Sport

Katie Taylor cruises to second straight professional win in Manchester

Katie Taylor in action against Viviane Obenauf during Saturday's super-featherweight bout at the Manchester Arena<br />Picture by PA
Katie Taylor in action against Viviane Obenauf during Saturday's super-featherweight bout at the Manchester Arena
Picture by PA
Katie Taylor in action against Viviane Obenauf during Saturday's super-featherweight bout at the Manchester Arena
Picture by PA

KATIE TAYLOR cruised to her second straight professional win on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's IBF heavyweight title fight against Eric Molina in Manchester.

Ireland's 2012 Olympic champion had too much for Brazilian-born opponent Viviane Obenauf, dominating proceedings and earning a shut-out 60-53 verdict.

If Obenauf, who came to the ring with a 9-1 record, was a step up on her debut opponent, it was soon abundantly obviously she possessed neither the speed nor power to trouble the favourite.

A crunching left hook in the opening round left Obenauf in no doubt about the size of her task, and she slipped to the canvas in the second in what was rather harshly ruled a knockdown by the referee.

Taylor was in full control in the third, landing shots with either hand, and while Obenauf continued to look to press forward gallantly, she was continually picked off by the impressive Taylor.

Obenauf seemed to gave a minor surge in confidence in the fifth, in which she gave as good as she got until she sustained a bad cut in the corner of her left eye from an apparent head clash, which troubled her for the remainder of the contest.