Taylor targets revenge on Russian

CURRENT World champion Katie Taylor will meet Russia’s former world champion Sofya Ochigava in today’s European lightweight final in Rotterdam.

Both women recorded comfortable semi-finals wins over their Swedish and Bulgarian opponents at the eighth European Championships yesterday to set up the eagerly-anticipated 60kg decider.

Taylor, aiming for her fifth European title in-a-row, posted a 25-11 decision over Helena Falk to guarantee herself at least silver in Rotterdam.

The 25-year-old gave a fine exhibition, consistently catching the advancing Falk with hooks to the head and body and picking up points in three and four punch clusters. In the second and third rounds in particular, Taylor, boxing off the back foot, rattled Falk with two big rights.

Ochigava, meantime, cruised past Bulgaria’s Denista Eliseeva, an opponent Taylor has convincingly beaten on a number of occasions.

Ochigava was controversially adjudged to have beaten Taylor 8-1 in the semi-finals of the Usti nad Labem Gran Prix in the Czech Republic in March 2010.

However, she then suffered a knee injury which kept her out of the 2010 AIBA World Championships in Barbados, where Taylor claimed her third World title on-the-trot.

The Russian won AIBA World titles at flyweight (52kg) and bantamweight (54kg) in 2005 and 2006 but has since moved up to 60kg which is one of the three Olympic weight categories for women.

Taylor’s coach and father Peter Taylor, who is working Ireland’s corner along with Zuar Antia and Damien Walsh in Rotterdam, expressed confidence his daughter will reverse the Czech Republic decision today.

“Katie can’t wait for this fight,” he said. “I am confident she will win.

“We’ll work on the tactics tonight and have them worked out for tomorrow.

“Katie gave a boxing exhibition today and we’re delighted with her performance in her fourth fight in five days. She ended up playing around a bit in the last round.

“We all looking forward to the final tomorrow and it should be a good fight.” Irish team manager Anna Moore. “Katie gave a very good display today.”

Having already won three world, four European and four EU titles, Taylor will be aiming for her 12th major international gold medal today.