Katie Taylor ‘not really too concerned about what other people are saying’

"I'm not too concerned about what other people think," said the unified four-belt lightweight world champion Katie Taylor. Fresh from New York, where she beat WBC champion Delfine Persoon with a majority decision over 12 rounds, Taylor agreed her unification fight in Madison Square Garden was close but that her team scored it six rounds to four in her favour.

“I haven’t seen the fight myself but I knew at the time that it was a very close fight,” said Taylor on Thursday. “We were prepared for a tough fight and we were confident that we had done enough early on to win the fight.

“The fight could have gone either way, no doubt about it. I thought I was a deserved winner and I am sitting here as the undisputed champion and I am not really too concerned about what other people are saying.”

Unbeaten as a professional, the London Olympic gold medallist totally rejected a re-match against Persoon in Belgium, saying that it made no financial sense. Persoon reportedly offered €300,000 for Taylor meet her again in her country.

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Under Eddie Hearn promotion and contracted to American television DAZN, Taylor's contract would not allow her to go to Belgium.

Persoon also claimed Taylor did not have the will to fight her in Belgium, continuing to claim she had won the bout.

"It's ludicrous actually, it is a crazy statement," said manager Brian Peters. "She is not in any position to be making any demands. Good fighter that she is . . . if she is that interested let her go to America and start making a bit of a name.

“I suppose that was part of the problem, every time Katie Taylor fights everybody expects her to win. We certainly give Delfine Persoon plenty of respect. She is a great fighter. She had more knock outs than Katie had fights. We have our plans and our path set out and we will stick with that.”

Taylor is expected to have another fight before the end of the year, however it is highly unlikely to be against Persoon. She added she did not want to be involved in too many brawling contests like that last Sunday.

“This is what I dreamed about since I turned professional, to have these five belts in front of me,” added Taylor. “The next day when I was with my family we talked about how far we have come over the last few years and where we are heading. To do it in Madison Square Garden in a fight of the year contender. I don’t want to be involved in too many of these [close] fights.”