Irish Examiner view: Katie Taylor's triumph in New York

Puerto Rico's Amanda Serrano, right, punches Ireland's Katie Taylor during the eighth round of the lightweight championship boxing match on Saturday in New York. Taylor won the bout. Picture: Frank Franklin II/AP

“One of the biggest things ever to come out of Ireland.” 

It’s a grand claim about someone who stands 1.65m (5ft 5in) and weighs 61kg (9 stone 8lb) but it would be difficult to argue with promoter Eddie Hearn after Saturday night’s relentless and tumultuous fight between Bray’s Katie Taylor and Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano, held, fittingly at Madison Square Garden where great champions go to win.

A second encounter, hopefully in Ireland, looks to be inevitable after judges awarded a 2-1 split decision to Taylor after a rapid-fire laying on of hands over 10, two-minute rounds in a thrilling duel which delivered everything which had been promised with barely a backward step from either woman.

Taylor captured a split decision win with two judges awarding her the fight 97-93 and 96-93 and one judge dissenting for Serrano with a 96-94 score.

“Look at what we have done,” said Katie. 

“It was a fight for the ages,” said Hearn.

Pantheon of boxing fame

Taylor versus Serrano enters the pantheon of boxing fame to be summoned when people talk of Ali v Frazier; La Motta v Sugar Ray Robinson; Duran v Sugar Ray Leonard; and Marvin Hagler v Thomas Hearns.

Just over 70 years ago AJ Liebling, columnist for The New Yorker, wrote what is widely considered to be the best sports book of all time.

The Sweet Science provides a ringside seat to some of the greatest fights in history; it opens with an anecdote about the world light heavyweight champion “Philadelphia Jack O’Brien” whose parents emigrated from Co Cavan. 

Today Liebling would have been writing about Katie Taylor. And would have been as thrilled as the rest of us.