“We’ve got so much more to do with Katie Taylor, and so much more to do with Women’s boxing.”

Those words of Katie Taylor’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing pointed to the fact that Saturday’s win was just another step on the road for Taylor and her potential.

This was Professional fight number 17 and it was won by a unanimous decision with Taylor taking every round on each of the three judges cards.

Miriam Guttierez is a 37-year-old who has never fought outside her native Spain but she was taller than Taylor and tough, withstanding an early storm of punches and a knockdown at the end of the third round.

Her win was to go the distance and she did but that allowed us to see more of Taylor than is sometimes the case and this was the biggest audience she has had since her Olympic outings in London and Rio.

Sky Sports had put the fight out on its social media channels where 1.1 million streams were recorded on Facebook and 528,000 on YouTube.

Add in those who watched on Sky Sports and the numbers add up.

This was the first time that three title bouts had been put together in the Women’s sport and the quality of the fights throughout was high. Rachel Ball (right) and Terri Harper (left) both won their bouts with skill and precision in the lead up to Talyor who entered the ring shortly after 11 PM.

“There are just so many options out there for her,” added Hearn in the post-match interview from the SSE Wembley Arena.

“But the great news is Katie won’t duck any one of the challenges. You couldn’t suggest a fight that she would say no to; she just wants to push the boundaries.”

“That was  brilliant tonight, probably the best I’ve seen her box for a long time in terms of the freshness of her feet, her movement and shot selection.”

“Nobody has ever boxed like Katie Taylor in the female code. Plus the discipline that she applies to her camp life and career. I don’t want to embarrass her, but she’s an absolute role model to every young individual. Male, female, it doesn’t matter.”

Over eight years on from London 2012 and Taylor continues to hold us in thrall as Ireland’s most popular sporting star.

 

Sport for Business Partners