‘Tonight was for her' – Boxer on Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano 3 pays tribute to tragic Georgia O'Connor after win
The English fighter became unified super bantemweight champion with a stylish decision win over Yamileth Mercado at MSG.
Advertisement
2
Ellie Scotney is declared the winner by unanimous decision against Yamileth Mercado
Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
2
She paid tribute to Georgia O'Connor after the fight
Credit: PA
And speaking after the fight, Scotney paid tribute to her friend
Georgia
O'Connor.
O'Connor - a talented boxer herself - tragically died from cancer back in May, with Scotney donning a shirt with her likeness during the weigh-in.
She said: "I have had a real testing few months. As everybody knows, I lost my dear friend Georgia so tonight is for her.
"Her dad is over there and I'd like everyone to give her a round of applause.
Advertisement
Read More on Katie Taylor
"She was 25 years old, she was a fighter, and she lost her battle to cancer but tonight I made sure her name was remembered in Madison Square Garden."
Saturday morning's action was headlined by the eagerly anticipated trilogy bout pitting
Taylor, 39, once again put her undisputed super lightweight belts on the line against her long time rival in the main event of the all-female card.
The Bray woman holds a 2-0 advantage over the 36-year-old having beaten her in MSG in April 2022 and the AT&T Stadium last November.
Advertisement
Most read in Boxing
The latter has been contested by the Puerto Rican, who has repeatedly complained about supposed head butts which left her bloody.
Meanwhile, Taylor was named unanimous decision victor despite having a point deducted for that very offense,
UK Netflix Users Warned: £1,000 Fine for Watching Live Events Without a TV Licence
The crowd in Texas booed the decision while Serrano remains adamant that she won.
Katie Taylor
Advertisement
She said: 'I have my own opinion about the stuff that Amanda has been saying on our team, but the fact is I am 2-0 against her.
"Opinions are opinions, but facts are facts and you can't get away from those facts. And yeah, I guess I'm just tired of the complaining and the whining from Amanda's team.
"I'm going into this fight already beating Amanda and I plan to stay beating her. I plan to stay 3-0 come this Friday night.
'I feel like people haven't seen the best me yet and I can't wait to
showcase
that on Friday night.
Advertisement
"I can definitely make the fight a lot easier for myself and I just can't wait to step in there now and actually perform.
"I know that I can perform and produce the best performance of my career.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
How the British and Irish Lions Test team looks ahead of game one with Australia
Full-back Hugo Keenan's performance against the AUSNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide on Saturday reminded everyone just how dependable he can be at 15. Emerging after 12 days of illness which clearly hampered his efforts on his Lions debut against the Waratahs seven days earlier, Keenan will eased concerns about the full-back berth following Blair Kinghorn's knee injury. Kinghorn's fitness for this Saturday cannot be guaranteed at this point but Andy Farrell will ve satisfied that Keenan is a more than just a next-best option for the first Test. Verdict: KEENAN Right wing Another impressive Mack Hansen outing on the wing for the Lions has given the tour management a real headache over who to select at number 14. A tough decision between Hansen and Tommy Freeman just got even more difficult. Freeman's start against the Brumbies was perhaps his quietest outing of the tour but the Northampton and England wing is strong in the air and a proper out and out finisher compared to Hansen, the roaming playmaker and supplier of a killer last pass while his hunger for work and involvement makes him a Farrell favourite. Verdict: HANSEN Centres What a difference a few days makes. Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose looked string favourites to start as 12 and 13 respectively following their showings against the Brumbies last Wednesday. Then came the news Ringrose had failed concussion protocols after suffering delayed symptoms and was ruled out of the first Test on a 12-day stand down. That now throws Aki's involvement into doubt with Scottish pairing Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones both impressive on Saturday. And then there was the 30-minute contribution off the inside centre from Owen Farrell on his 2025 tour debut. The English veteran's sharp passing, with Tuipulotucmoved to outside centre, was a standout feature in the final quarter and his ability to manage a game invaluable, making up for any lack of pace in midfield. An all-Scottish 10-12-13 axis with Finn Russell at fly-half makes a lot of sense but has Farrell junior muddied the waters? Does Aki still have a chance in a mix and match pairing and could that be at 13, in tandem with Tuipulotu or Farrell? It will be a tough call. Verdict: