The historic boxing title fight between the Irish Katie Taylor and Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano more than delivered the punch its billing promised, according to its World Boxing Association (WBA) supervisor, Trinidadian Shivana Inalsingh.
Taylor retained her light weight title before a sold out crowd at the iconic Madison Square Gardens venue, with a 97-93,96-93 94-96 split decision over 10 rounds.
The WBA fight supervisor, who has supervised more than 50 title fights around the world, remarked the bout transcended men’s or women’s boxing.
She said: “This was an incredible experience. I have never attended a boxing event with this level of energy and support for female boxing. Taylor and Serrano delivered.
“I sat there at ringside and looked at those girls in the ring and got very emotional because what I saw transcended ‘male or female’ boxing - for a few seconds I had a flash of looking at Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at the Gardens - yes it was that good. World-class boxing at its best.”
Inalsingh, a WBA director, is also a director on the Female Championship Committee and was one of only two female officials listed from the sanctioning bodies for this main event, which sold out the boxing mecca, with a 19,187 strong crowd in New York City.
She added: “I was so happy to see the turn out of support by other trailblazers in female boxing- Christy Martin, Laila Ali, ‘First Lady’ Cecilia Braekhus and Claressa Shields among a long list at ringside.”
The boxing official is also a director on the Commonwealth Boxing Council where she is responsible for supporting women’s boxing.
The million dollar purse was the highest pay-out for women’s boxers in the sport’s history.