An eight-round fight against a former World title challenger, gave Katie Taylor the toughest test of her professional career, on Saturday night.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist defeated Milena Koleva, who herself has fought for a World title, in a dominant eight-round performance, knocking Koleva to the floor in the sixth round.
"I definitely needed the eight rounds", Taylor told Sky Sports after the win. "I'm trying to progress fast. A good ten-rounder I hope is next. That was a great, great contest for me against a very strong opponent."
"It was a great, great fight for me", a delighted Taylor added, after her 80-72 win. "All credit to [Koleva]. She gave it everything she had."
😳 That hand speed 💨 @KatieTaylor pic.twitter.com/C4Gc4vWL6d
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) March 25, 2017
Making her professional debut as a 30-year-old, Taylor's time in the professional ranks will be limited, but she hopes to fight for a World title sooner rather than later, with the guidance of promoter Eddie Hearn.
"It's probably up to Eddie I think", she revealed. "Two or three fights and I'd hope to be challenging for a World title. I definitely feel ready now."
The Bray fighter was given another prominent position on the undercard of a major card. The main event saw Jorge Linares defeat Anthony Crolla for the WBA and The Ring Lightweight titles.
"It's great to be boxing again on the undercard of such a big bill", Taylor said.
She is expected to return to the ring next month on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's World Heavyweight Title fight against Wladimir Klitschko in Wembley on April 29th.
At the rate of Taylor's progression, she could certainly be fighting for a World title in the latter stages on 2017 or early 2018.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
