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Katie Taylor: Five-fight form guide ahead of December return in Liverpool

With a pro record of 19-0, Planet Sport's Matty Briggs takes a look at Katie Taylor's last five fights ahead of her return to the ring...

Ireland boxing sensation Katie Taylor will put her WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine crowns on the line again in December against a yet to be confirmed opponent.
Taylor, 35, will defend her undisputed lightweight title at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, alongside British welterweight Conor Benn.
After defending her titles in September against the USA's Jennifer Han in Leeds, Taylor has her eye on a blockbuster clash with Amanda Serrano next year on American soil.

Taylor vs Jennifer Han (September 2021)

Taylor asserted her authority from the off, holding the centre of the ring as she looked to dominate her older opponent.

In her 13th world title fight, Taylor's hand speed was noticeable but despite the more eye-catching work, she did not put Han down until the eighth round.

Han claimed she had slipped but a quick combination of punches had put the El Paso native on the canvas. Marked up under her right eye the writing was on the wall for Han.
After stepping on the gas in the previous round, Taylor landed some meaningful right hands in round nine as she tried to push for the stoppage.

Han tried to up the ante in the final round, but Taylor fought fire with fire and her superior power was evident as she tried to stop the resilient Han.

There was no doubt about the winner with Taylor getting the 100-89 verdict on all three judges' cards.

Taylor vs Natasha Jonas (May 2021)

The Manchester showdown has since been billed as one of the fights of the year after Jonas pushed Taylor all the way.

Taylor came away with a unanimous points win with the judges scoring the close contest 96-94 96-95 96-95.
Taylor started well but southpaw Jonas stamped her authority on the fight as the rounds wore on.

Taylor's superior speed had taken her into an early lead, but Jonas' power came to the fore in round three. Talked through the contest by her trainer Joe Gallagher, Jonas ripped in some powerful body shots.

Jonas' harder shots looked like they might take her to a career-defining win and a solid uppercut in the eighth buzzed Taylor. But the champion continued to unload flurries of shots. And into the final two rounds it was Taylor's punch volume which ultimately carried her to victory.
Taylor dug deep in the final four minutes and her ferocity and speedy combinations got her the vote.

Taylor vs Miriam Gutierrez (November 2020)

Taylor simply outclassed Gutierrez from the first bell at Wembley Arena.
The Bray-born fighter backed her Spanish opponent up in the first 20 seconds with some blistering shots.
Taylor looked hungry for an early stoppage, but Gutierrez, who has not fought outside of Spain before, managed to hang in there.
An overhand right and a sharp left hook did put Gutierrez on the floor in the fourth round on the bell. There was no time for Taylor to follow up the barrage though and her opponent survived the round and the fight.
Taylor continually backed up her WBA mandatory challenger, who had taken a huge step up in class.
Gutierrez never troubled Taylor, but her toughness was something to behold. Taylor threw everything at Gutierrez to try and get her out of there.

The previously unbeaten Gutierrez was able to hear the final bell though, but the wide margin on the scorecards (100-89, 100-90, 99-91) reflected the one-sided nature of the bout.

Taylor vs Delfine Persoon (August 2020)

The brutal rematch at the Matchroom Fight Camp in Brentwood went the way of Taylor.

Delfine Persoon had felt aggrieved at losing the first fight on the Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz undercard at Madison Square Garden in June 2019.

This time though the tough Belgian, who had her nose broken in the second round, said she had no qualms about the decision.

"This time, I respect the result," Persoon told DAZN. "I couldn't hurt her this time."

Taylor again showed her warrior spirit to grind down Persoon, who came forward all night.
The Irish star though managed to give herself enough room to land the better shots and that is what the judges saw.

All three Judges had it in favour of Taylor (98-93, 96-94 and 96-94) after a final round in which left both fighters exhausted.

Taylor vs Christina Linardatou (November 2019)

Fighting for the WBO super lightweight title, Taylor again showed her mettle to edge out Greek champion Christina Linardatou.

Taylor had to be on her guard early on as Linardatou backed up the Irish woman. The looping right hand of the champion showed just why she had won six of her 12 fights by KO.
Linardatou continued to try and outmuscle Taylor, but Taylor's superior footwork and speed started to show.
By the third round Taylor's right eye had started to swell, but she did not lose her poise and she landed a big right hand on Linardatou in the fourth.
Linardatou looked frustrated as Taylor's in-and-out style saw her landing the more eye-catching shots.
Taylor, who was the heavier of the two despite stepping up in weight, continued to box on the back foot and used the whole ring to make her younger opponent work.
And she once again got the job done, earning a gritty majority decision (94-94, 97-93, 97-93).

Read more: Exclusive: Katie Taylor - "I think women's sport can share the stage with men's sports"

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