TUIPULOTU and JONES Left wing After the Brumbies game we underlined the value of James Lowe's booming left boot to any back three combination in the wake of an otherwise below-par performance for the Ireland wing. Lowe may remain favourite for the number 11 jersey in next Saturday's first Test but could he be sacrificed to solve the Freeman-Hansen conundrum on the opposite edge by playing both in-form wings? Lowe's kicking effectiveness at the highest level may be enough to make him a Test Lion, but he is not irreplaceable. Verdict: LOWE James Lowe with fans. Pic: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland. Half-backs Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and fly-half Finn Russell remain the front-running half-back pairing for the Test series having sat out Saturday's mismatch against the AUSNZ Invitationals. The less experienced Fin Smith did not male the impact at 10 he would have hoped to make on Saturday and though late call-up Ben White, on debut, made a big impression on the head coach in his start at scrum-half in Adelaide, his run may have come too late to oust Gibson-Park from the Test number nine jersey. Fin Smith may have also lost ground for the bench covering role at fly-half alongside his Northampton Saints and England partner Alex Mitchell with Marcus Smith bringing impact off the bench as his replacement against the AUSNZ XV in an effective tandem with Owen Farrell at 12. Verdict: RUSSELL and GIBSON-PARK Loosehead prop The shootout between Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter for a start against the Wallabies remains in play as Pierre Schoeman started at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday and played the full 80 minutes. That Porter was an unused replacement appears to indicate his place in the Test 23 is secure and as was suggested here following the Brumbies game, Andy Farrell has the luxury of a powerful one-two punch to face Australia, whichever way round he deploys the Irish and English looseheads. Verdict: GENGE Hooker Dan Sheehan remains nailed-on as the first Test starter after being given the night off at the weeekend, while Luke Cowan-Dickie's head injury in his start on Saturday means he has been ruled out of the Brisbane series opener. That clears the way for Ronan Kelleher to secure his place on the Lions Test bench, with two-tour veteran Jamie George leaving England's tour in Argentina to link up with the Lions as additional cover. Verdict: SHEEHAN Tighthead prop Will Stuart has reacted brilliantly to rescue his Lions tour following a disappointing debut against Queensland Reds more than two weeks ago. It may not be enough to dislodge a similarly resurgent Tadhg Furlong though. Much like at loosehead, the Lions have a one-two at tighthead in Furlong and Stuart, or Finlay Bealham for that matter, to go into a series against the Wallabies with confidence. Verdict: FURLONG Read More Springboks borrow playbook from Under-14 B schools team Locks Tour captain Maro Itoje and Joe McCarthy remain the first-choice second-row combination for the Test series but Tadhg Beirne has advanced his claim for a bench spot. The Munster captain led the Lions to their 48-0 victory over AUSNZ on Saturday and put in a solid shift, as did fellow lock James Ryan, as the tourists finally sorted out their breakdown issues, albeit against disappointing opponents. Beirne will also be an option as a starting blindside flanker but his the matchday 23 against the Wallabies this Saturday could be secure. Verdict: ITOJE and McCARTHY Blindside flanker The selection battles for the numbers six and seven jerseys appear to remain unresolved The initial issue could be whether to choose a third lock, that hybrid player between a second row and blindside such as Ollie Chessum and Tadhg Beirne, or a flanker in the Tom Curry/Henry Pollock mould. Andy Farrell is keeping his cards close to his chest. Pollock brings a genuine x-factor to the position and poses a real threst out on the fringes but for the purpose of reaching a decision, the hybrid option outweighs, literally, the lighter, more mobile models who can bring an impact off the bench. Verdict: CHESSUM Openside flanker Perhaps the most hotly contested positional vacancy with Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan both playing excellent rugby while Ben Earl and Curry are also among the runners and riders. Ireland's van der Flier came off the bench against both the Brumbies and AUSNZ in consecutive matches and made his presence felt in a positive manner with Curry having failed to fire as the starter at number seven. Morgan, flying the flag for Wales, made sone strong impacts as the starter at seven on Saturday and it will be a tight call whichever way Farrell eventually makes his choice. Verdict: VAN DER FLIER No.8 Jack Conan's strong showing against the Brumvies last Wednesday looked to be enough to nail the Test start, although Ben Earl played well as the starter in Adelaide three days later. It could be another 50/50 call for the Lions brains trust to make. Verdict: CONAN.
