Ash Lall previews the Katie Taylor vs Delfine Persoon rematch
BBN's writer Ash Lall provides a preview on Taylor-Persoon 2
August 22 will see Katie Taylor (15, 6 KO’s) uphold her undisputed lightweight titles in the highly-anticipated rematch against Belgian Delfine Persoon (44-2, 18 KO’s).
Brought to you by Matchroom Boxing at their headquarters in Essex, which promises to be an event boxing fans will remember for eternity.
Madison Square Garden in June 2019 saw Taylor and Persoon come head-to-head in a fierce 10-round undisputed battle, seeing Taylor defend her titles, whilst adding the WBC green and gold belt to her collection, by a majority decision. The result sparked much controversy considering how close the bout was.
Taylor wasted no time to apply pressure in the first round of what was to become an epic battle; Persoon forced the Irish fighter to be tested on the back-foot often throughout the match while firing hands relentlessly. Delfine’s initiatives weren’t enough to stop Katie; the Irish fighter was like a human sponge with the number of blows she absorbed, eventually causing a forehead cut.
Taylor vs Persoon was as a significant contender for ‘Fight of the Year’ in 2019, with both fighters leaving it all the ring; could the rematch live up to the same expectations? Eddie Hearn certainly thinks so, and it was important for Matchroom to showcase this under the Whyte vs Povetkin PPV event to build the profile of women’s identity in mainstream boxing.
One of Ireland’s biggest sports stars, Taylor, was only 11-years-old when boxing ‘took hold of her heart.’ Since then, the Bray-born boxer has accumulated an array of successes, claiming the WBA lightweight title in October 2017, adding the IBO title to her professional career in April 2018 and, most recently, declaring the WBO lightweight belt on March 2019. Many boxing fanatics believe Persoon should’ve won the fight at MSG in 2019, when Taylor completed her collection with the WBC strap, which the Belgian had held for over five years. Therefore, Taylor is ready and ramped to prove them wrong.
Delfine Persoon’s professional boxing journey started in 2009 where she switched over from Judo. The 5ft 9in female also has a prestigious boxing portfolio including the declaration of the WIBF in February 2012, the IBF later that year in September, gaining the WIBA belt in December 2013 and claiming the WBC title in 2014, which she defended 10 times. The Hooglede-born 35-year-old is eager to seek revenge in August to claim championship status once more in the lightweight division, to represent Belgium with pride and honour.
According to Odds Checker, the majority of bets are placed towards Katie Taylor to get the glory once again. It’s interesting as Delfine has more experience under her belt, but Katie has an undefeated record with a win against Persoon already.
Both ladies are expecting to enter the rematch better than they did the first time around. Persoon has proven to acquire substantial knockout power, demonstrated by the 18 KO’s on her record. Plus, the Belgian boxer proved to cause trouble for Taylor last year, testing her on the backfoot which caused enough damage to take the contest to a decision.
However, Katie proved to have the capacity to take a lot of hits and still secure the victory, and she has fearsome power, excellent footwork, solid defensive play and phenomenal hands which proved too much for Delfine to handle.
The profile of women’s sport has grown tremendously. From the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final acheiving record-breaking viewership, Women’s Cricket witnessing illustrious audience growth, UFC248 saw Zhang and Jędrzejczyk as one of the best fights in the UFC and now Katie Taylor vs Delfine Persoon 2 living up to the expectations of a potential ‘fight of the year’. If you’re a supporter for the rise in women’s sport, you won’t regret tuning into this spectacular warfare between two of female boxing's most fearless fighters.
HÖRFA are proud sponsors of British Boxing News