'It was bombs away' - International media reaction to Taylor-Serrano classic

The first women's boxing match to headline at Madison Square Garden did not disappoint as Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano served up a contender for fight of the year. This is how the international media appraised the fight.

ESPN say the fight not only lived up to the hype but exceeded it

"The entire promotion - on posters, as part of the title card and even as the hashtag they tried to push the past few weeks - had all been focused on one thing: history. The first women to ever headline The Garden's big room. Taylor and Serrano were asked to do next to impossible Saturday night.

"They were asked to live up to the outsize reality that is promoting any sport, but especially boxing. This could have easily been a letdown. These events can get swallowed by the gravity of the promotion and the intensity of the moment.

"Taylor-Serrano exceeded what people might have expected, what the promoters had billed. As Taylor and Serrano stood in the middle of the ring in the final minute, decibels from the crowd rising with each punch thrown, everything they hoped for was reality.

"Serrano had a bruised face; Taylor a bloodied nose and a cut over her right eye. The crowd provided an intense atmosphere. All of the necessary ingredients were in place to create a big moment in The Garden.

"If you wanted a scrap, Taylor and Serrano delivered. If you wanted a technical fight between two different styles of fighters trying to game-plan how to attack one another? You got that too.

"The only thing that didn't happen was a knockdown or a knockout, but some of the best fights don't end like that. Why? Because the fight was even. Two fighters of equal stature, making life difficult for the other one."

The Guardian reported that a draw may have been the