Katie Taylor has beaten Delfine Persoon via a unanimous decision on Saturday night.
The judges scored the rematch that took place in Essex 98-93, 96-94, 96-94 all in the Bray native's favour.
“I knew it was going to be tough and I had to dig deep at some stage in the fight,” Taylor told Sky Sports.
Count ‘em! #AndStill@KatieTaylor retains the gold 98-93, 96-94, 96-94...
👑 WBC
👑 WBA
👑 WBO
👑 IBF
👑 Ring Magazine
Undisputed Lightweight Champion 🙌#FightCamp #TaylorPersoon2 #FightCamp4 pic.twitter.com/Venx6At8ZC— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 22, 2020
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“But I thought I boxed better than the last time, even though I got drawn in a few times, and that’s what got me the win in the end.
“You can’t relax against Delfine, you know she’s going to come and come and we’ve had two amazing fights.
“I thought it was a lot more convincing tonight.”
This was a highly-anticipated rematch after their controversial contest in New York in June 2019.
I knew it was going to be tough and I had to dig deep at some stage in the fight.
Taylor won a contentious points decision at Madison Square Garden on a night when many observers felt Persoon had done enough to get the verdict.
Taylor started well in Saturday’s second encounter and pushed Persoon back with a couple of strong left hooks.
Persoon was heavily marked under the right eye in the second round as Taylor continued to dominate.
But the Belgian’s high work-rate began to trouble Taylor and the Irish champion also sustained a nasty swelling on her forehead.
Huge congrats Katie Taylor!!! Put that one to bed for sure, no questions! Top drawer stuff as always from Ireland’s greatest! @KatieTaylor ❤️ 🇮🇪
Advertisement— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) August 22, 2020
Persoon refused to take a backward step and she landed a high volume of shots, with her right hand proving highly effective.
Taylor responded with a burst of punches on the bell as Persoon tumbled to the floor almost in exhaustion.
Person, who said after the fight she might have broken her nose in the second round, was gracious in defeat and felt Taylor had done enough to retain her WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA titles.
The result means Taylor remains the undisputed lightweight champion of the world and it's her 16th consecutive victory as a pro fighter.
The Belgian took Taylor to the brink in Madison Square Garden in June of last year, finishing on the wrong end of a majority decision in a bout to find the undisputed lightweight champion of the world when many observers felt that Persoon was hard done by. Persoon has labelled the Irish Olympic champion a paper champion and overrated and, while Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has spoken about a 'fuming' Taylor.
However, before the fight on Saturday, Taylor had come across as unperturbed by the jibes ahead of the rematch.
Saturday's comprehensive win puts the issue to bed and sets Taylor up with a potential rematch with Jess McCaskill, who defeated the Irish boxer in 2017. There haver also been reports of a potential fight with Peurto Rican Amanda Serrano.
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