Katie Taylor has been a huge pioneer for the sport of women’s boxing, as she has truly shined throughout her career.
Getting ready for a third blockbuster with her biggest rival, Taylor will fight Amanda Serrano for a third time in Madison Square Garden on Friday.
In what could be one of the final fights for Taylor, the Irish woman will look to make it a hat trick of victories against the Puerto Rican. A third win over the knockout artist would add even more legacy to an already decorated career.
Winning an Olympic gold medal is just one of the things that contribute to this illustrious career. However, in the 2012 Olympic Games, Taylor started a rivalry that would last almost a decade.
Katie Taylor met Natasha Jonas for the first time in London 2012 Olympics
Taylor was an instrumental part of getting women’s boxing inducted into the Olympic Games for the first time in 2012. According to The Guardian, Taylor competed in showcase bouts in the US and Russia to show the International Olympic Committee why the sport should be included in the games.
As the Irish woman was able to convince the committee, women could box in the Olympic Games for the first time ever in London in 2012.
Taylor herself would go on to win gold in the games, but faced a tough opponent in the quarter-final to get through her first round.
Natasha Jonas from the United Kingdom was paired with Taylor for the quarter-final, after already winning a round of 16 tie. However, Jonas was not able to stop the pioneer from advancing.
Just as their previous 2011 amateur meeting ended, Jonas would be unsuccessful against Taylor.
A points victory for Taylor would see her go through, before winning her following two fights to claim gold. As for Jonas, her Olympic dream would come to an end, but it would not be the last she saw of Taylor.
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Katie Taylor and Natasha Jonas had a professional rematch in 2021
Although Jonas made her professional debut in 2017, and Taylor the year prior, they would not meet each other again until 2021.
The former Olympic rivals would fight in an event in Manchester, as Taylor was the reigning undisputed world lightweight champion. Jonas was looking for her first world title, having narrowly missed out on gold in her previous outing by drawing with Terri Harper.
A 17-0 Taylor had wins over the likes of Cindy Serrano and Christina Linardatou in a career that had been largely dominant. To this point, Taylor had only been given a tough fight by Delfine Persoon.
However, that would change when the familiar foes were once again in the ring together. A back-and-forth affair would result in both fighters having huge periods of success.
Winning narrowly on the scorecards, Taylor edged a victory over her British rival in an epic bout. Stepping up a gear in the final two rounds, the champion retained her titles by one point on one judge’s scorecard, and two on the others.
Jonas saw her record fall to 9-2-1, but the fighter would pick up a world title in February 2022.