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Another eye-catching win for Katie Taylor on Anthony Joshua undercard

Katie Taylor dazzled once again tonight on a big card in England.

Taylor had wowed fans in London when she made her professional debut at the end of last month, but took a step up in terms of platform and opposition tonight.

The Bray super featherweight took on Viviane Obenauf live on Sky Box Office and Showtime TV at the Manchester Arena on the Anthony Joshua v Eric Molina undercard and, while there was no knockout this time round, Taylor scored another eye-catching win.

Her Swiss-based Brazilian opponent came into the fight with a good record and a high ranking, but was undone by the relentless ferocity of Taylor on the Matchroom bill.

While she made a considered start in her debut against Karina Kopinska, the Wicklow woman flew out of the blocks tonight and immediately targetted the body of Obenauf, who was a much more ambitious opponent than her previous Polish test.

Taylor scored a knockdown early in the second round, catching Obenauf, who admittedly was on unsteady footing, with a check hook as the South American rushed in. Obenauf did not seem hurt and saw out the round.

The Irishwoman was caught square in the third, and momentarily fell back to the ropes, but Taylor was easily able to manage with the wild attacks of Obenauf and countered well.

30 year old Taylor stepped up the intensity as the fight entered its second half, landing combinations at will, and there were the first signs that Obenauf was starting to struggling.

Entering the fifth round for the first time in her career, Taylor began to push for the stoppage against her exhausted opponent, who saw a nasty cut open over her left eye following a head clash.

Taylor’s Alpine opponent showed unbelievable guts throughout, no more than in the sixth, where she withstood a continued high-quality barrage from Taylor to see out the round and the fight. he result in no doubt, the referee’s scorecard read 60:53 in favour of Taylor.

The big win sees Taylor stretch her flawless record to 2(1)-0, while the outgunned Obenauf falls to 9(4)-2(0) following the brave loss.

Taylor will now enjoy her Christmas ahead of one or two more fights early next year that will lead into an appearance on the Gennady Golovkin undercard at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 18th.

Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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