Sunday World
3 hours ago
- Sunday World
Donegal deliver crowning performance against Meath in the All-Ireland SFC semi-final
All-Ireland SFC semi-final: Donegal 3-26 Meath 0-15 Conor O'Donnell of Donegal celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final against Meath at Croke Park. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile Donegal have swept Meath aside with ease to set up a renewal of their 2014 All-Ireland final with Kerry. This All-Ireland semi-final was effectively over when Jim McGuinness called Michael Murphy ashore in the 45th minute, a clear acknowledgement that the job was done. There were still eight points in it at that stage, 1-15 to 0-10, but Donegal were in a menacing mood and all the signs pointed to more misery for Meath ahead. With relentless running power they picked holes in Meath's cover all afternoon and off the platform of Shaun Patton's booming kick-out in the second half they really went to town on the summer's surprise packages, handing them a dose of reality at this level after wins earlier in the season against Dublin and Kerry and more recently an All-Ireland quarter-final over Galway. Meath just couldn't defend the Patton kick-out and two of Donegal's three goals after the break came directly off it. On 42 minutes, Caolan McColgan got in behind to set up Oisín Gallen who, after a right battle with Seán Rafferty in the first half, stepped outside to beat Billy Hogan with a rasping shot off his left. Meath's Mathew Costello is chased down by Donegal's Michael Murphy, left, and Michael Langan during the semi-final at Croke Park. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile And on 58 minutes, they repeated it with Meath misjudging the length again to allow Patrick McBrearty, substitute Jason McGee and Gallen to create an opening for Conor O'Donnell for a 3-21 to 0-13 lead. In between those goals, Donegal's pace on the break was best exemplified when they got a turnover deep in their own half and surged forward through Peadar Mogan, Shane O'Donnell, and Ryan McHugh to put in Ciaran Moore for a 2-16 to 0-11 lead. Meath mistakes multiplied as they struggled to find any fluency against the tide of wind-supported Donegal attacks. They simply couldn't live with the speed of the Donegal movement. They had been hanging on for dear life in the opening half when, with wind benefit, they still trailed by 0-13 to 0-8. Donegal had goal chances, with Michael Murphy shooting over for a point off his left from close range and Hugh McFadden being denied by Hogan at different times. Meath hunted two-pointers but were wide with four efforts and with another two dropping short, it felt like a tactic that has served them well all season deserted them. Jordan Morris, star of their quarter-final win, was well shackled by Brendan McCole and finished with just one point from four shots. Meath really struggled with their kick-out in the first half, retaining just eight from 19 and that was the source of so many Donegal attacks. Meath's 15 wides didn't help, while another three dropped short, but they were outclassed here in a manner that was sobering and the scale of the defeat will take a little bit of the shine off some of their earlier achievements. After a period of congestion Donegal have rediscovered strong form and players like Shane and Conor O'Donnell, McHugh, Ciaran Moore and midfielder Michael Langan really hurt Meath. Murphy finished with 0-6, including a two-point free, before he went off while his replacement McBrearty chipped in with three points.
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Katie Taylor erases all the question marks with her third win over Amanda Serrano
The trilogy ends. And there were hints, too, in the sweet early hours of Saturday morning that this might be all she wrote for Katie Taylor as well. After a raucous night on the fringes of Hell's Kitchen, Taylor closed the books on her riveting series of fights against Amanda Serrano and finished with an unblemished record. Just as she had promised during the week of promotion in New York, she got it done. These athletes will age and finally retire, and the record books will record that the Irish fighter ended with a perfect three wins from three against the Puerto Rican. That bare statistic reveals nothing of the closeness or true controversies or the mutual respect contained within these encounters. It was a lofty sports rivalry. But in the end, Taylor managed to erase the question marks and silence the grumbles after their previous two battles to finish with a supremely controlled performance. She owned the night. Taylor has pioneered what has been a marvel of a fighting life by executing it precisely on her own terms. So it went in New York. Madison Square Garden was something to behold. That area around Eighth and the lower 30s is a 24-hour confluence of extreme tourism and city poverty and grit. All of human life was outside the arena on Friday night. Inside, a wildly partisan and noisy sell-out crowd filled with Puerto Rican and Irish fans, both in a mood to celebrate. The previous encounters had led them to expect something primal. READ MORE 'The atmosphere was absolutely electric tonight,' Taylor said when she sat down late into the night, Madison Square Garden low-lit now and empty except for the staff who were locking up. 