Katie Taylor dominates Cindy Serrano in one-sided Boston World title defence

Katie Taylor dominated Cindy Serrano tonight in Boston in one of the most one-sided world title bouts in recent memory

The Wicklow lightweight put her WBA and IBF belts on the line versus the Puerto Rican at the TD Garden in the co-headline fight of the big Matchroom DAZN show and won every second of every round en-route to a whitewash points decision.

While Serrano had been built up, the veteran New York-based fighter offered no threat to Taylor whatsoever and seemed content to survive rather than to attempt to win.

A fight initially due to take place on the inaugural Matchroom DAZN show in Chicago two weeks ago, the match-up was moved to Boston and this decision paid off with Taylor being given a hero’s reception in Beantown.

Taylor had defended the two belts in July, destroying outmatched mandatory challenger Kimberley Connor in London and tonight had the opportunity, for the first time, to face a ‘name’ opponent.

That said, the build-up was somewhat overshadowed by Serrano’s younger sister, Amanda, women’s boxing’s only ever six-weight world champ, who has claimed this past week that she has retired to focus on mixed martial arts and will not return to the ring to face Taylor.

While the Amanda talk was constant, the test of Cindy remained and the Brooklyn-based boxer was been predicted to present something of a tough test.

A recent WBO featherweight champion and having fought for major belts as high as welterweight, ‘Checkmate’ was an extremely durable opponent but little else.

Stalking early on, Taylor forced a stumble out of Serrano in the opener although it looked to be more due to balance.

Widening her combinations in the second, Taylor landed heavy shots on Serrano but it was still, comparatively, a quiet start from the Irishwoman.

Slipping in right hands at the start of the third, Taylor began to up the pace and forced Serrano back into the ropes with one such shot, following it up with some nice bodywork. Right at the close, Taylor looked to have hurt the Puerto Rican with an extended combination – which Serrano responded to by pulling a face, shaking her head, and bumping into the champion as they returned to their corners.

The Taylor dominance continued into the fifth, with Serrano offering very little as she sought to just survive.

Really sitting down on her shots as the fight entered its second half, the 32-year-old former amateur legend made Serrano momentarily bend with a left hook to the body, in what was her most dominant round of the bout so far.

Serrano threatened to unravel at the start of the seventh as she shipped combo after combo from an increasingly aggressive Taylor who was also mixing in some nice uppercuts.

Getting more dominant by the round, we saw a new side to the softly-spoke Olympic gold medallist in the seventh as she stood off and repeatedly goaded the non-throwing Serrano – putting her hands behind her back, offering a free shot, backing up to the ropes, and beckoning the Caribbean in.

Loading up on right hands in the eighth, Taylor continue to search for the stoppage while the ‘challenger’ offered nothing in the way of attacking threat. Stepping it up further in the penultimate round, the unified world champion staggered Serrano a number of times.

The final stanza saw Serrano warned by the referee that he would stop the fight if she didn’t offer any resistance. Any response to this warning was marginal but the 36-year-old saw the final bell.

The end of the bout actually saw the biggest, or indeed only, show of aggression from Team Serrano, with the sisters’ coach entering the ring and roaring at Taylor that ‘Amanda will knock you out’.

Taylor and manager Brian Peters laughed off the rather pathetic salvo while her own trainer Ross Enamait looked to start Round 11.

Following this bit of pagaentry it was time for the scores and the Bray favourite was unsurprisingly confirmed a 100-90 x3 winner.

The one-sided win sees Taylor improve her immaculate pro record to 11(5)-0 and the outclassed Serrano falls to 27(10)-6(0)-3.

While the year is drawing to a close, it is believed that Taylor may fight again before the end of 2019. A spot on the Rocky Fielding v Canelo Alvarez bill at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 15th – one of four yearly DAZN ‘blockbusters’ – has been mooted.