KATIE TAYLOR continues her undisputed lightweight queen reign after the 20th win of her professional career over Firuza Sharipova.
The 35-year-old Ireland icon outpointed the 27-year-old Kazak challenger, who claimed to idolise her growing up but tried to rough-house and bully her in Liverpool.
After Sharipova was docked a point for hitting on the break, the judges scored it 98-92, 97-92 and 96-93 to the 2012 Olympic winner.
And after the fight her promoter Eddie Hearn revealed he is ‘100 per cent’ ready to thrash out terms for Taylor to fight fellow great and seven-weight champ Amanda Serrano.
The Irish contingent that had flocked to the Merseyside arena went wild when Taylor made her ring walk to La’s classic ‘There She Goes’.
Taylor instantly looked too talented for her Kazak slugger who clearly planned on being more rugged and aggressive.
The first two-minute round went by in a flash, with a couple of Taylor jabs catching the eye as Sharipova looked to manhandle her sporting hero.
Four rapid straight punches at the start of the second shocked Sharipova back toward the ropes.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
And Taylor enjoyed making the younger underdog miss, using her youthful enthusiasm against her like many great masters.
In the third Taylor landed a flush left hook that shook Sharipova and got a great roar from the crowd.
And the same partisan section booed at the end of the session when Sharipova tried to clip her just after the bell.
Sharipova kept marching forward and trying to unsettle the champion but she was regularly punished with rapid combinations.
In the fourth the visitor had her braided head rocked back but a couple of pinpoint shots but she remained upright.
By the fifth, Sharipova’s cheekbones were pink and puffy while red-hot Taylor was fully in her groove as she racked up rounds with the judges.
In the sixth Sharipova whacked Taylor after ref John Latham had ordered them to break, so she was docked a point and knew for sure she needed a knockout win now.
Taylor was sensible in the second half of the fight, totting up rounds without risking her four major belts and frustrating her bullish opponent.
Sharipova went for broke in the final round but was too crude to unlock Taylor’s defence as the champ continued her dominance of the sport.
Taylor, who is now focused on getting a super-fight made with seven-weight champ Serrano, said: “She was tough, I was well aware of the challenge, she had a good amateur pedigree. But it went exactly the way we planned.
“She was very scrappy, but 20 fights, 20 wins, still undisputed and still undefeated, I cannot complain.
“This is pro boxing, this is exactly what it’s all about, we knew it could be scrappy. I’m happy to come out with another win, it was the 15th defence of my world title.
“It was a great year, this prepares us for all the big fights next year that we’ve mentioned, Jessica McCaskill, Amanda Serrano, we’re ready for a big 2022.
“This is why I’m involved in boxing, the Serrano fight will be the biggest fight ever in female boxing. MSG, the mecca of boxing, I’ve had the privilege of fighting there twice as a pro, in the most iconic stadium, it’s more than a dream.”
