Barry McGuigan column: Katie Taylor might not say it…

Barry McGuigan column: Katie Taylor might not say it but will show why she's the GWOAT vs Karen Carabajal

Katie Taylor is right; it is not for fighters to decide if they are the greatest boxer of all time. That’s for others to determine.

For what it’s worth, the arguments for Taylor wearing the GWOAT badge around her neck are just as powerful as the claims made by Claressa Shields.

Taylor is every bit as exciting and dominant. Shields is the more naturally gifted fighter, but for pure entertainment and commitment you won’t get better than Taylor. Both have been great servants to the game and inspired thousands of kids.

Taylor is perpetual motion in the ring but there is a huge amount of finesse and talent. Her style is to go and get them.

There are a number of ways of going about that and she has more than one dimension. Both rely on combinations and volume, and neither has developed the power habit, which requires a different approach. That might be a consequence of fighting two-minute rounds, which requires you to get shots off quickly. It is a different dynamic.

The crazy thing is women fight three-minute rounds in the amateurs and there is no evidence to suggest that they are at greater risk in the pros.

I am an advocate of three-minute rounds. It is a slight on women to suggest they are not capable of three minute rounds. It’s sexist and wrong.

Taylor defends all four lightweight belts at Wembley against Argentina’s Karen Carabajal on Saturday. In my experience boxers from Argentina are a different breed, unrelenting and with huge capacity to endure.

This is Carabajal’s first fight outside Argentina and though unbeaten, I would still expect Taylor to be a level above and to retain her belts with another rousing performance.

It is a privilege for our fighter Ellie Scotney to appear on the undercard against Mary Romero of Spain. They were scheduled to meet for the European super bantamweight title on the pulled Chris Eubank Jnr v Conor Benn card and are both grateful to get the nod again so quickly.

Scotney sparred a lot with Mikaela Meyer before her controversial loss to Alycia Baumgardner earlier this month. She fared very well. Romero is experienced and represents Scotney’s biggest test. Ellie is turning a corner, beginning to sit down on her shots.

She was a combination puncher but she is developing nicely on the inside and has great ring presence. This, we hope, is the start of much bigger things for her.

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