Katie Taylor treats Miriam Gutierrez like a punching bag but settles for UD win

Undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor easily ran through challenger Miriam Gutierrez, but Gutierrez proved to have an iron chin. 

Undisputed lightweight boxing champion Katie Taylor easily defeated Miriam Gutierrez, but she didn’t get the knockout that looked likely through most of the fight.

Coming into their Saturday, Nov. 14 matchup, Gutierrez (13-1, 5 KOs) was a massive underdog. According to Oddsshark.com, odds were as high as 14-1 against Gutierrez despite her undefeated record.

Gutierrez never stood a shot and was nearly knocked out on several occasions, but proved to be able to take a heck of a punch.

Taylor (17-0, 6 KOs) did all that she could to stop Gutierrez. She trapped Gutierrez along the ropes in round 1 and tried to get her out of there early. Gutierrez absorbed a lot of punishment, but that was just the beginning.

Taylor rocked Gutierrez in round 3 with a left hook, but Gutierrez survived the round. Things got scary for Gutierrez at the end of round 4 when Taylor dropped Gutierrez at the bell. Gutierrez showed a lot of spirit getting up and answered the call in round 5.

In between rounds 5 and 6, Taylor’s corner instructed her to go for the knockout. Taylor almost accomplished that task, but Gutierrez took all of her punches and miraculously stayed on her feet. Gutierrez was well out of her league against Taylor but deserves a ton of credit for lasting with Taylor.

Gutierrez forced Taylor to go the distance, but the fight was never in doubt for Taylor as she won by unanimous decision.

There’s nothing left to achieve as a lightweight for Taylor other than maintaining her status as an undisputed champion. She has loads of options ahead of her. Taylor could finally meet Amanda Serrano, but that fight has fallen through so many times it might not be worth the effort.

The most attractive contest would be a welterweight fight with fellow undisputed champion Jessica McCaskill. If Taylor won that fight, she would be the undisputed champion in two weight divisions at the same time. That achievement would vault her status as an all-time great. Taylor is on her way to bigger fights in cementing her boxing legacy.