'And to be headlining an all-female card was an absolute privilege. These are the sort of opportunities that people didn't even think possible a few years ago. The two fights previous ended up complete wars and I came out the ring battered and bruised, and I was thinking, why am I just standing there fighting her? I knew I was capable of moving my legs and just outboxing her. And I was just happy that I was able to execute the game plan Ross [Enamait] was telling me to do all along. I used the ring a lot better tonight. My feet were a lot better tonight. I felt it was my kind of fight, and my kind of pace as well.' [ Tuning out the noise, Katie Taylor steels herself for last dance with Amanda Serrano Opens in new window ] Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano embrace after the fight. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho Taylor looked at peace as she spoke. In Texas last winter, her face was swollen and cut after her war with Serrano. This time, a single bruise to her cheekbone where Serrano's head actually glanced against hers. She finished the fight fresher, gliding on the edges of the danger zone and comprehensively outscoring the Puerto Rican, who was exhausted from trying to make her punches land against the elusive Irish woman. Listening to her, it was hard to predict if she will fight again. 'I don't know,' she said of the future. 'I am just going to enjoy this victory right now and sit back and reflect. I am very, very happy with tonight's performance and just the amount of work I am doing over the past few months, myself and Ross, it was a gruelling few months of preparation and I'm so glad I was able to showcase what I could do tonight.' Katie Taylor in action against Puerto Rican American boxer Amanda Serrano. Photograph: Sarah Yenesel/EPA Make no mistake, the crowd in the Garden came in the belief that the fight would break into a gladiatorial brawl as soon as the first bell sounded and would move into uncharted country from there. As it turned out, the flashpoints of furious engagements were periodic and brief but with each one, the decibel level in the arena turned deafening. It's hard to imagine the noise levels had the athletes just forgotten their instructions and submitted to the crowd instincts and wish for a schoolyard brawl. In the second round, a familiar pattern began to establish itself: Serrano hunting, Taylor circling the ring, avoiding trouble and seeking to pick off clean punches. The dam threatened to break with 45 seconds remaining in the third, when Taylor, leading with the ultra-accurate left jab, landed three quick punches on the Puerto Rican. Serrano countered with a flurry of her own but Taylor, at 39, has lost little of her ability to become a ghost in the ring: she was gone. On it went, Serrano in the middle of the canvas, searching out Taylor, who used that wonderful footwork and pure boxing supremacy to guide her through the 10 rounds of two minutes. Judge Mark Lyson scored the fight a draw but the other two, Steve Weisfeld and Nicolas Esnault, had it emphatically in Taylor's favour, 97-93, and, in or around midnight, Taylor was still the undisputed super featherweight champion of the world. Katie Taylor makes her entrance to the fight at Madison Square Garden. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho The Irish crowd was delighted and it was impossible to hear what Taylor said in the ring afterwards. But she was effusive in her praise of Serrano, and of her faith, and struck an uncertain note when asked about what the future holds now. 'Maybe Croke Park?' she laughed when asked if she could promise her Irish supporters at least one more bout. 'That would be unbelievable. I said it in the ring earlier – these people are spending their hard-earned money to come over and support me. It means the world. And I can't believe this is my life – I'm heading a show in Madison Square Garden, an all-female card. Looking back at the whole journey – what an amazing ride. These are the nights I dreamed of a kid, and I am just so happy and so grateful. What an amazing champion. We created history together three times. My name will always be embedded with hers and I am very happy about that. It's amazing to have a rival like that in the sport.' Katie Taylor celebrates winning alongside her mother, Bridget. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho As an event, the Netflix-streamed all-women's card was a glittering success, drawing a close to sell-out crowd and giving the women's fight game an unprecedented stage. Afterwards, Taylor's promoter, Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn, beaming and wearing an Emerald green bucket cap, made the reasonable point that Taylor has been the alchemist for all of this. 'I'm not speaking on Katie's behalf, but I know she's always wanted female boxing to sit alongside men's boxing. It's not two codes. And I've always said that Katie Taylor is not just one of the greatest female fighters of all time but one of the greatest fighters of all time. And that was the barrier that she broke. 'So, we don't compare the female and the male code. It's just boxing. But. What they did tonight was give so many opportunities to so many great female fighters and big pay-days and she won't say it: it is down to her.' Katie Taylor greets fans after winning her bout with Amanda Serrano. Photograph: Gary Carr/Inpho [ Shaping the Century: 25 brilliant Irish women in 2025 Opens in new window ] Whether the sport can produce a rivalry as compelling and high-quality as Taylor and Serrano remains to be seen. Both have earned six-figure pay-days from their rivalry and thrust the women's fight game into a spotlight that would have seemed fanciful when Taylor set out on the professional circuit nine years ago. The Irish crowd stayed to give her a deafening ovation before heading back out to the delights of the island. 'I don't think anybody could deny I won tonight's fight, so it is very satisfying,' Taylor said finally. 'There was a controversy in those decisions, so I feel very, very satisfied right now that it was lights-out.'
