Katie Taylor gained one more stripe in the professional ranks when she won her second professional bout in stunning fashion on a unanimous decision, 60-53, against the Swiss-based Brazilian Viviane Obeneuf at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night.
Fighting on the undercard of the IBF heavyweight title fight between Britain's Anthony Joshua and Eric Molina, stylish Taylor beat the more experienced Obeneuf just two weeks after disposing of Poland's Karina Kopinska inside three rounds.
It was by some distance the biggest crowd of Taylor’s career with 21,000 people filling the arena in Manchester’s city centre, the biggest indoor seated venue in the United Kingdom.
But the size of the production didn’t faze the London 2012 gold medallist as she set to work from the beginning of the six two-minute rounds super-featherweight contest.
Taylor, with more snap in her punching and movement, carried on where she left off in London’s Wembley Arena. Sharply focussed she immediately went to work with her jab on the Brazilian. While Obenauf was unafraid to come forward, Taylor’s combinations quickly began to arrive. She ended the first round rocking Obenauf but the Brazilian stood tough.
A standing count at the start of the second round gave Taylor confidence and although the referee gave Obenauf a count of eight she protested.
But Taylor controlled the bout and although she took a left that knocked her backwards onto the ropes, her domination continued, Obenauf throwing big swinging shots but Taylor’s footwork keeping her out of trouble.
Obenauf was a much tougher proposition that Taylor’s first opponent and as the bout went into the fourth and fifth rounds, she was proving more durable too.
When Taylor caught her with a backhand left in the fifth, the first trickles of blood began to show. Soon after it was enough for the referee to stop and take a look at Obenauf’s left eye.
But the 30-year-old continued and as hard as Taylor tried to end it her opponent kept coming. There was no doubt about the outcome with Taylor winning a unanimous decision for the second win of her professional career.
There is no hard drawn plan about where she will go for her next fight although promoter Eddie Hearn has said that Taylor will look towards European opposition with the possibility of a New York date on St Patrick's weekend and a bout in Ireland, in the summer.
