Katie Taylor became undisputed lightweight champion after receiving a razor-thin majority decision against Delfine Persoon in a contest which will go down as a genuine watershed moment for women's boxing.
Taylor put her WBA, WBO and IBF titles on the line against the long-reigning WBC champion Persoon, the police officer from West Flanders, Belgium in what was billed as the best fighting the best.
And the encounter more than lived up to the pre-fight hype in an all-action classic which swung one way to the other and finally ended, only just, in Taylor's favour.
Judge Don Trella had it 95-95 after the 10, two-minute rounds while both John Poturaj and Allen Nace had Taylor a 96-94 victory, making her Ireland's first ever undisputed champion and only the seventh in history to unify all four major belts at once.
But, that hardware aside, the nature of Taylor-Persoon will also serve to kick open the door for women's boxing following its steady climb into the consciousness of the fighting public over the past few years.
Persoon, who could not believe the decision and swiftly returned to her dressing room in tears, provided Taylor with the toughest fight of her life and will feel robbed given how hard she worked over the course of the 10 rounds.
by Declan Taylor for the Irish Examiner
