KATIE TAYLOR continued her reign as lightweight queen after her 20th victory over Firuza Shahripova.
The icon of Ireland, aged 35, outpointed the Kazak challenger at 27 years old. He claimed to have idolised her as a child but tried to bully and rough-house her in Liverpool.
Sharipova was given a point for missing the break. The judges gave it 98-92,97-92 and96-93 to the Olympic champion 2012.
After the fight, her promoter Eddie Hearn said that Taylor is ready to negotiate terms with Amanda Serrano, a seven-weight champion and great fighter.
The Irish contingent who had packed the Merseyside arena were enthralled when Taylor performed her ringwalk to La's classic "There She Goes".
Taylor immediately looked too gifted for her Kazak slugger, who clearly intended to be more rugged and aggressive.
The first round was over in two minutes. Sharipova tried to manage her sporting hero with a few Taylor jabs.
At the beginning of the second, Sharipova was thrown backwards by four straight punches.
Taylor was a fan of Taylor making the underdogs miss, and using her youthful enthusiasm against them like great masters.
The third Taylor hit a flush left hook which shook Sharipova. This prompted a huge cheer from the crowd.
The same partisan sectionbooed Sharipova's attempt to clip her shortly after the bell.
Sharipova continued to march forward, trying to upset the champion, but was frequently punished with quick combinations.
The fourth shot was taken by the visitor. She had her braided hair rocked back for a few pinpoint shots, but she remained standing.
At the fifth round, Sharipova's cheekbones had become pinky puffy by the fifth while Taylor was full of her groove and racking up rounds with the judges.
After John Latham ordered them to break, Sharipova slapped Taylor in the sixth. She was docked one point and knew she had to win.
Taylor was calm in the second half, racking up rounds without having to risk her four major belts. This also frustrated her bullish opponent.
Sharipova tried to go for broke in round three, but Taylor was too crude to break Taylor's defense as Taylor continued her dominance.
Taylor is now aiming to get a super-fight with Serrano at seven-weight. It went exactly as we had planned.
"She was scrappy but she won 20 fights and 20 victories. She is still undisputed and undefeated.
"This is pro-boxing. This is what it is all about. We knew it could be tough. It was my 15th defense of the world title, and I am happy to be back.
"It was an amazing year. This prepares us to fight all the big fights next years that we've discussed, Jessica McCaskill and Amanda Serrano. We're ready for big 2022.
"This is why boxing is important to me, the Serrano fight in female boxing will be the most significant fight in the history of female boxing." MSG is the Mecca of Boxing. I have had the honor of fighting there twice as a professional, in the most famous stadium. It's more than just a dream.
