Katie Taylor reaches new level of boxing greatness after the fight of her life
Katie Taylor won a truly remarkable and savage fight in Dublin late on Saturday night. The record books will show that Taylor beat Chantelle Cameron in their rematch, and that all four world title belts at super-lightweight were the prize. The record books will only tell a tiny piece of the story; this fight was about redemption, pride, desire, it was personal and forced both of the women to fight to a bloody standstill. It was unforgettable and there was controversy. Taylor simply refused to lose and from the opening bell until the final seconds, when she looked close to exhausted collapse, she was still throwing desperate punches. Cameron matched her in a fight where there was never a wasted second. “I have had sleepless nights since the first fight,” admitted Taylor. It was the motivation she needed to match her desire. Two scores were tight, one a draw, but a third was far too wide; the two scores in Taylor’s favour only confirmed the sense that she had done enough. It was the emotional homecoming that Cameron denied Taylor back in May. The first fight was exceptional, the rematch was better. In the opening round, Cameron connected with a clean, jolting jab and Taylor was over. The referee, Roberto Ramirez, ruled the legitimate knockdown a slip; if it had been ruled a knockdown, the scores would have been different, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they would have shifted the final result in Cameron’s favour. It was a talking point, part of the post-fight discussion. Taylor stood her ground, trying at all times to control the centre of the ring and not be bullied back to the ropes. In the first fight, Cameron had pushed Taylor all over the ring, easily controlling the flow of the fight. In the rematch, Taylor adjusted, she moved her feet and, more importantly and controversially, she hit, moved and held. Taylor gripped at times, Cameron tried to shake her off; it was physical. The referee was amazingly lenient with Taylor’s holding, but he also ignored Cameron’s shoulder work and use of the forearm. It was hard, the prizes were high and the blood flowed. A clash of heads in round three left Cameron with a gash high above her left eye; she was also bleeding from a cut on her nose and a nick by the side of her right eye. The deep cut to the forehead was caused by Taylor’s head, but both their heads were smashing together. The doctor officially inspected the cut at the start of the fourth and continually interfered with the furious attempts by Cameron’s cutsman, Kerry Kayes, to seal the wound between rounds. After five rounds, I had Taylor 3-2 in front, but she knew she was in the fight of her life; the capacity crowd at the 3Arena of just over 9,000 were with her every single second of the way. I’m not sure I have ever seen a crowd get so emotionally involved. It was a wild night by the Liffey. Cameron had a good sixth, the blood had stopped, but Taylor had a good seventh, holding, denying Cameron the chance to work inside, and letting her fists go. Every single second was contested, every inch of that canvas was their personal battlefield. “It is just six minutes of your life,” Taylor’s coach, Ross Enamait, told her before the eighth round started. It was more than that, it was six minutes to change her life forever; Taylor has walked in greatness for a long time, a win in this fight would take her to a new level. It was totally absorbing, breathless. The last three rounds went in a blur, Cameron was smeared in her own blood from the gash and she stayed relentless, Taylor looked exhausted and drained; the last round was fought over a tiny space, the blood and sweat flying in all directions. And then the bell finished the classic. Nobody sat, people cried and hugged. The fans knew their idol had done enough. Just, by the way. Cameron seemed to sense defeat, her first, and Taylor summoned the last of her energy to roar at the delirious crowd. It was a heartbreaking contrast in the ring; two teams, just one winner and that sickening pause before the inevitable moment of confirmation. The joy was overwhelming, Taylor gripped her mother, Bridget, when the verdict was announced. The entire crowd had remained and the place was bedlam. Cameron left the ring after one final embrace with Taylor. There was respect, there were tears, there were bold plans for the trilogy fight at Croke Park. Nobody wanted to leave the ring or the arena. It was unforgettable and everyone wanted it to last as long as possible; it was a moment to savour for a very long time. “She is everything that you want your children to stand for,” said Eddie Hearn, the amazement and awe in his voice easy to hear. Under the soaring hum of celebration, Cameron, her family and her team slipped away. They were beaten but not bowed. They were angry at the referee for allowing so much holding and not scoring a knockdown in the opener. Emotions were certainly high. Taylor, meanwhile, can sleep again. They came in hope, their tricolour flags draped across their shoulders, and in their thousands, they howled at her every punch; she was their boxing queen and they were not ready to let her go. They knew she was in the fight of her very long life in boxing and they backed her until the end. They backed her until she could barely walk and they got what they wanted. It was some night. Now for the trilogy at Croke Park. Read More Eddie Hearn hits out at reporter over Conor McGregor question The sporting weekend in pictures Katie Taylor outlines future plans after avenging loss to Cameron Katie Taylor creates harmony by making history in Dublin Taylor vs Cameron punch stats reveal narrow nature of epic rematch Ed Sheeran congratulates Katie Taylor after attending fight in Dublin
2023-11-27 22:15
Army extends the contract of coach Jeff Monken. The deal runs through 2027, AP source says
Army has extended the contract of Jeff Monken, who is the second-winningest football coach in school history
2023-09-19 04:48
