Katie Taylor received surprisingly tough resistance from Firuza Sharipova but the result was familiar.
The undisputed 135-pound champion defeated her Kazakhstani counterpart by a unanimous decision in a 10-round bout Saturday in Liverpool, England.
The scores were 98-92, 97-92 and 96-93. Boxing Junkie scored it 97-92, seven rounds to three.
Taylor (20-0, 6 KOs) was never able to separate herself from Sharipova (14-2, 8 KOs), who kept pace with the champion and was never hurt in the fight.
Sharipova also held Taylor a great deal, which made it difficult for her to get off punches inside. The challenger was docked a point in the sixth round for excessive holding
However, Taylor generally beat Sharipova to the punch and landed the cleaner shots, which obviously impressed the judges.
The victory could set up a compelling showdown with Amanda Serrano, the hard-punching 126-pound champion who has had success moving up and down in weight.
Taylor’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he’s targeting a Taylor-Serrano fight next year at Madison Square Garden in New York if Serrano beats Miriam Gutierrez next weekend.
