Coach Enamait rubbishes suggestion that Katie Taylor was hurt by Jessica McCaskill
Katie Taylor was caught but not hurt by Jessica McCaskill according to her coach Ross Enamait.
Some followed a narrative after Taylor’s first world titledefence that suggested the Bray legend had been too easy to hit, was scrappy and had been hurt by a big hook in the sixth round.
However, Taylor’s coach doesn’t agree and claims she was relatively comfortable at the York Hall last week.
The American trainer believes his charge benefited from 10 rounds against tough opposition, but feels she followed an effective game plan to register a deserved unanimous decision victory.
Emanait also moved to dismiss claims the World champion was hurt by the left hand that landed in round six of a fight where McCaskill’s efforts won her a lot of respect.
Talking to Balls.ie, Taylor’s coach explained how “after the punch lands and she gets off balance, she immediately regains her balance and avoids the next punch. McCaskill loads the right hand and Katie slips under.”
“Someone who is really hurt, they don’t skip the next punch. As bad as it looked to some people in real time, if you actually look at what happened, McCaskill hit her with a good shot and you have to give her credit, but Katie was off balance before she even got hit – their feet collide. The fact she recovered balance so quickly shows she wasn’t that.”
While Emanait felt Taylor [8(4)-0] won without having to deal with too much trouble, he did admit the American challenger was a tough big punching opponent.
He was grateful the London 2012 Olympic gold medal winner got a second successive tough 10 rounds under her belt, but is adamant it takes more than having impressive grit to beat a talent like the Wicklow World champion.
“[Anahi] Sanchez was tough as they come. McCaskill was another tough opponent, at the end of the day being tough isn’t enough. That’s where Katie has a big advantage over a lot of girls, she’s just got a skill-set they don’t have and even her athleticism alone.”
