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I just re-watched the Katie Taylor v. Delfine Persoon fight. A second look made it look even wider for Persoon in my eyes. Katie is perhaps the most gifted fighter in female boxing, but I noticed things that make me think that even she will not be able to make the adjustments to dramatically change things in this upcoming rematch and that Matchroom is going to have to give her some help.
1. KT has zero power. Katie certainly has the better feet and quicker hands, but she literally cannot crack an egg; even with her cleanest shots. In the entire first fight she landed precisely one punch that stopped Persoon in her tracks - partly because Persoon was off balance. Persoon literally ran through every other punch (or combination) Taylor landed; always bum-rushing her and making sure to finish last. Katie landed cleanly many times to virtually no effect. I'm not entirely sure if its Katie's light punching, Persoon's impressive beard (she actually does have some facial hair) or both, but unless Katie loads her gloves for the rematch she is again going to be unable to stop Persoon.
2. KT has to be perfect to win a rematch (fairly). Persoon is awkward but she's also a highly-effective pressure fighter. She wore Taylor down by the middle rounds with relentless pressure (smothered her own self a bit too tbh) and Taylor was a spent ragdoll by the end of the fight. Taylor might show up in better physical condition, but in order to overcome Persoon's pressure she's going to have to put on a Mayweather/SRL/Willie Pep kind of performance because she just simply does not have the firepower, size or strength to keep Persoon off her for even one round.
3. Persoon has a much higher upside in a rematch. Her team has watched the tape and there are plenty of things to fix that that can make Persoon even more effective in the rematch. For starters, her team will certainly have coached her to make better use of her significant reach advantage (which is definitely more than the 2 inches advertised). She was very effective with her awkward jab and straight right hand from range. Second, in the entire fight I counted precisely 0 body punches thrown by Persoon. She is a relentless headhunter, but she really could have done a job on Taylor if she committed a bit to the body when they got tied up (which was a lot). She clearly doesn't have the instinct to go to the body, but its there for the taking. The only possible downside is her age (now 35), but, as the DAZN broadcast team pointed out, Persoon's most notable attribute is her great "engine." She may be older, but she's not likely going to stop being an exceptional athlete overnight.
TBH, I think Persoon can and will outfight Taylor again, but she will also get screwed again. This time I don't think it will be just the judges to blame. Eddie Hearn knows that this a dangerous fight so he's not leaving things to chance with a star like Taylor. The ref in the first fight (Sparkle Lee) was very passive and let the fight get very rough; something that Taylor's handlers must have definitely complained about afterward. There is no way on earth Hearn is going to allow that type of refereeing to occur for the rematch. I'm not necessarily calling anyone corrupt, but I can almost guarantee that they are going to put a ref in there with specific orders to break up the fight immediately when the fighters tangle up. They are going to protect Katie Taylor.
1. KT has zero power. Katie certainly has the better feet and quicker hands, but she literally cannot crack an egg; even with her cleanest shots. In the entire first fight she landed precisely one punch that stopped Persoon in her tracks - partly because Persoon was off balance. Persoon literally ran through every other punch (or combination) Taylor landed; always bum-rushing her and making sure to finish last. Katie landed cleanly many times to virtually no effect. I'm not entirely sure if its Katie's light punching, Persoon's impressive beard (she actually does have some facial hair) or both, but unless Katie loads her gloves for the rematch she is again going to be unable to stop Persoon.
2. KT has to be perfect to win a rematch (fairly). Persoon is awkward but she's also a highly-effective pressure fighter. She wore Taylor down by the middle rounds with relentless pressure (smothered her own self a bit too tbh) and Taylor was a spent ragdoll by the end of the fight. Taylor might show up in better physical condition, but in order to overcome Persoon's pressure she's going to have to put on a Mayweather/SRL/Willie Pep kind of performance because she just simply does not have the firepower, size or strength to keep Persoon off her for even one round.
3. Persoon has a much higher upside in a rematch. Her team has watched the tape and there are plenty of things to fix that that can make Persoon even more effective in the rematch. For starters, her team will certainly have coached her to make better use of her significant reach advantage (which is definitely more than the 2 inches advertised). She was very effective with her awkward jab and straight right hand from range. Second, in the entire fight I counted precisely 0 body punches thrown by Persoon. She is a relentless headhunter, but she really could have done a job on Taylor if she committed a bit to the body when they got tied up (which was a lot). She clearly doesn't have the instinct to go to the body, but its there for the taking. The only possible downside is her age (now 35), but, as the DAZN broadcast team pointed out, Persoon's most notable attribute is her great "engine." She may be older, but she's not likely going to stop being an exceptional athlete overnight.
TBH, I think Persoon can and will outfight Taylor again, but she will also get screwed again. This time I don't think it will be just the judges to blame. Eddie Hearn knows that this a dangerous fight so he's not leaving things to chance with a star like Taylor. The ref in the first fight (Sparkle Lee) was very passive and let the fight get very rough; something that Taylor's handlers must have definitely complained about afterward. There is no way on earth Hearn is going to allow that type of refereeing to occur for the rematch. I'm not necessarily calling anyone corrupt, but I can almost guarantee that they are going to put a ref in there with specific orders to break up the fight immediately when the fighters tangle up. They are going to protect Katie Taylor.
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