inspire the next generation." 👏🇮🇪👑@KatieTaylor pic.twitter.com/A2ygAtAsYP
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) November 15, 2020
Promoter Eddie Hearn spoke in glowing terms about Taylor as "the greatest to ever do it in women's boxing" after the ease with which she successfully defended all four of her lightweight belts.
Taylor was similarly delighted with the manner of her victory.
"I thought it was a great win," she told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I wanted to stamp my authority early. I thought I hurt her in the first. She was very heavy handed and tough, it was a great 10 rounds and I am very happy.
"There's so many huge fights and I want to take every single one of them."
Speculation is already mounting as to what could be next for Taylor with a money-spinning crossover bout with MMA star Cris Cyborg one of several ideas being floated.
For now though, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist is planning to return to her training base in Connecticut in the US before coming home to Ireland for Christmas and a well-earned break.
