Say it once, say it twice, now say it three times. Katie Taylor is a World Champion. IBF, WBA and WBO, the full house looms.
Taylor's third belt came in Philadelphia thanks to a ninth round stoppage. In truth, the bout was finished long before that. Rose Volante was a tough and durable foe, but the Irish boxer was a level above.
"I've got power too," explained an honest Taylor post-fight. Wow, don't we know. A series of ruthless barrages had the Brazilian in a world of trouble from the very first round on.
It took mere seconds before the Bray native had her opponent on the canvas. Powering out of the blocks and into the centre, Taylor unleashed a devastating combination and the floor beckoned.
??? 3 OUT OF 4! @KatieTaylor just needs one last piece to solve the Undisputed puzzle!
? What a performance ? pic.twitter.com/LeFJRfnC5j
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 16, 2019
Coach Ross Enamait has enough skin in the game to know that level of excursion can't last and could be heard audibly calling for Taylor to pace herself after the opener. So the sculptor swapped her sledgehammer for a chisel and chipped away to demonstrate her extraordinary ability.
In the second round, Volante showed enough to ensure it would not be a formality. By round three the bout became a war but the Wicklow women had already shown she was willing to stand and trade.
By the fifth, the 36-year-old was hanging on and referee Benji Estevez looked ready to put an end to it at any moment. The moment duly arrived in the ninth, a head clash resulting in a cut on Volante's nose and putting an end to her misery.
Katie Taylor, 13-o as a pro, three-time World Champion. WBC titlist Delfine Persoon waits in the wings.