Snoop Dogg reveals the one person who can out-smoke him in resurfaced clip
Snoop Dogg recently announced his decision to quit smoking and since then a clip has resurfaced where the rapper revealed the 'only person' who can out-smoke him. The 52-year-old - whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr - took to Instagram yesterday (November 16) to share the news with fans. "After much consideration and conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time," he wrote. The announcement surprised fans, given Snoop's well-documented love for weed and the responses ranged from wishing him well to questioning whether it was some kind of publicity stunt. Meanwhile, a clip from 2018 when Snoop appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been making rounds, where he revealed the only person - a musician - that could out-smoke him. The conversation began with Kimmel asking Snoop who he would put on a ‘Mount Rushmore' of pot smokers. "Seth Rogen was here last week, and we were talking about Mount Rushmore of pot smokers, and of course, you are on. "And I think that Seth is on Mt. Rushmore. Who would you put on that Mt. Rushmore?" Kimmel put to the Drop It Like It's Hot rapper. Snoop pondered for a moment before he gave his answer: "I would put Bob Marley." “I would put Cheech and Chong - they were the first faces on the mountain, they're the ones who showed us what a mountain was." "Willie P. Nelson is definitely on there," he added. "And by the way, Willie Nelson is the only person who has ever out smoked Snoop Dogg. I had to hit the 'time out' button." When questioned by Kimmel as to whether he's had to hit the 'time out' button before, Snoop insisted: “Never, never.” Nelson has also recalled the time he spent with Snoop, as he told the Daily Beast in 2021 how they connected when they were both in The Netherlands. “That was over in Amsterdam!" the country musician said, a city where smoking marijuana in coffee shops is accepted. “I called Snoop and I said, 'Hey buddy, you gotta come over here. This is where it’s at!' "So, he came over and we hit every bar, every smoke place in Amsterdam. We had a helluva time." How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-11-18 02:26
Bears Fans Fight in Concourse at Soldier Field During Loss to Vikings
Chicago Bears fans gathered for another dire affair yesterday at Soldier Field and fought all the while.
2023-10-16 23:59
Apex Legends Devs Provide Development Details Regarding Seer's Abilities
Fans of Apex Legends were recently given interesting insight during a Reddit AMA that provided a behind-the-scenes look into why Seer's abilities work the way that they do.
2023-04-10 15:38
Internet wants faces of UMass protesters who allegedly accosted Fox News reporter revealed to face the music
Kassy Dillon took to social media to share her experience covering a protest at the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus
2023-10-15 17:55
Trump news - latest: Georgia DA says Trump 2020 election probe is ‘ready to go’ in hint at looming indictment
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said that the investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia is “ready to go” – in a hint suggesting a potential indictment could be imminent. “The work is accomplished,” she told WXIA over the weekend. “We’ve been working for two and half years. We’re ready to go.” DA Willis said that there will be people unhappy with the outcome of the probe and praised the actions of local officials who ramped up security around the courthouse in Georgia last week. The DA previously indicated that any charging decisions would likely come in August. Separately, an indictment may also come soon in DOJ special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and into the January 6 Capitol riot. This comes after Mr Smith’s office added additional charges against the former president in the case involving his handling of classified documents on leaving the White House. Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira was charged in the case last week, becoming the third defendant. He appeared in court on Monday, and will be formally arraigned next week. He has not entered a plea. Read More Mar-a-Lago property manager is the latest in line of Trump staffers ensnared in legal turmoil Trump's early work to set rules for nominating contest notches big win in delegate-rich California What is an indictment? Donald Trump is facing his third and fourth of 2023
2023-08-01 13:25
Debt ceiling: McCarthy says 'no progress' ahead of talks Tuesday with Biden
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says there’s been “no progress” on debt ceiling talks
2023-05-16 03:20
US Allows Release of $6 Billion to Iran Before Prisoner Swap
The US cleared the way for $6 billion in oil proceeds to be returned to Iran and agreed
2023-09-12 05:24
‘Today’ host Dylan Dreyer's fans in awe of her 'super fan' mother-in-law's sweet message
Dylan Dreyer's fans have been showering love for her mother-in-law, Denise
2023-08-23 15:58
Voter fatigue edges out optimism as Zimbabwe holds 2nd general election since Mugabe's ouster
A general election Wednesday in Zimbabwe is crucial to determining the future of a southern African nation endowed with vast mineral resources and rich agricultural land
2023-08-22 14:23
Etcheverry lines up Djokovic clash in Rome as Wawrinka moves on
Novak Djokovic will begin his bid to retain the Italian Open title against Tomas Etcheverry after the Argentine beat Luca van Assche in...
2023-05-11 02:49
You Might Like...
AI can predict Parkinson’s subtype with up to 95% accuracy, study suggests
Save $179 on two fast 4K drones for intermediate flyers
Crisis-hit NatWest bank launches review into Farage case
Spain say Japan clash will be biggest Women's World Cup test yet
Darkening Gloom Plagues China Stocks as Politburo Hopes Dim
MLS rumors: Nocerino to Miami, Suarez to stay, Chicharito's options
White, Takaoka lead Whitecaps to 1-0 victory over Fire
The 19 defendants, including Trump, charged in Georgia